Psalm 57
After his deliverance from Gath, recorded in 56, David fled for protection to the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1ff.), and later he would move to a cave in Engedi (1 Sam. 24; see Ps. 142). Better to be in the will of God in a cave than out of His will in a king's palace. The melody "Destroy not" was also assigned to 58, 59, and 75. This psalm covers one day in David's life as a fugitive, for verse 4 records his lying down and verse 8 his waking up to greet the dawn. God quieted his heart and gave him the sleep he needed (see 4:8; 5:3). Note the repetition of mercy and refuge (v. 1), sends (v. 3), steadfast (v. 7), and awake (v. 8), and refrain in verses 5 and 11. From his difficult experience in Gath, David shares with us some responsibilities (and privileges) believers have every day.
Deliver Me from Stumbling (vv. 5–11) David had to watch his step in Gath, not only in what he did but also what he said, because he was a man under suspicion and was being watched. He had a target on his back and only the Lord could protect him. David chose Gath because he thought it was the last place Saul would expect to find him, but when he made that choice, he was walking by sight and not by faith. Faith is living without scheming. David prayed that God would judge Israel's enemies.
Each Day Is a Day of Prayer (vv. 1–5) As in 56:1, he began with a cry for mercy, for David depended on the grace of God to see him through his trials. His worship and prayer turned the cave into a Holy of Holies where he could hide under the wings of the cherubim on the mercy seat of the ark (Ex. 25:17–20, and note the verb "overshadowing"). This image is found frequently in Scripture and must not be confused with the wings of the bird as in 91:4, Deuteronomy 32:11, Matthew 23:37, and Luke 13:34. (See 17:8; 36:7–8; 61:4; Ruth 2:12.) David wanted the wings of a dove to fly away (55:6), when what he needed was the wings of the cherubim in "the secret place of the Most High" where he could safely hide (Heb. 10:19–25). David had taken refuge in the Lord many times in the past, and he knew the Lord was
In verses 8–9, David reminded the Lord of the sufferings he had endured in exile, and then suggested that these sufferings qualified him to have his prayers answered and his enemies defeated. That would assure David that God is behind his cause (Rom. 8:31–39). God knew about David's wanderings and numbered them (121:8), and He had preserved his tears as well (see 2 Kings 20:1–6). God listed his tears on His scroll (v. 8 niv), or put them in His bottle or wineskin (kjv, nasb). Archaeologists have unearthed small "tear bottles" in which mourners collected their tears and then deposited the bottle at the gravesite. The point is simply that God is aware of what we feel and how we