Psalm 57

Psalm Category: Individual Lament

Central Thought: Relying on the Lord in danger and trouble will bring assurance, peace, and a worshipful heart.

A s the title of Psalm 57 indicates, David wrote this psalm while on the run from Saul. David took refuge in a cave where he providentially had opportunity to kill Saul. Instead, David cut off a corner of Saul’s robe to prove to his pursuer that he spared his life (1 Sam. 24).

Perhaps this episode suggests a historical explanation for the tune of the psalm, “Do Not Destroy.” In any case, we can reflect on the fact that David described his enemy as fierce (Ps. 57:4) and cunning (v. 6), but he treated his enemy with mercy nonetheless. David, the chief imprecator of the Psalter, was not personally hateful or vindictive. He lived by the commandment of his greater Son, Jesus, who said, “Love your enemies” (Matt. 5:44).

As David took refuge in a cave, he perceived his true refuge to be God. “In the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge” (v. 1). This image depicts God’s care over His people as active, tender, and attentive. The story of Ruth, where the same phrase is used (Ruth 2:12), illustrates the point in yet another setting where challenging circumstances are answered by God’s provision.

The heartfelt adoration of God that we find in this psalm was penned from a dark cave by a wanted man who could say, “There is but a step between me and death” (1 Sam. 20:3). Instructively, David looks beyond his own danger and desperation and fixes his mind on exalting the Lord. “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth” (v. 5). On one hand David says, “My soul is bowed down” (v. 6), but on the other hand, in the very next verse, he exclaims, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise” (v. 7).

While our souls may be “bowed down” by troubles and hardships, we can maintain a steadfast heart of praise that is intent on exalting the Lord in every situation. It is this steadfast heart of worship and the mindset of giving glory to God at all times that enables us to live with certitude and joy in Christ through any circumstance. The vicissitudes of life should not cause our worship to ebb and flow. If anything, troubles should impel rather than impede our praises.

Verse 8 captures the anxious joy of David’s worship in a memorable way: “Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.” The “glory” of a person seems to refer to the inmost being and true self. A genuine engagement of the heart is pictured here in worship that is “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). David poetically pictures his praise awakening the dawn itself, as if morning worship brings the sun, not vice versa. This would be a worthy goal to set for our daily worship: Let it accompany the rising sun with such regularity that an observer might confuse cause and effect.

Verses 9-11 conclude the psalm with a great breadth of vision. David vows to praise the Lord among all peoples and nations, and declares the mercy and truth of God to extend above the heavens. The expanse of these thoughts belies the confines of a cave, but this is the mindset of a man who lives, even in a cave, for the glory of God.

The dimensions of a cave may approximate the small circle of self-concern in which we too often live. This psalm beckons us to set our minds on higher and broader things—the glory of God and our witness to Him in the world. Declare His glory and serve Him in the sight of all people. This is the way of life that is met with the mounting experience of God’s tender care, in the shadow of His wings.

—C. J. Williams