Our hearts are steadfast, O God, our hearts are steadfast
Our hearts are steadfast, O God, our hearts are steadfast
Sept. 20 – Psalm 57
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me,
he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
Each of the psalms this week has “Do not destroy” in the title of the psalm. The best guess is that this is an indication of the tune/melody to be used in the singing of these psalms. Given that all three psalms reference enemies seeking to destroy David, and David’s pleading for God’s judgment against his enemies, the choice of this tune is an interesting one, given the tune’s name.
Again, there is a backstory. Saul was chasing David to do away with David. David and his companions went into a cave to hide. Saul without knowing that David and companions were already in the cave, went into the same cave to rest. Saul’s soldiers stood guard at the mouth of the cave to protect Saul from attack, while David was in fact behind the protection they were trying to provide. David’s companions encouraged David to avenge himself on his enemy and kill Saul. David would not do that. (See the rest of the story in I Samuel 24.)
David’s unwillingness to take action against Saul is also evident in the psalm. David seeks refuge in God just as he sought refuge in the cave (‘until the destroying storms pass by” – until the threat is gone) (vs. 1). The threat is real (see vs. 4 – the lions are a metaphor for Saul’s army that has real spears and swords) and the enemy has set traps (vs. 6 – traps which backfire and catch the ones who set the traps instead of David). But all of that is merely context for vs. 7-11 which is all-out praise that God is God. “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast”, David sings.
As the 4th wave of COVID is here, as the ability to have civil conversations declines, as anger builds; it feels like we are in the midst of a series of destroying storms. As we take refuge in God, may we be able to shout with confidence, “Our heart is steadfast, O God, our heart is steadfast.” For the day is coming when God’s glory will be over all the earth. The day is coming when Jesus will take his throne and all will be right with the world. For that day we hope, in the light of that day we live with confidence.
PRAYER:
Our hearts are steadfast, O God, our hearts are steadfast, for you alone are to be exalted and praised. Your glory fills the whole earth, and we bow in humble adoration and joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.