Psalm 57 I How Heaven Helps Me

Storms Will Pass By

God Promises To Fulfill His Purpose For Me

The backstory on Psalm 57 is interesting.

After David kills Goliath he is forced to run from King Saul. The monarch is jealous of David and wants him dead. David and a few of his men ran to Nob, and found comfort from the Priest, who gave them sacred bread and Goliath’s sword. David leaves Nob and hides out in a cave around a place called Adullam, not far from Jerusalem.

Saul kills the Priest at Nob for helping David, and continues on a path of destruction. To read the backstory personally, check out the following wo chapters, I Samuel 21-22.

At the cave of Adullam, I Samuel 22 records a long list of people siding with David, but the description of those people is not complementary. Every dirt bag and person of questionable character sides with him, meaning David has no one he can trust or depend on, so he turns to God for help, and God does not disappoint.

I Do Delcare

David seeks God by delcaring what is true about God, and what is true about himself before God. The combination is lethal against the enemies of God.

Declarations About God
Delcarations About Me

Your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to read Psalm 57 and see if you can find the six declarations David makes about God, and the six declarations David makes about himself.

Here’s an example, in verse 1 David declares about himself that he takes refuge in God, and in verse two David declares that God fulfills his purposes—see if you can find the others…answers are beneath the graphic of the this post

v.1

David declares God is merciful and asks for more of it.

Refuge is a great word, chacah (ha-sah) in Hebrew.

Boaz used chacah to bless Ruth. Boaz, speaking of God’s blessing, tells her not to glean in another field, but to stay with him and the Lord will reward her, and be her refuge (ha-sah). The word means you are now safe.

David looks back on Boaz and Ruth, a story he knew full well, delcares God is his (ha-sah), meaning David is now safe.

The phrase shadow of your wings, in the Psalms, often follows chacah (ha-sah), the word for refuge, and is a poetic way of saying the same thing, but with style.

v. 2

Cry out needs investigation.

The word cry is a word of enthusiasm and confidence. Cry in Hebrew is qara (kara), and is the same word used in Genesis 1:5. God called the light day and called the darkness night.

Called in Genesis 1:5 and cry in Psalm 57:2 are the same word.

Most High God is as unique a phrase as one can find in scripture. Most High in Hebrew is elyon, and when el is before it the meaning is always the same—Most High God.

The phrase is first found in Genesis 14:18 where a fascinating man named Melchizedek is called a Priest of the Most High God. The story revolves around a battle Abram just won, and peaceful truce that must be made. I believe David is remembering this story, using the same phrase to make the same point.

Most High God means God is most supreme, nothing and nobody, not even for one moment, is higher than God.

v.3-4

The word tramples comes from the idea of panting or gasping for breathe.

v. 5

I love the imagery of Zechariah 2:5 as it speaks about God’s glory. The context has to do with re-born Israel, but here is what the text says:

And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.

God’s glory, according to David’s Psalm and Zechariah’s words, are a firewall over all the earth.

v.6

David references all the different ways Saul and others, scheme against David.

v. 7

Evidence that David is a man after God’s own heart.

v. 8-11

Conviction dominates David, he will wake up early to meet with God, sing praises whether people like it or not, declare God’s glorious promises, and look for God’s glory to fill the earth.