Psalm 57
The Chorus of the Kingdom
What would someone hear as they heard us sing together on a Sunday morning? Some quietly mumbling along, others giving it laldy.
When they hear us singing Psalm 57, they are hearing the Chorus of the Kingdom, as the King himself leads us to the Father and leads our worship to him.
For the director of music. To the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy’. Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me –
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.4 I am in the midst of lions;
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts –
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.6 They spread a net for my feet –
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path –
but they have fallen into it themselves.7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
This Psalm is broken up into two sections, one of prayer in danger (1-4) and one of praise for deliverance (6-10).
Encircled by his foes, David lifts his eyes, heart and voice to God. The situation is perilous. This was composed while David was in a cave, hunted by Saul. Saul and his consort are depicted as the lions mid-hunt. They are portrayed as fearsome, with sharp and piercing teeth. They gluttonously pursue their prey, David, who is cornered in the cave.
And so David prays. He cries out to God to be gracious and merciful. He calls on God to deliver him from the jaws of defeat and death. He beseeches God to step up and step in front of him.
For God is the shield of his people and the refuge of his flock. The confidence of the King, and all those bound to him, is in the tender embrace of the mighty and peerless God. In 1 Samuel 22, it is recorded that when David retreated to the cave, a number of outcasts drew near to him. Those drawn to David while he was in the cave were those who were discontented in soul, distressed and in debt. For they saw with the eyes of faith that he was truly the LORD’s Anointed One. And when they bound themselves to him, God became their defender and deliverer too.
For the assurance of God’s people is that he will send from heaven his love and faithfulness. The one we learn that is sent from heaven is the Son (John, 5.24; 1 John 4.9). God’s love is seen and demonstrated in the giving of his Son, the one who vindicates and justifies his people through his atoning death on the cross.
And so the prayer of his people is transformed into praise.
For God’s faithfulness and love overcomes the enemies of the king. As is God’s way, he uses the schemes of our foes against themselves. The pit they dug for the King becomes the grave of the Enemy.
And so the King leads his people into worship.
We call on ourselves to wake up. The light has pierced the darkness. The day is dawning. The shadows are decreasing. We awake to the new life we have with the resurrected King. And we awake to glorify God.
The praise of God’s people will cover the whole earth, reaching every nation and people. As John Piper says, “missions exists because worship doesn’t.” We proclaim the gospel of grace, so that God would be worshipped across the world. But even when God’s name is worshipped across every square inch of this earth, it still won’t match the scope of God’s love and faithfulness, which reaches to the clouds and skies and beyond.
Did you notice the repeated refrain in verses 5 & 11? This is the chorus of the Kingdom. This is the chorus we sing whether surrounded or saved. The chorus of the Kingdom is that God will be exalted as his glory spreads north, south, east, and west.
And so we say,
Glory be to God the Father, the exalted One over the heavens.
Glory be to God the Son, the One sent from heaven to be our Deliverer.
Glory be to God the Spirit, for in the shadow of his wings we find refuge.
Ever three and ever One.