CHAPTER 57

A PSALM OF DAVID: GOD DELIVERS DAVID FROM KING SAUL

¹Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusts in You: yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. (This was probably written by David when he was being chased by Saul, and was in the cave of Engedi. It was one of the most critical times in Davids life. The sweet singer of Israel could not trust in any man to save him. If he was to be saved, the Lord Alone would have to do it; consequently, Davids trust in the Lord is overwhelmingly obvious here. It most definitely must be a lesson to us.)

²I will cry unto God Most High; unto God Who performs all things for me. (The words, all things, are not in the original Hebrew Text; therefore, the Verse is a blank check. In other words, whatever is needed, God will do; however, we must keep our petitions in the scope of His Will.)

³He shall send from Heaven, and save me from the reproach of him who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His Mercy and His Truth. (Even though this is a Psalm of David, even more so it is a Psalm of the Greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This Verse proclaims Christs descent into the realm of the dead. It also proclaims His glorious Resurrection from the grave.

Actually, the entire Psalm is the language of the Messiah, with the exception of Verses 5 and 11, which are addressed to him by the Holy Spirit.)

⁴My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. (In His Earthly Ministry, our Lord was constantly beset by the opposition of demon spirits.

The latter part of this Verse speaks of the hatred of man directed toward the Messiah. There was no distinction or difference in the vehemence of their hatred from the hatred of demons; actually, the hatred within the Scribes and Pharisees was placed there by demon spirits. In fact, Christ met with almost universal hatred.)

⁵Be You exalted, O God, above the hea vens; let Your Glory be above all the Earth. (In this Verse, the Holy Spirit addresses the Lord Jesus Christ, and does so as God. The imperative sense of the Hebrew verb employed here implies the certainty of the desired exaltation, and so marks the contrast with the sufferings described in Verse 4.)

⁶They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have dug a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. (As Saul and his henchmen hated David, likewise, the Scribes and Pharisees hated the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every Christian should allow this Psalm to be a warning that if he moves his tongue against that which God has truly anointed, or lifts his hand against the same, it will ultimately destroy him.)

⁷My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. (No matter what happened, David would not lose his song and, thereby, would not lose his praise for God. What a testimony!)

⁸Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. (David will awake early in order to have time with the Lord in communion and fellowship. At times, this was accompanied with the harp and him singing the Psalms.)

⁹I will praise You, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto You among the nations. (In the cave of Engedi, little did he realize how prophetic this statement was. These Psalms have been sung by untold millions from then until now, and in fact will ever be sung.)

¹⁰For Your Mercy is great unto the heavens, and Your Truth unto the clouds. (What would he sing? He would sing of Gods mercy and His truth. There could be nothing greater to sing about.)

¹¹Be You exalted, O God, above the heavens: let Your Glory be above all the Earth. (Once again, and even in double measure, the Holy Spirit proclaims Jesus Christ as God. One day His Glory will be above all the Earth. In fact, this will be fulfilled in the coming Millennial Reign.)