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Cave Worship (Psalm 57)

Jan 21, 2025 By: Pastor Joseph LoSardo Topic: Sermon Devotional Series: Psalms Scripture: Psalm 57

We have been considering the Psalms written by David during the early desperate time when fleeing from King Saul forced him into the wilderness. In 1 Samuel chapter 22, after escaping from the Philistine city of Gath (1 Sam 21:10-15, Ps 56), David hid in the cave of Adullam. Here God ministered to him, gathering his family and others around him (1 Sam 22:1-2). And it was also here that David wrote Psalm 57. During this season of David’s life, he was running away and hiding from his enemies in Gath and the wilderness of Ziph. Now, in this cave, David refers not to the cave itself but to God, as his refuge (57:1). Notice how prominent God is in the Psalm – referred to 21 times by name or pronoun in the Psalms 11 verses. This God-centered mindset changes the Psalmist’s tone from uncertainty to settled praise.

Psalm 57 contains the same refrain in verses 5 and 11, thus it is best to consider the psalm in two main parts (1-4 and 5-10) each ending with the refrain: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! As you read the Psalm, note the change in tone and theme between the two sections. This has perplexed some scholars seeking a unified theme in the Psalm. Going from the individual plea (vss. 1-4) to an invocation that God would manifest His glory to the whole earth (vss. 9-11), some have proposed that the Psalm is a compilation of two separate compositions. But put together, the two sections present the minutia of individual need in the context of the wider substantial matter of God’s glory. When we are experiencing a trial, we can “lose the forest for the trees,” by focusing on deliverance from our circumstances, while missing how our trial contributes to the great goal of history – that God might be known and honored. David wants God to be exalted over all the earth, in the way he trusts and praises God in his trials. Psalm 57 shows us that our prayers for deliverance from distress serve a greater end than just a change of circumstance or feeling, but our suffering is ultimately for the glory of God.

In the book of 1 Peter, the apostle writes: if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God … Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter 4:16, 19). R.C. Sproul writes, “When we suffer, we must trust that God knows what He is doing, and that He works in and through the pain and afflictions of His people for His glory and for their sanctification.” May we learn this by the example portrayed before us by David in Psalm 57.