To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
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,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
This psalm gives some insight into David being “a man after [God’s] heart” Acts 13:22. He’s hiding from Saul in a cave, in danger, and he
- Asks for mercy (v1)
- Mentions taking refuge in God, in the shadow of his wings. Not in his army or the cave. (v1)
- Cries out to God. (v2)
- Implies that this trouble is part of God’s purpose for him. (v2)
- Says God will “send from heaven and save me.” (v3)
- Mentions his enemies, in this case Saul and his army (v4-6)
- In the middle of talking about his enemies, he exalts God (v5)
- Says he is steadfast and sings and praises God (v7-9)
- Refers to the greatness of God’s steadfast love (v10)
- Exalts God (v11)
The fact that all this goes on in a short passage while David is hiding from Saul in a cave is what’s striking. This barely mentions Saul and does not once ask God for help. He does say that his enemies will fail (fall into a pit in verse 6) but does not even ask for this, as he does other places.
It’s a good reminder of how we can approach God during a trial if we have the proper attitude. It’s probably not natural for most of us, but we can pray that it becomes so.
