Psalm 57--Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

Psalm 57
English Standard Version

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
57 Be merciful to me, 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.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts--
the children of man, 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 set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8     Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

​11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

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We see lyrics to several familiar songs and hymns in this psalm--I've embedded a few that come directly from the text, or their lyrics might have been at least partially inspired by this text.  We see here that we take shelter from the storms in the shadow of His wings, for He gathers us and protects us like a mother hen gathers and protects her chicks.  Jesus uses this imagery when He weeps for Jerusalem saying that He wishes He could have gathered them like a mother hen gathers her chicks.

When things beyond our ability and control come our way like storms that threaten us, we cry out to God, as nothing is too big for Him or outside His control.  We know that whatever He does is right, even when we feel like we are sheep in the midst of a pride of hungry lions and being attacked by the spears and arrows of the words of men and that we exist in the midst of the fiery demonic beasts of the devil.  Even in all this, God is in control and working all things together for His glory and our good.

In response to all this (which would usually lead men to lament), David chooses to burst out in praise.

David sees all the traps and snares being set for him, and yet his heart is not moved to become angry at God or question His goodness or justice.  No, David sees that the very traps they set for him will be their undoing as they will be caught in their own traps.  David's heart is steadfast (because God's love is steadfast) --He will praise the Lord!

David tells his soul to wake up and play music to the Lord with his harp and lyre.  David will give glory to God all his days--as long as he has breath.  In fact, there will be another psalm where David will call on everything that has breath to join with him and praise the LORD.  Why does David feel compelled to praise the LORD?  Because of His hesed.  That rich, deep word that we struggle to translate in English, but it may look something like "love," "steadfast love," "lovingkindness," or "mercy" in your English translations.  It is this deep, deep love that David has experienced that drives him to worship, no matter the circumstances he faces.

Once more, David bursts out in praise at the end of the psalm with the chorus, "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!"