Psalms 57 Study Notes: Refuge in God From the Cave
Hiding from Saul in a cave, David shelters under God's protection and trusts the Most High to carry out His purpose for him. His enemies fall into their own trap, and he resolves to praise God among the nations, praying that God's glory fill the earth.
General
True or False: In Psalm 57:6, the enemies who dug a pit to trap David end up falling into it themselves.
Answer: True
This is true. David pictures himself lying among lions and ravenous beasts, enemies armed with teeth like weapons and whose tongues cut like blades (57:4). These enemies laid a net for his feet and dug a pit in his path, and his soul was weighed down; but they themselves fell into the pit (57:6). Scripture often shows evil turning back on those who plan it. David describes the wicked falling into a hole of their own making (Psalm 7:15-16), Proverbs says that the one who digs a trap ends up in it (Proverbs 26:27), and in the book of Esther, Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esther 7:10).
- Psalm 57:6 (BSB)“They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it! Selah”The enemies set a net and dug a pit for David but fell into it themselves.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”The wicked fall into a pit of their own making and their violence recoils on them.
- Proverbs 26:27 (BSB)“He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.”Whoever digs a pit for another will fall into it.
- Esther 7:10 (BSB)“So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.”Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
Theological
True or False: Psalm 57:6 describes the enemies being caught in the very pit they prepared for David.
Answer: True
This is true. The enemies, pictured as lions and ravenous beasts armed with teeth like weapons and tongues like blades (57:4), set a net and pit (57:6) that become their own snare: God's just governance turns the schemes of the wicked back on their heads. The Psalter and Wisdom literature repeat this pattern of retributive reversal (Psalm 7:15-16; Proverbs 26:27), and Haman's execution on his own gallows is its narrative illustration (Esther 7:10).
- Psalm 57:6 (BSB)“They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it! Selah”The enemies set a net and dug a pit for David but fell into it themselves.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”The wicked fall into a pit of their own making and their violence recoils on them.
- Proverbs 26:27 (BSB)“He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.”Whoever digs a pit for another will fall into it.
- Esther 7:10 (BSB)“So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.”Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
General
How does David describe God Most High in Psalm 57:2?
Answer: The One who completes His plan for him
David calls out to the Most High God, who carries out His purpose for him (57:2). God stretches down from above, rescues him, rebukes the ones stamping on him, and sends out His loving devotion, His loyal covenant love, together with His truth (57:3). David's hope rests on God finishing what He intends to do. Another psalm says the same (Psalm 138:8), and Paul is confident that God will finish the good work He started in believers (Philippians 1:6). God makes everything serve the benefit of those He has called (Romans 8:28).
- Psalm 57:2-3 (BSB)“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me. He reaches down from heaven and saves me; He rebukes those who trample me. Selah God sends forth His loving devotion and His truth.”David calls on God Most High, who fulfills His purpose and sends His loving devotion and truth.
- Psalm 138:8 (BSB)“The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.”David again confesses that the LORD will fulfill His purpose for him.
- Philippians 1:6 (BSB)“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”God completes the good work He begins in His people.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things for the good of those called according to His purpose.
Theological
What does David confess about God Most High in Psalm 57:2?
Answer: The One who completes His plan for him
David appeals to the Most High God as the One who accomplishes His purpose for him (57:2), who acts from heaven to save and rebuke, and sends His truth and loving devotion (57:3). The confidence rests on God's sovereign purpose, not on David's circumstances. The same confession appears in Psalm 138:8, and the New Testament grounds the perseverance of believers in God's completing what He began (Philippians 1:6) and working all things for the benefit of the called (Romans 8:28).
- Psalm 57:2-3 (BSB)“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me. He reaches down from heaven and saves me; He rebukes those who trample me. Selah God sends forth His loving devotion and His truth.”David calls on God Most High, who fulfills His purpose and sends His loving devotion and truth.
- Psalm 138:8 (BSB)“The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.”David again confesses that the LORD will fulfill His purpose for him.
- Philippians 1:6 (BSB)“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”God completes the good work He begins in His people.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things for the good of those called according to His purpose.
General
What prayer does David repeat as a refrain in Psalm 57 (verses 5 and 11)?
Answer: That God be lifted high and His glory fill the earth
Twice David prays that God be exalted above the heavens and that His glory would be seen over the whole world (57:5, 11). Even while surrounded by enemies, his greatest desire is God's honor. From 57:7 his heart is steady: he will sing, wake the dawn with music, and praise the Lord before the nations, because God's loving devotion is as high as the heavens and His faithfulness as high as the clouds (57:9-10). These closing verses reappear as the opening of Psalm 108 (Psalm 108:1-5). Habakkuk looks forward to the earth filled with knowledge of the LORD's glory (Habakkuk 2:14), and in Isaiah's vision the seraphim declare that His glory fills all the earth (Isaiah 6:3).
- Psalm 57:5 (BSB)“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.”In the middle of danger David prays that God be exalted and His glory cover the earth.
- Psalm 57:9-11 (BSB)“I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples. For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.”David praises God among the nations for His loving devotion and faithfulness and repeats the refrain.
- Psalm 108:1-5 (BSB)“A song. A Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my being. Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples. For Your loving devotion extends beyond the heavens, and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.”The closing verses of Psalm 57 reappear as the opening of Psalm 108.
- Habakkuk 2:14 (BSB)“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”The prophet looks forward to the earth filled with the knowledge of the LORD's glory.
- Isaiah 6:3 (BSB)“And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.””The seraphim proclaim that the whole earth is full of God's glory.
Theological
What is the content of the refrain in Psalm 57:5 and 57:11?
Answer: That God be lifted high and His glory fill the earth
The refrain (57:5, 11) subordinates David's deliverance to the exaltation of God's glory over all the earth. From a steadfast heart David resolves to praise among the nations, because God's loving devotion and faithfulness reach the heavens (57:7-10). Verses 7-11 reappear as the opening of Psalm 108 (Psalm 108:1-5). The hope of God's glory filling the earth runs through the prophets (Habakkuk 2:14) and is the seraphim's confession (Isaiah 6:3).
- Psalm 57:5 (BSB)“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.”In the middle of danger David prays that God be exalted and His glory cover the earth.
- Psalm 57:9-11 (BSB)“I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples. For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.”David praises God among the nations for His loving devotion and faithfulness and repeats the refrain.
- Psalm 108:1-5 (BSB)“A song. A Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my being. Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples. For Your loving devotion extends beyond the heavens, and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.”The closing verses of Psalm 57 reappear as the opening of Psalm 108.
- Habakkuk 2:14 (BSB)“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”The prophet looks forward to the earth filled with the knowledge of the LORD's glory.
- Isaiah 6:3 (BSB)“And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.””The seraphim proclaim that the whole earth is full of God's glory.
General
According to Psalm 57:1, where does David take refuge as he hides from Saul in the cave?
Answer: Under the sheltering wings of God
The heading says David wrote this while escaping Saul by hiding in a cave (57:1). The narrative tells of David hiding at Adullam's cave (1 Samuel 22:1) and deep inside a cave in the wilderness of En-gedi (1 Samuel 24:3). Yet David says his real shelter is not the rock around him but God. He pictures himself as a young bird hiding under its mother's wings until the danger is over (57:1). Psalm 91:4 uses the same picture of God covering His people with His feathers.
- Psalm 57:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.”David, hiding from Saul in a cave, takes refuge under God's wings.
- 1 Samuel 22:1 (BSB)“So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.”David took refuge in the cave of Adullam.
- 1 Samuel 24:3 (BSB)“Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave.”David and his men hid in the recesses of a cave while Saul pursued him.
- Psalm 91:4 (BSB)“He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.”God shelters His people under His wings like a bird covering its young.
Theological
Where does David locate his true refuge in Psalm 57:1, written as he hid from Saul in the cave?
Answer: Under the sheltering wings of God
Though physically hidden in a cave while fleeing Saul (57:1; compare 1 Samuel 22:1; 24:3), David locates his true refuge in God, under the shadow of whose wings he shelters until the danger is over. The image of the sheltering bird expresses God's protective care over His own and recurs in the Psalter (Psalm 91:4).
- Psalm 57:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.”David, hiding from Saul in a cave, takes refuge under God's wings.
- 1 Samuel 22:1 (BSB)“So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.”David took refuge in the cave of Adullam.
- 1 Samuel 24:3 (BSB)“Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave.”David and his men hid in the recesses of a cave while Saul pursued him.
- Psalm 91:4 (BSB)“He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.”God shelters His people under His wings like a bird covering its young.