Psalms 57-59 “Do Not Destroy”

These three Psalms are all set to “Do Not Destroy”

Thoughts

Psalm 57

Let Your Glory Be Over All the Earth. To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

• From 1 Samuel 22

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!

• “Shadow of your wings” = Jesus used similar wording in Matthew 23:37 

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

• David’s enemies are described like animals, lions, fiery beasts 
• “Teeth are spears… tongue a sword”  their words are weapons.
• “Net,” “pit,” “bowed down” = being trapped, overwhelmed.

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!

• David moves from fear to worship 
• “Awake, my glory” likely means his soul/self 
• Universal scope: “among the peoples… among the nations.”

Psalm 58

God Who Judges the Earth. To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.

Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.

• David puts human judges on trial before God.
• “you gods?” comes from Hebrew אֵלֶם (elem) maybe meaning corrupt leaders
• Their injustice begins in the heart

The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
• Their lies are portrayed as venom
• “Deaf adder” “charmers” continues snake imagery

O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
Let them vanish like water that runs away;
when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.

• This section is a prayer asking God to remove power from those who destroy the innocent.
• שַׁבְלוּל (shavlul)  “snail dissolving”  becomes a symbol of the wicked’s inability to thrive
• The stillborn metaphor is shocking

Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
• Thornbushes burn extremely fast, so David wants God’s judgment even faster.

The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

• This final group is about vindication, not cruelty.

Psalm 59

Deliver Me From My Enemies.To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me;
deliver me from those who work evil,
and save me from bloodthirsty men.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
fierce men stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Awake, come to meet me, and see!
You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

• David insists he is innocent and the attack is not discipline for his sin.
• The enemies are personal (Saul’s men) but also part of a wider, “nation-level” rebellion.
• The psalm connects to 1 Samuel 19

Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
There they are, bellowing with their mouths
with swords in their lips—
for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”

• Their mouths are weapons: “swords in their lips” shows the power of slander and threats.
• They live as though no one (including God) “will hear.”

But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.
O my Strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are my fortress.
My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

• God “laughs” at them, showing their plans are ridiculous compared to His power.
• Triumph is pictured as God’s gift, not something David wins by his own 

Kill them not, lest my people forget;
make them totter by your power and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
consume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
that they may know that God rules over Jacob
to the ends of the earth. Selah

• David asks for a drawn-out downfall, so the people will remember God’s judgment.
• Their own words become their snare
• “To the ends of the earth” shows that God claims authority over all

Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
They wander about for food
and growl if they do not get their fill.

• A repeated “evening dogs” refrain 

But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.

• “Morning” praise contrasts with the “evening” threats 
• David chooses to sing about God’s strength rather than obsess over his enemies’ strength.

Questions

Application

Psalm 57 is for when fear surrounds you. We can respond like David by seeking refuge “in the shadow of God’s wings,” not in your own plans. Psalm 58 shows that God sees injustice even when it seems that evil and powerful people are prevailing. The evil will resist correction, but God’s judgement will extend to the ends of the earth. Lastly, Psalm 59 shows that our strongest defense is God Himself. He is our strength and fortress. Evening threats do not cancel what will come in the morning.