1 {To the chief Musician. 'Destroy not.' Of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul in the cave.} Be gracious unto me, O God, be gracious unto me; for my soul taketh refuge in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings do I take refuge, until the calamities be overpast.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou find refuge: his truth is a shield and buckler.
Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself just for a little moment, until the indignation be past.
{To the chief Musician. On Jonathelem-rechokim. Of David. Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath.} Be gracious unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up: all the day long fighting he oppresseth me.
How precious is thy loving-kindness, O God! So the sons of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.
And they that know thy name will confide in thee; for thou, Jehovah, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Jehovah recompense thy work, and let thy reward be full from Jehovah the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge.
And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall not exist any more, nor grief, nor cry, nor distress shall exist any more, for the former things have passed away.
And I said to him, My lord, *thou* knowest. And he said to me, These are they who come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Take [as] an example, brethren, of suffering and having patience, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of [the] Lord. Behold, we call them blessed who have endured. Ye have heard of the endurance of Job, and seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is full of tender compassion and pitiful.
and if those days had not been cut short, no flesh had been saved; but on account of the elect those days shall be cut short.
Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that hearkeneth to the voice of his servant? he that walketh in darkness, and hath no light, -- let him confide in the name of Jehovah, and stay himself upon his God.
Because *thou* hast made Jehovah, my refuge, the Most High, thy dwelling-place,
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, Jehovah, in an acceptable time: O God, in the abundance of thy loving-kindness answer me, according to the truth of thy salvation: Deliver me out of the mire, let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters. Let not the flood of waters overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth upon me. Answer me, O Jehovah; for thy loving-kindness is good: according to the abundance of thy tender mercies, turn toward me;
I will sojourn in thy tent for ever; I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
{To the chief Musician. 'Destroy not.' Of David. Michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.} Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God; secure me on high from them that rise up against me.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, though his anger burn but a little. Blessed are all who have their trust in him.
{An instruction of David; when he was in the cave: a prayer.} I cry unto Jehovah with my voice: with my voice unto Jehovah do I make supplication.
David also arose afterwards, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king! And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and did obeisance.
And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet; and David and his men were abiding in the recesses of the cave.
for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall be accomplished, and mine anger, in their destruction.
Verily, verily, I say to you, that ye shall weep and lament, ye, but the world shall rejoice; and ye will be grieved, but your grief shall be turned to joy.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 57
Commentary on Psalms 57 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 57
This psalm is very much like that which goes next before it; it was penned upon a like occasion, when David was both in danger of trouble and in temptation to sin; it begins as that did, "Be merciful to me;' the method also is the same.
So that hence we may take direction and encouragement, both in our supplications and in our thanksgivings, and may offer both to God, in singing this psalm.
To the chief musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.
Psa 57:1-6
The title of this psalm has one word new in it, Al-taschith-Destroy not. Some make it to be only some known tune to which this psalm was set; others apply it to the occasion and matter of the psalm. Destroy not; that is, David would not let Saul be destroyed, when now in the cave there was a fair opportunity of killing him, and his servants would fain have done so. No, says David, destroy him not, 1 Sa. 24:4, 6. Or, rather, God would not let David be destroyed by Saul; he suffered him to persecute David, but still under this limitation, Destroy him hot; as he permitted Satan to afflict Job, Only save his life. David must not be destroyed, for a blessing is in him (Isa. 65:8), even Christ, the best of blessings. When David was in the cave, in imminent peril, he here tells us what were the workings of his heart towards God; and happy are those that have such good thoughts as these in their minds when they are in danger!
Psa 57:7-11
How strangely is the tune altered here! David's prayers and complaints, by the lively actings of faith, are here, all of a sudden, turned into praises and thanksgivings; his sackcloth is loosed, he is girded with gladness, and his hallelujahs are as fervent as his hosannas. This should make us in love with prayer, that, sooner or later, it will be swallowed up in praise. Observe,