Psalms 57:0 ¶ To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.
This is another psalm of David that he gave to the chief Musician for use at the tabernacle. After looking at the Hebrew, I believe the CJB gave the best explanation for “Altaschith,” that it was to be sung to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Michtam makes reference to a poem, and we are told that this poem was written when David fled from Saul in the cave. I would assume the Cave of Adullam as recorded in 1Samuel 22.
Psalms 57:1 ¶ Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
Again, this psalm opens with a prayer. David asks for God to be merciful to him, to show him pity and favor, because he is trusting Him totally for his protection. He has determined that the shadow of God’s outstretched arms is the safest place he can be until the wickedness planned against him has passed.
As I read through this again, I realized that David was confident that his troubles would pass. He knew that God had anointed him as the next king and that His purpose would be fulfilled. We should, like David, have faith and confidence in the promises of the word of God whenever we find ourselves in trouble and/or overwhelmed by the circumstances. We know that we have a victorious future as the children of God and joint-heirs with Jesus.
Romans 8:16–17 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
So often scripture pictures God as providing refuge for His people as a bird would protect her young by covering them with her wings. One of the most poignant is from the mouth of Jesus shortly before He died.
Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”
I was reading through the Beatitudes this morning and began thinking about mercy. I have always heard it described as not receiving the judgment we deserve and grace as being blessed with what we don’t deserve. I think they are tied together in that mercy is a great act of grace.
Psalms 57:2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
Psalms 57:3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
As David cries out to “God most high,” he is confident that He is working out His plan for David. As “God most high,” no one or nothing can thwart that plan. If necessary, he is confident that God will send angels from heaven to protect him from his enemy, Saul.
Selah – an opportunity for thought and reflection
David is confident that God has heard his plea for mercy and will answer him based on His truth, His promise to make David king.
Thoughtful comment from Spurgeon: “He is quite safe, but yet he prays, for faith is never dumb. We pray because we believe. We exercise by faith the spirit of adoption whereby we cry. He says not I do cry, or I have cried, but I will cry, and indeed, this resolution may stand with all of us until we pass through the gates of pearl; for while we are here below we shall still have need to cry.”
Psalms 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
David compares his enemies to lions on the hunt, using spears and arrows as their teeth and a sharp sword as their tongue. The spears and arrows were the physical weapons they used against him, the sword of the tongue I think represents the slander they spread against him. Scripture is clear that the tongue is a powerful weapon for evil.
James 3:5–8 “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell…. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
Psalms 57:5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
He follows the description of his enemies with a call for God to show Himself exalted and let His glory be evident to those on earth—especially his enemies.
Psalms 57:6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
David is aware that his enemies have set a trap for him. That his soul is bowed down pictures a man that he tired of being constantly in danger and on the run. He knows that eventually they would be caught in their own trap.
Selah – another pause, another opportunity for meditation
Psalms 57:7 ¶ My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
Psalms 57:8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
It’s like David is trying to pull himself up out of his depression by determining to fix his heart on God. This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah said that we should do.
Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
What method does he use? Music. He determines to sing and praise God. I liked the NLT for verse 8: “Wake up, my soul! Wake up, O harp and lyre! I will waken the dawn with my song.”
I believe God gave us music to help us express our love and praise to him and to provide healing and encouragement when times are tough. Music is the language of heart and soul. I often turn to music and choose songs according to how I am feeling. Worship music is my favorite! So many times I have taken comfort from music that is filled with the truth of God’s promises and His love for us. Sadly, Satan also knows the power of music and has managed to corrupt it and make use of it for his own wicked purposes.
Psalms 57:9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
Psalms 57:10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
David is determined to praise God publicly in testimony to the nations. The predominant themes in his music are God’s mercy and truth.
I liked Coffman’s comment: “What a wonderful vision was that of David! Here he was hiding from enemies in a cave; but his mind encompasses the entire world; and he promises to sing the praises of God among the `nations,' that is, `the Gentiles,' or `the peoples' of the whole world. And indeed, is it not true? Has it not come to pass? These Psalms of David are surely sung all over the inhabited earth; and this has been true for centuries and millenniums of time!”
Psalms 57:11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.
David closes his psalm with a prayer that God be exalted as is His due and His glory made evident throughout the earth.
I am so looking forward to that time. I believe that David’s prayer will be answered in full when the LORD Jesus comes to take the throne of David in Jerusalem and rule as King of kings over the whole earth. Come, LORD Jesus!
Psalms 58:0 ¶ To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.
This is another psalm of David that he gave to the chief Musician for use at the tabernacle. After looking at the Hebrew, I believe the CJB gave the best explanation for “Altaschith,” that it was to be sung to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” “Michtam” makes reference to a poem.
Psalms 58:1 ¶ Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Psalms 58:2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
I think the NLT states the psalmist thoughts a bit more clearly: “Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No, all your dealings are crooked; you hand out violence instead of justice.”
The Hebrew for “congregation” stated, “silence (i.e. mute justice).” In that regard, the CJB was more on target for the first part of verse 1: “[Rulers,] does your silence really speak justice?”
I think that is an important observation. When we are silent in the face of evil, it implies that we support the evil being done. I am reminded of this quote from Edmond Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
Psalms 58:4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
Psalms 58:5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
David states an important truth—We are born with a sin nature. Every parent knows that you don’t have to teach children to do what is wrong; they do that naturally. You have to teach them to do what is right. Wicked men have made a conscious choice to continue in sin rather than do what is right before God. Their anger is as effective as the venom of a poisonous snake. They are like snakes that ignore the music of even the most skillful snake charmers. They are intent upon pleasing self and inflicting harm to accomplish their own selfish purposes.
Psalms 58:6 ¶ Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
Psalms 58:7 Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
Psalms 58:8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
David the warrior calls for God to break the teeth of these wicked men and render them harmless. He calls for God to make them disappear like ice melting into water, to make their weapons ineffective.
David continues to make the point that he wants God to destroy these wicked men. He wants them to die like a snail that melts away in the heat or salt. He wants God to cause them to die, like a child that was miscarried and never saw the light of day.
Sober observation from Spurgeon: “Every unregenerate man is an abortion. He misses the true form of God made manhood; he corrupts in the darkness of sin; he never sees or shall see the light of God in purity, in heaven.”
Psalms 58:9 Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.
The CJB adds a little insight: “Before your cook-pots feel the heat of the burning thorns, may he blow them away.…”
David is confident that the LORD is going to destroy the wicked quicker than it takes a pot to begin feeling heat from the thorns feeding the fire, as quick as a tornado destroys anything in its path. He expects God to judge them all in His wrath.
David was a warrior king that lived under the law that called for an eye for an eye and life for life. That is so different from how Jesus taught. He came to institute a new covenant, a covenant of grace. He taught us to love our enemies and do good to those that despitefully use us.
Matthew 5:44-45 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Luke 6:27–28 “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”
Luke 6:35 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
I think because of the grace and mercy that David experienced personally from the LORD, he did teach his son a bit on the subject as recorded in Proverbs.
Proverbs 25:21–22 “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.”
Psalms 58:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Psalms 58:11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
I think the CJB is bit clearer: “The righteous will rejoice to see vengeance done, they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked; and people will say, ‘Yes, the righteous are rewarded; there is, after all, a God who judges the earth.’”
I have to admit that for so much of my life this thought would fit in with my way of thinking completely. I can’t say that I look forward to God’s vengeance against those that I care about that have rejected Him to this point. I so want to see them turn to the LORD in saving faith. I know that there are rewards for the righteous, and I know that God is a righteous judge. I am able at this point to more fully understand what an eternity in hell means, and I hate to think of such an eternity for anyone. I’m sure such merciful thoughts would be tested to the fullest if someone harmed any of my loved ones. The important truth is that I know that Jesus is Sovereign in righteousness and love. Though I may question things that happen in this lifetime from my limited perspective, I am sure that I will never question anything He does when I am living in His presence. These verses in Revelation affirm that truth.
Revelation 6:9–11 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
Revelation 19:1–3 “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.”