1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
2 I cry out to God Most High,
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
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,
8 Awake, my glory!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
David wrote this psalm when he was hiding from Saul, escaping to a cave to escape death. There might have been feelings of loneliness, terror, worry, and fear that King Saul would find David. We heard from Pastor Dan last Saturday night on how Saul took multiple attempts to kill David, David ran away, and Saul’s anger and jealousy was to the extent that David could no longer dwell in the presence of the king and be safe. However, David finds presence in the true king of Israel, the Lord God Almighty.
It is “in the shadow of [His] wings [David] will take refuge” because it is the place of refuge, mercy, and safety where no storm may destroy or knock us down. What a great privilege that we are covered by His presence, protected and secured. David cries out aloud to the Lord for His protection, and God provides from Heaven all of the great dark forces whether man or beast. The armies of heaven are at the disposal for the saints of God, and it is reassuring to know that our God is steadfast.
As David proclaims in Psalm 56:3-4: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” What joyful and gladness we have: The Lord our God is for us and who can’t take any stand for us? This truly is the cause for celebration and praise.
I can’t begin to imagine the difficulty that David experiences, fleeing from his family, fiends, and his city while the Lord promises a great and secure future for David. Samuel anointed David as king of Israel, and maybe while David was in the cave, he may have doubted of his future and his calling. But God’s purpose stands and David trusts that the Lord will fulfill the promises that He made to David (v2).
We can rest assured that we stand on the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ and we will not be moved. No matter how hard we fight, struggle, no matter the persecutions, or our struggle against sin and the wickedness of this earth, we have the hope of being covered in His wings, His mercy endures forever, He fulfills His promise in our lives, and all that should leave us with the incredible hope of our salvation and enduring joy because our God is over the heavens and He is for us.
