Psalm 57 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Psalm 57 Short Summary:
David wrote Psalm 57 when he was hiding from King Saul in a cave. This probably refers to the time when David was at the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1-2). David’s psalm calls for God to be glorified and his oppressors to be thwarted. He rouses his soul to worship God and express unwavering confidence in the Lord’s ability to save him.
Psalm 57 Summary
AUTHOR:
David is the author of Psalm 57.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:
No Known New Testament References.
THEMES:
God provides an impenetrable refuge for those who trust in Him.
God is greater than even the fiercest of enemies.
DEFINITIONS:
Lyre (57:8) – A small hand-held stringed instrument with a U-shape. It is similar to the harp in that the musician plucks the strings to create the music.
According to Do Not Destory (57:1) – This phrase appears in Psalm 57, 58, and 59. Scholars are still working to discover the meaning.
Miktam (57:1) – No one knows the precise meaning of the word Miktam. Maybe one day a new archeological find will reveal it to us.
OUTLINE:
*CONTEXT: David wrote Psalm 57 when he was hiding from King Saul in a cave. This probably refers to the time when David was at the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1-2).
LET YOUR GLORY BE OVER ALL THE EARTH (57:1-11):
Psalm 57 opens with David stating his reliance on God as his soul’s refuge.
“O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by” (57:1).
David knew that God had a purpose for his life, and that God would protect him until that purpose was fulfilled (57:2-3).
David described his enemies as lions who had spears and arrows for teeth and tongues as sharp as swords (57:4).
David prayed for God to be glorified above all the earth and heavens. He knew his salvation would come from God superiority to his enemies.
The final 4 verses of the psalm are expressions of worship. David was rousing his soul to worship God.
Psalm 57:8-11 - Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!
APPLICATION:
When David was at the cave at Adullam, God sent him help, but I wonder if it was the help David imagined when writing this psalm.
1 Samuel 22:1-2 - David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
David may have expected a more magnificent deliverance, but God gave him the distressed, debtors, and what some might consider the riffraff of society.
When we pray to God for help, we need to be open to the fact that God’s helping hand may not look the way we imagined.
The answer to our prayers may come in a different form than we want, so it is important for us not to insist on our way, but to trust and embrace God’s way.
