You Are Not the Only One

#Protection #Praise

Psalm Chapter 57

(Unless otherwise stated all scriptures in this devotional are from the King James Version-Public Domain. Not because I think that it is the best version, but because I don’t have to deal with copyright issues when I post straight from the King James Bible 🙂 ).

Psalm 57: This psalm of David was written after he escaped from the city of GathGath (see 1 Sam 22:1). Verses 5 and 11 marks the two distinct sections of this psalm:

1. David’s petition and lament for God’s protection from his enemies(verses 1-6). From the very first line of this psalm, the reader recognizes the lament of a person who is being attacked by destructive enemies. The psalm moves from a cry for help and invocation and complaint (vv. 1– 6). David is vulnerable, but his confidence in his refuge and the fact that he is dwelling under the shadow of God’s wings reassures his spirit (compare 1 Sam. 22:1, 24:3)
2. His absolute trust and his offer of praise and thanksgiving for the protection and deliverance he is expecting to receive (verses 6-11).

1. In our culture, we are thinking about a bird or an eagle spreading its wings and protecting its young. However, in the culture of the near east, the bird could also represent the symbol of a winged god. A winged god is protecting his people.  Think about the angelic beings who are standing and protecting the Ark of the Covenant, and you will see a picture of the type of protection that David was talking about in this verse. 
2. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.  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. His confidence in the protection of God is shared with all who are listening to him.

Vicious Enemies: They are attempting to consume me, but I will put my confidence in you.

• • 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.  The wicked are pictured as a frightening animal that is ready to destroy their prey with their teeth that are as sharp as swords (compare Psalms 7:2; 10:9; 17:12; 22:13). Scripture tells (New Testament: NT) Christians to be aware of the devil because he is prowling like a lion “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
  • ^5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. David states that even when you know that your enemy is prowling like a lion you should stand firm and praise God because as it is said in 1 Chronicle 29:11“Thine, O LORD, [is] the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all [everything that is] in the heaven and in the earth [belongs to God]; [for] thine [is] the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”  This statement could reference a literal battle or a spiritual conflict. Whichever suits your personal circumstances read it to match that situation.
  • 6. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have dug a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.  The psalmist wants the entire world to know even if his enemies have dug a pit for him and his soul is bowed down he is not concerned. Christians must also remember that the soul of Christ was bowed down with the sins of his people, and with a sense of divine wrath because of them [“Abba, Abba why has thou forsaken me!”]. Christians must also remember that their souls are often bowed down. They may feel dejected in their spirits, on account of sin, emotional turmoil, Satan’s temptations-to challenge God and die, various afflictions, and even a feeling of divine desertions. The Targum’s phrase for this saying is it, “he bowed down my soul;” that is, the enemy; in general, but in this frame of reference-Saul in particular. The Septuagint, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions render this phrase as “they bowed down my soul”; the same that prepared a net for his steps; every one of his enemies. They all were the cause of the dejection of his soul. Even so, the psalmist is determined to focus on God and to praise him. 
  • 7. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is set: I will sing and give praise. 8. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery, and harp: I myself will awake early. 8. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. Why will he continue to praise God – even with all of the odds that are against him? Because
  • ¹⁰ For thy mercy is great unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds.  The majority of  David’s praising of God was in song and with his instrument. Each of us has our own way of praising God. I am like David. Sometimes I just want to scream it at the top of my lungs. Instead, I will log into YouTube, connect my Bluetooth speakers, and have a wild time of praise in my office, the den, or even, my bedroom. God loves the praises of His people. David is saying that he will begin his day by singing praises to God, I wake up singing his praises. Sometimes I just don’t know what to pray, and I will pray in song. No human being can bless my soul, lift my spirits to the high heavens, and heal my body. Only Jesus so,
  • ¹¹ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

Prayer, Lord never allow me to forget who you are in my life and that you see my comings and goings every second of the day. Your wings of protection hover over me every second of every day.