BE EXALTED O GOD PSALM 57 MAIN IDEA We are created to love, praise, worship, and serve God. Life is all about God; not about us. I. LIVING IN GOD'S MERCY (VS 1-5) When we find ourselves in difficult situations; it is our knee-jerk reaction to become selffocused. However, we must force ourselves to think about God's agenda first. A. UNDERSTANDING GOD'S MERCY (1-2) B. UNDERSTANDING GOD'S SALVATION (3) C. UNDERSTANDING GOD'S KINGDOM (4) D. UNDERSTANDING GOD'S GLORY (5) II. LIVING IN GOD'S KINGDOM (VS 6-11) While living in God's kingdom our focus will be on loving, praising, worshiping, and serving God. A. LOVE (6-7) B. PRAISE (8-9) C. SERVICE (10) D. WORSHIP (11)
Be Exalted O God Psalm 57 I know it seems as if we are repeating ourselves week after week but we know that David experienced more than his share of suffering. I would encourage you to read and pray through these psalms that deal with suffering when you are suffering so that you can know that you are not the only one who is suffering or has suffered. It is often the case that we become narcissistic when we are suffering. It is natural. Satan wants to add to our pain by making us think we are the only ones who suffer and nobody could possibly understand our suffering. The reason these psalms are so powerful is that most of us will never experience suffering to the extent that David did. What also gives us encouragement is that David was the king of Israel and yet he was not exempt from unfair suffering. Our minds must also find Jesus at the center of our suffering. None of us will ever suffer like Jesus. Jesus was perfect and had no sin in Him. Yet in order for Him to win our salvation, He allowed Himself to be physically tortured, publicly humiliated, and mercilessly crucified. If anyone understands unjust suffering; Jesus does. Some of us will have to go through suffering that we think no one could possibly understand. However, God the Father had to watch His One and Only Son die. There is no way I could say to a person who has lost a child that I can imagine what it feels like because I have no idea what that would be like. But God knows what it is like to watch His child die. He can relate. I want to make some points about suffering. First, we all will suffer. To be sure we will suffer for our own stupidity but certainly we will all experience unjust suffering that we don t deserve. Second, God understands the deepest and most profound types of suffering. Jesus not only intimately understands human suffering; He promised to journey with us through all our sufferings. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Lastly, we must remember that we were created for God; not God for us. As God s children, our purpose is to bring glory to God in each and every situation. I don t want to seem too harsh but we do not exist to satisfy our own lusts and desires. We live to love, praise, worship, and serve God. We can do that in good times and in bad. I like the way the Apostle Peter sums up this topic: 13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! 18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:13-18 / New Living Translation I think this is one of the things God loved about David so much. For the most part, David was concerned about bringing Glory to God s Name. David loved God and wanted to honor Him by the way he lived. When we start to undergo suffering, let s try and keep this in mind. Suffering is an opportunity for us to identify with the sufferings of Jesus and then to identify with His Page 2
resurrection. This fundamental thought is the main idea of this morning s text. WE ARE CREATED TO LOVE, PRAISE, WORSHIP, AND SERVE GOD. LIFE IS ALL ABOUT GOD; NOT ABOUT US. Even though we are created for this purpose, God still gives us the freedom to either wreak havoc on the earth, on the lives of people around us, and even in our own life; or to bring His love, grace, peace, and wholeness to the earth, to the lives of people around us, and our own life. God has given us the freedom to make that choice. If you think I may have overstated this principle about life being about God s glory even in the midst of our suffering, take a peek at verse 8 and verse 11. The refrain David sings in this song is, Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. For David and for those of us living in God s Kingdom; our primary purpose in life is to bring glory to our King and advance His Kingdom. We are called upon to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and we are to love others as God loves us. I find it interesting when people discover spiritual practices in other religions; because they are really not new at all. Take for instance the idea of karma. Although not a formal Christian doctrine, we see it played out in Old Testament wisdom literature. In fact in today s text, David describes evil people digging a pit to trap him and they end up falling in the pit themselves. One Sunday, a pastor decided he would play hooky. He pretended he was sick, and when his wife and children left for church, he put his golf clubs in the car and drove to the golf course. He was on fire. He parred hole after hole. St. Peter said to Gabriel, the head angel, I don t understand that at all. Gabriel simply said, Keep watching. On the last hole, the pastor hit a beautiful shot and got a hole-in-one. St. Peter went nuts, That s not right! This guy lied, didn t go to church, and you helped him play this incredible round, topping it off with a hole-in-one! How is that right? Gabriel winked at St. Peter and said, Who do think he is going to tell? I. LIVING IN GOD'S MERCY (VS 1-5) The first thing we are invited to think about in verses 1-5 is God s mercy; even in the midst of suffering. WHEN WE FIND OURSELVES IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS; IT IS OUR KNEE-JERK REACTION TO BECOME SELF-FOCUSED. HOWEVER, WE MUST FORCE OURSELVES TO THINK ABOUT GOD S AGENDA FIRST. Successfully navigating through the different trials and sufferings we face depends on understanding Who God is, who we are in God, and what our relationship with God looks like. It s important for us to remember that we experience love, salvation, God s faithfulness, etc. in the context of being in relationship with God. You can t go to the store and buy a pound of love, a half-pound of faithfulness, etc. at the store. We only experience these things in the context of relationship where someone is engaging us in these ways. In verses 1-2 we must understand God s mercy in order for us to identify it and receive it. David starts this song with asking God to approach him with mercy. The word for mercy also means Page 3
grace. It is often translated as pity. I know we don t like to think of ourselves as pitiable, but we must come to accept this if we are going to receive God s mercy. Suffering seems to unlock our minds to looking at ourselves this way. David was unfairly being hunted down by King Saul and the entire army of Israel. From a human perspective, there is no way David could keep running and hiding without getting caught. It hits us that we are pitiable when the doctor tells us we have cancer. It hits us when a spouse cheats on us or a spouse informs us they are leaving and that they want a divorce. It hits us when the company tells us they are downsizing and our jobs no longer exist. When our children, parents, friends, and other loved ones are sick and suffering; it hits us that we are pitiable beings. We would do well to take some time and think about this point. Even if we are healthy, very successful in our careers, and life seems to be going well; we must remember that all this comes directly as a gift from God. On our own, we are lost and headed for an eternity separated from God. As the Old Testament character Job found out; everything can disappear in a moment; wealth, health, family, friends, etc. Job came to realize this when he said: 21... I came naked from my mother s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD! Jerry Bridges said this about the need to understand God s grace and mercy: Job 1:21 / New Living Translation Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. We must understand that we are pitiable and thank God, He loves us and extends mercy to us. There is lot that goes along with God s mercy. David says that we can run to God for refuge. David describes disaster coming like a tsunami, a tornado, or a hurricane. It comes in as a wave of calamity. When the wave is about to hit; we run to God and hide under His wings until the storm passes. There have been two major suggestions as to what David means by God s wings. In Isaiah, God portrays Himself as a mother giving birth. God is in constant labor creating and recreating us. Jesus says that God desires to gather us under His protective wings as a mother bird shelters her chicks under her wings. Try and meditate on being hidden away and tucked safely away under God s loving wings. The other suggestion is that David is thinking about the wings of the angels on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. That place is called the Mercy Seat. It is where God meets the people of Israel and forgives them of their sins. Both descriptions fit nicely into the text. I think Mitchell Dahood translates verse 2 catching the full force of it. He translates it like this: I call to God, Most High, to the Avenger El, Most High. Dahood captures the emphasis on God. God is Most High. God is our Avenger. God is God Most High. There is nothing greater, higher, or more powerful in all the universe than the God Who loves us and gave His life for us. Now this word avenger is interesting. It is translated in our text Page 4
as vindicates. The Hebrew word is gamar and it means to fulfill His purpose in us. In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul described it like this: 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 / New Living Translation We are God s special masterpiece. You and I were created, recreated, shaped, and formed in a unique and special way. Each one of us is God s special masterpiece. He has planned out for us special works to accomplish. Again, this favored status is underserved. God graces us with it. David was anointed to be the King of Israel. At the moment he is writing this; it sure doesn t look as if he will ever sit on the throne but we know he does and becomes the greatest king in all of Israel s history. By grace, God has great plans for us; even in the midst of suffering and difficult times. It is grace that has gotten us here so far; and grace will bring us to our earthly and heavenly destinies. No suffering can stop that. Verse 3 helps us to understand God s salvation. You will notice that in the passage we just read from Ephesians, we are saved by grace through faith. In verse 3 of our psalm this morning, we see that God sent our salvation from heaven. Many times the Old Testament describes God sending His angels to fight for His people. God uses nature as well to defeat Israel s enemies. We have to keep in mind our understanding of undeserved blessings, grace, and mercy. God sends salvation from heaven. The word used for saves is the same root word for Jesus Hebrew Name, Yeshua. Jesus literally means God saves. Jesus is God s salvation. Look at the last line in verse 3. God sends His love and faithfulness. We will see this combination of love and faithfulness again in verse 10. The word for love is that word Ḥesed. We have defined this as God s unfailing and unlimited lovingkindness towards us. The word for faithfulness is the same word for truth. John put it this way: 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 / New Living Translation Jesus is the only way, truth, and life. Jesus is the only way to salvation; the only way to access God s lovingkindness and His faithfulness. Salvation is a gift of God that is meant to demonstrate His love, His mercy, and His faithfulness. Verse 4 is meant to help us understand God s Kingdom. In order to successfully go through suffering, we must anticipate there will be times of suffering we will have to face. We are part of God s mission to redeem the earth. God s choice of weapon is love. Jesus told us that we must love our enemies and pray for them. We are to forgive those who wrong us and we are not to retaliate. Page 5
If we look at how Jesus won His battle; we see that it came through public humiliation, torture, and death. Jesus told His disciples this: 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. 18 If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? A slave is not greater than the master. Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me. John 15:15-21 / New Living Translation Suffering was part of Jesus mission and He promises us that we too will suffer as we accomplish His mission of redemption through love. David never once retaliated against Saul or his family. In fact David went out of his way to be loyal to Saul and David cared for Saul s family. Nevertheless, Saul with his army pursued David like wild animals. Their intent was to humiliate and kill David. Their intent was to be a cruel as possible. Part of understanding God s mercy is to understand God s Glory as described in verse 5. The first refrain comes here at the end of the first half of the psalm; the second refrain comes in verse 11 at the end of the second half of the psalm. Even in the midst of suffering and unfair treatment even though David may not feel that God is working; he remembers that life is all about living to love, praise, worship, and serve God. Listen to this refrain: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth! It doesn t matter if we are on our rest and recuperation time or if we are in the heat of battle; we are to bring glory to God in all we think, say, and do. As we learn to focus our attention on God, His mercy, salvation, love, faithfulness, and His mission for us; we take our attention off our own suffering and look for new ways to love and serve Him. WHEN WE FIND OURSELVES IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS; IT IS OUR KNEE-JERK REACTION TO BECOME SELF-FOCUSED. HOWEVER, WE MUST FORCE OURSELVES TO THINK ABOUT GOD S AGENDA FIRST. Believe it or not; that tends to calm us and sooth us even in the midst of our suffering. II. LIVING IN GOD'S KINGDOM (VS 6-11) Verses 6-11 give us some helpful ways to live successfully in God s Kingdom. WHILE LIVING IN GOD S KINGDOM OUR FOCUS WILL BE ON LOVING, PRAISING, WORSHIPING, AND SERVING GOD. Here we are back at our purpose. As we fulfill our purpose, the less painful, less powerful, and less hopeless the suffering feels. Fulfilling our purpose makes the suffering worthwhile. Verses 6-7 describe our love for God and God s love for us. I want you to see clearly the connection between the suffering we face and God s love for us. Look at the first phrase in verse 6. The word for they spread is the same word used in verse 7 describing our steadfast love for God. So the contrast is between the evil intent our enemies have for us and the loving intent we have Page 6
for God. This is an example of what we have come to know as karma. The enemies dig a pit to trap David. The enemies know exactly where the pit is and how they disguised it. Somehow David managed to avoid it while his enemies fell in the very pit they dug. Only God could cause that to happen. God s steadfast care for David turned the tables on David s enemies. As an aside, none of those enemies in David s whole lifetime were able to defeat him. David came out victorious in the end; always. We have to keep that in mind. We may have a boss at work that is treating us unfairly. Business people may try to cheat us. Politicians may be out to harm us. We will all run into people that intentionally do us harm or unintentionally harm us. The point is that God sees, He hears, and He knows. God loves us and we love Him. There is nothing in this world that can come between our love. God s love for us is steadfast; we should purpose to make our love for God steadfast. As David thinks about this, he breaks out into praise in verses 8-9. David breaks out into song. He sings about God s love and God s care. David makes it known to everyone who will listen that God loves him. David uses God s personal Name Yahweh in verse 9. David is going to praise God among the Hebrews and among the foreign nations. When we tell each other of God s love for us in practical situations in the church, we call that a testimony. Someone will stand up and tell others what God is doing and how He is working in their life. When we praise God and tell those same types of stories to unbelievers, we call that evangelism. Our own suffering is a good time to share the Gospel with unbelievers and a good time to encourage other believers in their faith. There is always a purpose to be found in suffering; because God is always right there with us in the midst of suffering. Because God saved us, because He formed us into His perfect masterpieces, and because we love Him, verse 10 reminds us that we are also created to serve God. Jesus told us that our message to the world is that God loves everyone, that He desires to save everyone, and that He desires to fellowship intimately with every human being. That is the message we are given. We are to preach God s love and faithfulness by word and by deed. The way we think, speak, and act; ought to be living and understandable offers of God s grace. There is no place that God s love and faithfulness cannot reach. When we start to think like that; suffering doesn t seem so bad. It becomes an opportunity to be a testimony and evangelistic message. It becomes another opportunity to excel. And David ends this psalm with worship. He repeats the line in verse 5: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. If we think about how rich God s love is, His mercy, salvation, love, faithfulness, His workmanship in us, and His presence in our lives; we will naturally want to love Him, praise Him, worship Him, and serve Him. How could it be any different? WHILE LIVING IN GOD S KINGDOM OUR FOCUS WILL BE ON LOVING, PRAISING, WORSHIPING, AND SERVING GOD. In order to be successful when we suffer, we must prepare ahead of time. We must ponder God s love for us. Then we will be ready to fulfill our purpose in life when times are easy and when times are difficult. WE ARE CREATED TO LOVE, PRAISE, WORSHIP, AND SERVE GOD. LIFE IS ALL ABOUT GOD; NOT ABOUT US. Page 7
Lectio Divina Psalm 57 Page 8