Psalm 57 Commentary
Be Merciful To Me – David
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KEY THOUGHT: For my soul trusts in You; [Psalm 57:1b NKJV]
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Psalm 57 NKJV
Prayer for Safety from Enemies
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.
57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.
2 I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who [b]would swallow me up. Selah
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
4 My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the [c]nations.
10 For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
a. Psalm 57:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
b. Psalm 57:3 snaps at or hounds me, or crushes me
c. Psalm 57:9 Gentiles
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Psalm 57 Commentary
Another hunting expedition. It’s King Saul on the hunt. David is the hunted.
Another petition. Another deliverance. Another praise song.
In the historical record of the first volume of Samuel, we don’t have the details we have here. These songs were written in real-time. They are raw and flow from a troubled but trusting heart.
Go to the Psalms when you want to know the heart of David. The emotions are real – a real heart before a real God!
The psalmist has escaped death, but he is still on the wanted list. It isn’t his first deliverance, and he knows it won’t be his last. So the language is in the present continuous tense. “Have mercy on me,” he prays. It is a petition to the God Most High.
This psalm may suggest that God is the aggressor. It is a natural thought. If the bank has threatened to take your house because of unpaid dues, you want to write them for a grace period.
The fact that the psalmist petitions God, not the bank, means he perfectly understands the hierarchy of authority in creation.
The words “mercy” and “grace” appear when one thinks of guilt or deserved repercussion. At the same time, the psalmist prays that God vindicates him. The thought here is that he is innocent. The saint may combine these thoughts in one prayer, though it tastes terrible.
Regardless, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”
In the first stanza, God sends from Heaven and rebukes David’s enemies. He sends forth His love and faithfulness.
In the second stanza, David is steadfast. He summons strength from within. He sings. He makes music from his circumstances. This should be the saint’s reaction. Put your life in a song, and it will be similar to this psalm.
It is often a combination of danger and fear, petitions and deliverances, and then more danger and fear, followed by more petitions and deliverances. It is always in the present.
At some point in our existence, deliverance will be complete. But for now, we know deliverances come in installments. Regardless, the LORD is faithful. His love is great. Let the saint’s soul awaken to the sound of petitions and praise.
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