Be merciful unto me, O God.
Spiritual experimentalism
I. A blessed religious exercise.
1. Praying. “Be merciful unto me,” etc. An epitome of all true prayer. Mercy is what we need; to remove our sense of guilt, to break our moral chains, to clear our spiritual vision, to quicken and harmoniously develop all the powers of our higher nature.
2. Trusting. “My soul trusteth in Thee.” This implies--
(1) A knowledge of the trustworthiness of God.
(2) A supreme love for the excellency of God.
3. Resolving. “Yea, in the shadow,” etc. God is the natural Protector of souls.
4. Hoping (Psalms 57:3). All godly souls are in a waiting attitude.
II. A wretched social condition. Among savage, crafty and deadly enemies (Psalms 57:4; Psalms 57:6). That men should feel thus to their fellow-men argues two things.
1. That morally they are in an abnormal condition.
2. That sin is essentially malignant. Sin, when it enters the soul, scorches all benevolent sympathy. Sin never fails to make its subject a tormenting devil.
III. A happy moral state. Moral fixation, or godly decision of soul, “My heart is fixed.” In our unregenerate state the heart is unsettled, divided, distracted, and herein is its misery. This fixation originates--
1. High happiness. “I will sing and give praise. Awake, psaltery and harp,” etc.
2. High worship. “I will praise Thee, O Lord,” etc. (Homilist.)
Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing
The writer begins in deep distress; but he prays himself out of the pit; and in the end he rises to a sunny height of security and faith, where he praises the God who has delivered him.
I. The art of prayer (Psalms 57:1-6). Here he, first, clearly and fully describes his trouble. This is part of the art of prayer. It is often because we have nothing definite to pray about that our devotions are unsatisfactory. God is as interested in the trials of His people to-day as He was in those of David. Next, he argues his ease. And this also is part of the art of prayer. God likes us to put our intellect as well as our feeling into our prayers. His first argument is that he is trusting in God (Psalms 57:1): he is trusting, he says, as the fledgeling cowers beneath the wing of the mother bird. Can God leave in the lurch any one who is thus depending on Him? But in Psalms 57:2 he uses a still stronger argument: he appeals to God’s character, calling Him “God that performeth”--or rather perfecteth--“all things for me.” God the Perfecter, who, when He has begun a good work, must finish it--how can He leave the career of His servant in its broken and incomplete condition? This is an argument we can all use, and it is one which cannot fail with God. He has now raised himself to complete confidence that God will deliver him; and to this he gives exquisite expression in the third verse, describing Mercy and Truth as two angels, whom God will send forth to rescue him from his necessities. In the same way in the 23rd psalm Goodness and Mercy are represented as attendants, following a good man all the days of his life, watching over his footsteps and always at his service.
II. The art of praise (Psalms 57:7-11). First, praise begins with the fixing of the heart--“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.” The flutter of excitement is over, and he is able to collect his powers in perfect repose. But, secondly, they are not to go to sleep, though they are in repose; for he says, “Awake up, my glory; awake psaltery and harp; I myself will awake early.” “My glory” is a name in Scripture for the soul, and surely a very fine one; the soul is the glory of man. But it needs to be awaked to engage in God’s praise. There is music in it, as there is in a piano when it is shut; but the instrument must be opened and the keys touched. The music in our souls is allowed to slumber too much. The words, “I myself will awake early,” ought rather to read, “I will awake the dawn.” David was to be so early astir at his devotions that, instead of the dawn awaking him, he would awake it: he would summon it to arise out of the east and help him to praise his Maker. But it is not Nature alone he would inspire with his enthusiasm: so full is he of joy in God that he wishes to communicate his emotions to all his fellow-creatures (Psalms 57:9). How marelously has this wish been fulfilled! The Psalter has been translated into scores of languages, and wherever it has been known it has been loved. Finally he gives the reasons for praise (Psalms 57:10), “For Thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and Thy truth unto the clouds.” These will always be the reasons for praise that is truly hearty--to know the mercy that is as far above our sins as the dome of heaven is above the earth, and to know the faithfulness which, having begun a good work in us, will complete it unto the day of Christ. (J. Stalker, D. D.)
In the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge.--
Christ our refuge
What a beautiful illustration is the city of refuge of olden time of Christ as our Refuge! We have heard the solemn words, “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” How can we escape from death? There is a Refuge, even Jesus; and we can hide in Him and be safe.
1. The cities of refuge were so scattered over the country that one of them could be easily reached from any part. “Kedesh” in the north, and “Hebron” in the south, while “Shechem” lay midway. “Bezer” was situated in the flat country, while “Ramoth” and “Golan” were on elevated ground. So our Refuge is easily reached by any one, it is “whosoever believeth in Him,” and “him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.” It is the simple coming to Him and the taking Him at His word.
2. The gates of the cities of refuge were open day and night, that the man-slayer might enter at any time. And we, too, may go to our Refuge at any time. He is ever ready to hear our cry and to rescue us, and to save us; but let us not delay.
3. Any one might flee thither, the stranger as well as the Israelite. So it is with Christ: all may come to Him, of whatever nationality (Galatians 3:28).
4. When the man-slayer reached the city of refuge, he had to plead his cause to the elders of that city, and then, if necessary, before the congregation of the children of Israel; and it was only when his innocence of the crime of murder had been proved that he was allowed to take refuge there; otherwise he was delivered up to the avenger of blood to be slain. But in Christ the murderer may take refuge, and find pardon and peace; the worst of sinners have found refuge there.
5. Then we read that the man-slayer who had fled for refuge should stay in that city, for if he went out of the gate at any time the avenger of blood might slay him, and his blood would be upon his own head. He should have remained in the city whither he had fled. So with us; if we are not in Christ the Refuge, we are out at our own risk. (L. Shorey.)