Scripture: Psalm 57
I. The king and his people trust God’s promises under pressure.
A. David, the author of Psalm 57, was Israel’s true king. He had been anointed as king by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16. But by 1 Samuel 22 David has escaped to a cave as his hiding place from Israel’s rejected King Saul. God though was David’s real hiding place (vs. 1). Deuteronomy 32:11-12: “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions,the Lord alone guided him.”
B. God would send two of his agents to guarantee David’s safety in the cave (vs. 3): his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Steadfast love and faithfulness are translated with the words grace and truth in the New Testament. John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus has brought us God’s promised steadfast love and faithfulness. Trust Him.
II. The king and his people tell God about their pressures.
A. David’s pressures were very real. Saul really was trying to kill him. So what did David do? He prayed about his pressures (vs. 4 and vs. 6), and we should also. Saul used his tongue as a sword to slander David with the people of Israel (vs. 4). And Saul and his army set nets and dug pits as they hunted David down (vs. 6).
B. David is totally confident as he prays by faith that Saul will not be able to hunt him down. Saul will take himself down! David knew God is far more powerful than all the forces aligned together against God and God’s anointed king. David’s heart then is steadfast (vs. 7) as he prays about his pressures. His heart is strong in faith so he sings praises (vs. 9) to God.
III. The king and his people pray for God’s glory over all the earth.
A. There is a chorus in David’s song-prayer that he sings twice in vs. 5 and vs. 11: “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” David was saying, “It’s not my pressure that’s important. It’s your glory that’s important, God. It’s your kingdom that you are establishing through me that’s important. It is you that is supremely important.” Jesus also prayed for God’s glory to be seen as He faced the pressure of the cross. John 17:1: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” And we in the church are the answer to Jesus’ prayer as we glorify God through our witness. Romans 15:9: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
Application:
Pray that God would make His name glorious as you live a faithful Christian life under pressure.
Sources:
The Psalms
Commentaries by J.A. Motyer, Allen Ross, James Hamilton Jr., Gerald Wilson & Christopher Ash
Sermon Discussion Questions
- What makes you doubt that what you believe is really true?
- What helps you to have faith in God’s grace and truth?
- Do you think it’s possible for you to have confident faith in a time of dark pressure? What makes it possible?