“Truth for Truckers” *March 27, 2014* Psalm 57 “I
will cry unto God”
This Psalm contains the theme verse for the
entire book of Psalms: ‘I will cry unto
God Most High, unto God that performs all things for me.’ This verse not
only shows the urgent need of David indicated by the word ‘Cry’, but, he also realized that God was indeed the Sovereign
Ruler of the universe shown by His title ‘Most
High’ which gives Him the exalted position of Commander in Chief of the heavenly
host: ‘And He doeth according to His will
in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay
His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou? (Daniel 4:35) Additionally,
David underscores the fact that the Most High God was responsible for
accomplishing each and every action necessary for his existence.
This, in a nutshell, comprises the theme
of the Psalms, the worship-book of the Old Testament. By David’s complete and
unwavering reliance upon the LORD for his each and every need, demonstrated by
his ‘Crying’ out to God throughout
the Psalms, we learn the inner workings of his heart and thereby witness the
grand and glorious art of worship in action! There are over 420
faith-exhibiting appeals, requests, and downright direct commands made to the
LORD in this the longest and most intimate of all the books of the Bible.
Soaking up the message of the Psalms will cause the believer to rely on the
Lord and worship Him as the Sovereign Ruler of the universe as this theme verse
declares.
But, lest we fail to realize the full
impact of this entire Psalm, let us look at the verse that precedes this theme
verse: ‘Be merciful unto me, O God, be
merciful unto me: for my soul trusts in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings
will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.’ This earnest
plea from David for God’s mercy is emphasized by the repetition he used to show
his dire need and the definite urgency for God’s intervention. He underscores
his faith as the basis for his plea when he follows with ‘For my soul trusts in Thee’. He continues his appeal as though God
had already delivered his request, counting upon ‘The shadow of Thy wings’ for shelter until the storm of calamity
was gone.
The theme verse in context also shows
David’s confident expectation of God’s timely response to his appeal for mercy
with (v.3) ‘He shall send from heaven and
save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah’ He
realizes God’s heavenly authority to deliver him from this physical
manifestation of a deep-rooted spiritual enemy for ‘We wrestle not with flesh and blood’ (Ephesians 6:12)
David’s vivid description: ‘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.’ (v.4) demonstrates his
understanding of just who is behind the attack upon his soul as ‘The devil is as a roaring lion, walks about
seeking whom he may devour.’ (I Peter 5:8) He calls for the maximum
exaltation of God: ‘Be Thou exalted, O
God, above the heavens, let Thy glory be above all the earth’ fully
realizing the conflict he is in the midst of can only be won through God’s
miraculous intervention. This verse divides the Psalm as it is repeated at the
conclusion of the second half.
After describing his enemies he unfolds
their activity in (v.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.’ The
trap they have laid for him is typical of what was and still is used to subdue
a large animal, but the LORD turns the tables and David’s confused enemies fall
victim to their own wicked devices. The worshipful chorus of praise, with
singing and instruments demonstrates the reason David is called ‘The Sweet
Psalmist of Israel’ as he immediately engages in a full and complete
demonstration of worship to his God for His miraculous deliverance:
No comments:
Post a Comment