Sermon Central
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God Most High
Contributed by Kumar Aryal on Oct 26, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: Today we will be looking at Psalm 57. This psalm is also known as the ‘Cave Psalm'. If you look at the title in NIV, it says, “For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.”
Good Morning Everyone!
Today we will be looking at Psalm 57. This psalm is also known as the ‘Cave Psalm'. That is quite a strange title to give to a psalm, right? But, if you look at the title in NIV, it says, “For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.” So, this psalm was composed when David was hiding inside the cave. Most likely, it was the Cave of Adullam, those of you who have been to Israel may have been to this cave. In 1 Samuel 22-24 you will find more details about this incident. You will see there how king Saul was really wanting to destroy David. Now, why was Saul trying to destroy David?
As a teenager, David had been anointed king, though Saul was still reigning. David’s victory over the giant Goliath made him a national hero. King Saul even gave him his daughter in marriage. But as David's popularity increased, Saul became paranoid. He was afraid that David might take over his throne anytime. That is the reason why he was seeking for David's very life. So, David was literally running for his life. At this point, he was hiding in a dark cave, a tough situation to be in for a future king. But, it is from that experience of hiding in a cave, psalm 57 was written.
Brothers and sisters, we all know that it is easy for us to appreciate God during the good times. It is so easy to praise God when we have enough money to buy the things that we want. It is easy to appreciate God when our health is good. It is easy to praise God when we have good relationships; there is no conflict between you and your family and your co-workers and your friends. Indeed, it is easy to praise God during the good times. But the question is, can we still praise God during financial crisis? Can we still praise God when our health is failing? Can we still praise God when we ourselves or our loved ones are infected with COVID-19? How should we respond to God when we are faced with difficulties in life?
Brothers and sisters, in psalm 57, we see two ways how we should respond to God:
We Should Trust God in Tough Times (Vs. 1-6).
David begins this psalm by saying, “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me.” These words are a desperate cry for help. And the double cry for mercy is because David is in a very tough situation. He is running for his life. The word mercy means “an act of kindness, compassion, or favor.” David knew that he did not deserve God’s mercy, but he knew his God was a God of mercy and love. So, we see that David calls for God’s mercy and relies completely on the power of God.
And he continues by saying, “I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings. We should notice that David does not call the cave his refuge, though it was a refuge in a certain physical sense. But, God is his ultimate refuge where he wants to hide. It is the picture of a mother bird spreading her wings over her young chicks to protect them from danger and harm. David knew that the cave will not provide ultimate safety. His safety is in the Lord. A lot of times when we face difficulties in life, we tend to turn away from God, but David didn’t turn away from God, instead he turned to God.
The last phrase of verse 1 is quite comforting, it says, “Until the disaster has passed.” David is confident that this ‘cave situation’ will soon be over. And it is not that he wants to leave the protection of God once the disaster is over, but rather he wants to know that sense of special protection in this current disaster. Brothers and sisters, this could be our prayer to God that,
“We will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster of COVID-19 has passed.”
Indeed our refuge is in the Lord. Brothers and sisters, whatever you may be going through right now, run to God and take refuge under His wings.
In v. 2 David says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me.” Notice that David refers to God as the “Most High.” God Most High means that there is no other god, idol, or created being that should be worshiped or exalted above Yahweh, because He is superior in every way. It also indicates that He is way above any problem and He controls all things. So, when we are going through tough times, we must cry out to God.
