An Exalted Refuge (Through the Psalms) Psalm 57

Welcome to through the song a week of ministry of the truthful overtime will study all 150 songs with pastor Don Greene from Cruz Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were glad you're with us is over the Psalms that as we join our teacher in the truthful, so glad to see you with us this evening as we turn our Bibles to Psalm 57 for continued study through the Psalms 1 through 151 message per Psalm. Many people are wondering how I'm going to handle Psalm 119 and it's 176 versus it would take an hour just to read that wouldn't that'll be a point of interest forced down the road. Psalm 57, 93 to go after tonight and we have a wonderful encouragement for us here this evening as we read Psalm 57. Let's look at the text.

This is a psalm written by David when he fled from Saul in the cave. As stated in the inscription at the beginning of the Psalm, and he said this, he said, be gracious to me. Oh God, be gracious to me for my soul takes refuge in you and in the shadow of your wings.

I will take refuge until destruction passes by. I will cry to God most high God, who accomplishes all things for me. He will soon from heaven and save me. He reproaches him who tramples upon me selloff, God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth. My soul is among lions, I must lie among those who breathe forth fire.

Even the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword be exalted above the heavens.

Oh God, let your glory be above all the earth.

They have prepared a net for my steps.

My soul is bowed down, they dug a pit before me. They themselves have fallen into the midst of it selloff.

My heart is steadfast. Oh God, my heart is steadfast.

I will sing yes I will sing praises awake, my glory away carbon liar I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to you, oh Lord, among the peoples.

I will sing praises to you among the nations for your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and your truth to the clouds, be exalted above the heavens. Oh God, let your glory be above all the earth. One of the striking things about the Psalm in its setting is that David is down low in a cave physically as he writes it, and yet its source beyond the heavens really in its praise to God and sets a great tone for us to look to God in the midst of our own difficulties. Psalm 57 is similar to Psalm 56 and what we saw last week. It is displaying trust in the midst of adversity. And yet this Psalm is even more triumphant in its mood and what it says and what it declares, than even Psalm 56 was let me remind you just a little bit about David's life setting as he was writing this if you go back to first Samuel chapter 21st Samuel chapter 20 it's important to realize the immensity and the depth of the threat that David was facing as he wrote this song King Saul had determined to kill David. He was convinced that David was an an antagonist toward him in the first Samuel chapter 20 verse 30 we read about how Saul made known to his son Jonathan that he was going to kill David or so we thought. So he planned in verse 30 in first Samuel chapter 20 we read this that Saul's anger burned against Jonathan his son and he said to him, you son of a perverse rebellious woman do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness. Speaking of David, of course, for as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established.

Therefore, now send and bring him to me for he must surely die, but Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, why should he be put to death. What is he done and then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death solid manifested by his actions. The hostility that was in his heart toward David and the violent display of his temper made it obvious that he would exercise that against David's life. As soon as he was given the opportunity to do so. So Jonathan warned David to flee. David fled to Gath in first Samuel 21 and when threatened again. He fled again, and this is where we pick up our context in chapter 22 verse one chapter 22 verse want to first Samuel David departed there from there. David departed from there and escaped to the cave of a Doolin and when his brothers and all his father's household heard of it. They went down there to him.

Everyone who is in distress and everyone who is in debt and everyone who is discontented gathered to him and he became captain over them. Now there were about 400 men with him. So David just in general as he writes the Psalm is in a cave. He knows that the king of Israel is trying to put them to death, and a number of malcontents have gathered around him and this was actually the the start of his of his coming back to fit the position that God appointed for him and it's likely that it was at this point that David wrote Psalm 57 let's go back to Psalm 57 now Psalm 57 which I read earlier and under under these circumstances is life is threatened by the most powerful man in the nation as an army at his disposal to hunt him down, hiding in a cave, surrounded by narrow or do wells you might say you might think that the David soul would be in a place of despair. You know, and if you think of your own response to difficulties and trials and oppositions how quickly we sink into discouragement and what if this and what a flatten.

If this person does this, my interests are going to be harmed and so you might think that David's circumstance would lead him to simply long for escape that his preeminent prayer would be God, get me out of the circumstances and help me away from this threat, but what I love about this song in the way that this Psalm beckons us to to higher ground in our spiritual lives to to to transcend our concern about our own well-being in our own incidental circumstances.

What Psalm 57 does is it shows us the greater preoccupation that was on David's mind and the depth of his love for God and the depth of his trust in the.

The perspective that he brings to this is unparalleled really notice in verses five and 11 the refrain of the song.

The point of his prayer. Here is not for deliverance is for the exultation of his God. In verse five he says be exalted above the heavens. Oh God, let your glory be above all the earth. Look, let's just be honest with one another and say that when we realize what David is doing it on the circumstances under which he's doing it. This is very convicting to us because when we are under the present circumstances were far more likely to say God get me out of here.

God help me God deliver me and God graciously hears that prayer. That's all well and good. As far as it goes, but to find it under its under such a severe threat to his well-being. David Soares to a prayer that says God be exalted over all the earth.

That's my prayer in the circumstance shows us something about the nature of the truly godly heart that refrain in verses five and 11.

Look at verse 11. The note that it ends on be exalted above the heavens. Oh God, let your glory be above all the earth shows us that even in the midst of our most difficult circumstances that our heart and mind can be preoccupied with the lofty theme of the glory of God. There is no reason for us to slip into a an anxious mode of preoccupation and self-absorption with our troubles when we know this glorious God and we can seek the magnification of his name in all that occurs in one writer, one commentator says this he says the experience that is enshrined in the Psalm speaks to anyone struggling to come to terms with dangers which seem to threaten all that makes life meaningful of say that again I'll read it again because it's a good entrée into the Psalm. The experience enshrined in the song speaks to anyone struggling to come to terms with danger which seem to threaten all that makes life meaningful and beloved. At the risk of waxing poetic as I say these things. We all know that sense of the of the weight and the downward pressure. The trials can bring what Psalm 57 shows us is that that is actually an opportunity to turn that pressure and let it become as it were wind under our spiritual wings would take us to higher heights take us to a different place and let the lowliness of earthly circumstances turn our attention to the loftiness of the character of God, and to seek the magnification of his name and to not simply view God as the one who can deliver us from our problems, not simply to view him as a means to an earthly end but to let it cultivate in us greater spiritual aspirations and proved by the desires of our heart that we desire his glory even in the midst of the depth and in that way. Show forth the surpassing greatness and worth of his name that even in the depths of circumstances like that that our heart would preeminently desire the glory of God to be known among men. In other words, Psalm 57 gives us perspective on what all ultimately matters David prays for the glory of God to be advanced and proclaimed when his life is in danger. And if David could do it in the greater circumstances, the greater threat than you and I can do it in the lesser threat. Cantley this is the right way to be. This is the way the people of God should be. This teaches us that we are to subordinate our concern over earthly circumstances to the greater theme of the glory of God. You know in 50 years.

In 100 years when all of our trials are forgotten and over. No one remembers them or knows anything about them.

God will still be on his throne, he will still be great and high in majestic and his glory will still be the preeminent theme of the universe well in that regard, then let's name for that higher theme as we contemplate him in our being and beloved, you just it. Ultimately, it ultimately comes down to a higher commitment of your own that this is what you will treasure above all else. This is what you'll desire above all else, to know God rather than the answers to your questions to know God rather than relief from your trials that this would be the preoccupation of your heart that God is an exalted refuge to his people and the key word there being he is exalted. Let's see how David develops. This theme will break it down into two points this evening.

First of all that God is our refuge. God is our refuge and in this first section going from verses one through five. In this first section. David is is clinging, as it were, to God, despite the threats that are against him and the repetition of what he says manifests the urgency that is on his heart, remembering that he's in danger at the at the anger at the hands of the anger of an angry king David opens up in verse one. Be gracious to me. Oh God, be gracious to me for my soul takes refuge in you and in the shadow of your wings.

I will take refuge until destruction passes by, you know I I have no way of knowing how the different things that we speak on and teach on from week to week and month to month really play out in your own heart, but I know that I find in my own heart and in my own life appealing as we gone through the Psalms are the just seems like I'm I'm learning to just appeal to the grace of God more than anything and to frame prayer God be gracious to me in the situation, God be gracious to me in the sorrow. God be gracious to me. Be gracious to me. Be gracious to me and to approach God and to appeal him to him on the grounds that he is a good God to his people, who is predisposed to be kind to us and to be gentle with us and to appeal to that, and to simply appeal to him for favor in the midst of our crises and to even appeal and a sense of grace being that which is unmerited favor toward us saying God I don't deserve anything from your hand. I'm just asking you to be gracious act toward me like you are in your character, not according to what I deserve. Just be gracious to me.

God David repeats it twice for emphasis in the midst of this crisis and look at what he says there in verse one for my soul takes refuge in you and in the shadow of your wings.

I will take refuge until destruction passes by God, I'm going to place myself under your protection until this threat goes away and noticed the alternating verb tenses, even in what he says God I take refuge in you. My soul takes refuge in you. And then it speaks in a in a still to come. Sense he says that I will take refuge in you.I take refuge in you now and it is the commitment of my heart that I will continue to take refuge in you. Going into the future.II shut myself up to your grace. I close myself up. I have no other alternatives I make no other appeal, except that you would be gracious to me and I take refuge under the shadow of your wings David using a metaphor there as he speaks about taking refuge under the shadow of God's wings and many scriptures explained the this imagery and give us a sense of exactly what it means it's important when especially in the Psalms as the as the writer speak in metaphors and word pictures and so many different ways to not simply be content with the with the general impression of the word picture attached to to identify exactly what that word pictures expressing an end to to get to the principles that underlie the poetry that is being expressed. When David says God I take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

We we find scriptures that that in in the prior history of Israel that help us see what that means, go back to Exodus chapter 19 Exodus chapter 19 the wings of God is at work in Exodus chapter 19. This is after God had delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt led them through the Red Sea and in chapter 19 verse three is Israel's camping in front of the mountain Exodus chapter 19 verse three we read this. Moses went up to God and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel. You yourself have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings, and brought you to myself that there was an element of deliverance associated with the use of wings as the metaphor that expresses the care of God for his people.

Deliverance in a grade in a powerful way. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 32 forces similar picture. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and in verse nine, Deuteronomy 32 verse nine you read this, for the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the allotment of his inheritance he found him, meaning that God found his people in the desert land in the howling waste of the wilderness. He encircled him, he cared for him. He guarded him as the pupil of his eye like an eagle that stirs up its nest that hovers over its young. He spread his wings and caught them. He carried them on his opinions and so Scripture speaks of the care of God for his people. In terms of placing them under his wings that it is a place of care, a place of protection, a place of deliverance and David under threat from a king who wants to spill his blood calls out to God and say, God, in the shadow of your wings.

I take refuge, be gracious to me. There, it's an appeal to God to care for him to deliver him and to protect him as a mother bird protects its young and gay and gathers them under its wings. God protect me like that because the threat against me is greater than I am able to handle on my own so he prays, as it were God bring me to yourself. Draw me close protect me and care for me. You see this attitude expressed from God's perspective and what the Lord said to Jerusalem in Matthew 23. Look at Matthew 23 with me if you will. Matthew 23 and you get a sense of the of the love that animated the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even as the Jews of his day rejected him. Matthew 23 verse 37 he looks out over the city and he says Jerusalem Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. Interesting how they they they turned against the very people he got it sent to declare his word to them is in it. They were hostile to the very ones who are messengers of God, to them, incredible.

Jesus says how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling Christ says so often I just wanted to place my wings over you. I just wanted to lay my protection on you and you would not have it and they rebelled against the very care of God. That would've provided their deliverance and so we just get the sense all that just to give us a sense of the wings of God, being a place of protection of care and of deliverance and when David is under this threat, he appeals to that caring nature of God. That aspect of the gracious nature of God that he is a deliverer. He is a champion. He is a warrior for his people. God help me. According to the power that you have the love that you have to do just that. That's his appeal and blood lets you step back and just think for a moment about the way that we pray in our times of distress way that you pray in your times of distress, and to realize that prayer in those times of urgent need is more than simply saying God help me it's fine to cry out like that Peter was sinking the water said, Lord, help me.

Great find, but Lord, the Lord would have us think more deeply and more broadly and and to have us grow that simple cry for help that that is simply focused on the earthly circumstances.

Beloved, you need to grow beyond that you need to grow beyond simply interacting with God on that basic earthly level and to realize on on what basis it is that you're appealing to them for your help. On what basis it is that you approach in and to cultivate in your mind and your heart and to cultivate even in what you say in those times of prayer.

God, I am appealing to your character. As I come to you.

It is an appeal father that I make to your gracious nature to the fact that your God.

Do your people who protects them and cares for them and I appeal to you in that manner God as I bring my problem before you.

I am appealing to your character so that I tend to get into run-on sentences when there's a lot on my heart to say, so that you are framing your prayer and outlining your prayer in accordance with the character of God and as you praying it is more than simply a selfish request for relief from difficult circumstances, your self consciously and self determinedly and by choice and by trust, and according to the revelation of God that he's made in his word, saying God I am coming to you on your terms and in accordance with your characters. I come your loving God, your gracious God, you're a good guide you protect your people, your God of loyal love your faithful God your true, you've made promises to your people on that basis, Ogata County and take refuge in DC. The difference you see how that is different than saying God help me get me out of my problem and rushing straight into your earthly circumstances is that which preoccupy's the things that you expressed to God from your heart.

What if, what if we rather than rather than making that our primary focus. What if we adopted the perspective the David said's here in the refrain, God my hearts preoccupied with your glory. Let your glory be manifested through my trials. Let your glory be above all the earth, God, God is who you are that predominates my thinking what if what if we were Christians like that would not be awesome would that be a display of the glory of God that he would have people that take his word and his revealed character so seriously that that is the predominating motivation of their petitions to him rather than the earthly circumstances would not be awesome if we were like the you and me.

I think it would be and so David is looking to God for protection until the threat is over and implicit in his appeal is some of the most profound theology that you could ever try to put your mind around in verse two he says I will cry to God most high, to God who accomplishes all things for me in that verse. David is calling attention both to what theologians call the transcendence of God and the eminence of God. God is high and lofty above his creation. He is God most high. He is overall he is beyond it all is beyond earth is not our circumstances, is beyond time is beyond any limitation that anyone could put on them.

He has God most high overall and he says all cried of that God. The God who reigns. That's the God that I appeal to, and yet God is not just transcendent. He is imminent by which we mean he is near. He is involved in his creation is involved in the lives of his people. So God is high and yet he is near. How how you how how God can be so majestic and great to be both transcendent and immanent is wonderful majesty for hearts to meditate on David here is not engaging in speculative theology. However, he's appealing to God's transcendence as the as the basis that God has the power to help him and he appeals to the eminence of God. The nearness of God. The purpose of God for his people when he says to God, who accomplishes all things for me, God, your high and therefore have power, God, you have a purpose in your close to me and therefore I can appeal to you based on your purposes well your power and your purpose.

God cannot be stopped.

They cannot be hindered, and it's on that basis that I come to you. This is great and lofty theology driving a man in desperate circumstances to lofty spiritual heights and so David says God you have the power and love to care for what affects me, you will fulfill your purpose in me in your people without fail struggling Christian discouraged believer under chronic weight of problems that never seem to go away.

Look at verse two with me again and realize afresh who your God is. I will cry to God most high, to God who accomplishes all things for me beloved God created you for a purpose. God saved you for a purpose and God will accomplish every purpose for which you establish your being in life. That's because that's who he is.

That's what he does.

Satan cannot stop the fulfillment of the purpose of God. God is able to work through and beyond in and overturned the consequences of your own mistakes your own sins.

Even an end to to work through all of that in the majesty and the power that he has as a providentially ruling God overall, God most high God has the power and has the intention and he will fulfill his purpose for you no matter what. And so we rest in that we love him for that and we trust in that and to the extent that earthly circumstances seem to be a threat against that to the extent that hostile people would align themselves against you and undermine you. You look at all of that and you look beyond that you look you look through it all and say no, God has his hand in everything that is happening in my life and he will accomplish his purpose. No matter what. Therefore, I need not fear the men who oppose me. I need not fear the circumstances that seem to drown me know I am in the hand of God most high. He accomplishes his purpose and his people, and therefore, I will trust in God. On that basis be gracious to me will be gracious to all the sudden you're praying from a position of utter serenity, strength, and you are in a position of absolute confidence as you pray to him. This is how mature believing people pray this is how mature believing people live. It is a position of confidence of confident dependence and dependent confidence that I can't do this on my own so I appeal to you God you are who you are, therefore, unconfident, and you should accept nothing less from your heart than that that's what you should aspire. After that's what you should preach to yourself, and so it's no wonder the David trust them right. God is most high God accomplishes his purpose. Of course I can take refuge there and know that I'm safe know that I'm cared for. Know that nothing will come into my life.

What God has preordained to be a part of his purpose for me and all of a sudden your turn from fear to courage from doubt to trust in God's will or God is worthy of this kind of response from our hearts as this is the only right way to walk with God is like this.I trust you. I believe you I believe in your power. I believe in your care.

Therefore my heart at rest into.

In the sentence into paragraph in the chapter in the book God I rest here therefore you be exalted over all the earth and hell, beloved, you just there, there just has to be a time there has to come a point where that becomes the controlling passion of your heart so that nothing else matters to you by comparison God you would glorify your name. Through my weakness glorified God you would glorify your name through prosperity in my life be glorified. The circumstances are secondary and irrelevant. By comparison, whatever you deem fit to bring glory to your name through my life through what you bring into my life.

God will accomplish your purpose in all rest in that all trust you and all praise you through life and with my final breath all breathe in the praise of God, and all exhaling glory, and then I'll be really giving you praise and exultation so you were passionate about this.

This is who God is. This is what he deserves. In response from the people that he saved and so with God being like that. David knows exactly what's going to happen. He says in verse three he will send from heaven and save me.

He reproaches him who tramples upon me, because God is who he is the enemies of his work will eventually fall away the be trampled upon by comparison. As Christians we live in a with a great sense of security. So much to say about that on hold my tongue. We just look at look at verse three and just say God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth. God operates the universe, according to his loyal love for his people. God fulfills his truth and never violates it. He never breaks his promises. Well then, if we come as his people and are trusting in him then it is obvious that the outcome can only be in accordance with what God has for us and that somehow in that everything that occurs in your life will be a measure will be a furtherance of the loving purposes of God in your life, and we trust him for that.

We we stake our lives on that. Beloved, we stake our eternal destiny on that, don't we don't, we stake our eternal destiny on the fact that God is a promised eternal life to everyone who believes in Christ, don't we stake our eternal destiny on the fact that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross is sufficient to wash away our darkest sins don't we trust in the fact that the perfect righteousness of Christ answers every demand of the law of God against us. And by trusting in him. God imputes to us a perfect standing that can never be violated. Never be torn down that Satan himself cannot dissuade God away from. Is that what we believe we stake our lives and our destinies are not will then then whatever comes only works toward one conclusion. The final fulfillment of the goodness of God toward us, in the exultation of his name. Everything else works toward that end, and nothing happens in your life that is outside of the purpose of God for you so that's why David can say I know how this comes out God's will to save me God's going to send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.

And you know if we find ourselves weak and lying on her deathbed, heaving breathing difficulty breathing is happen sometimes at the end. Life is ebbing out and people gathered around say goodbye in that most desperate time. What's God going to do force with this is going to send his lovingkindness and truth and he's going to gather us outfit that most desperate moment and he's going to usher us into heaven, so that in the moment of our greatest extremity. The greatest loyal love and truth of God will be manifested as he takes our souls in hand and brings us into glory. That's the worst thing that can happen to you in life, physically speaking, that's the end and the end is going to be the maximum display of the lovingkindness and truth of God's that you don't even need to be afraid of death because God will save you even in that hour of extremity. I tell you bank on that IIII rest. Everything on that and if you're Christian ultimately you do to. So David here is saying that the attributes of God who God is, guarantees what he'll do with his people to be no other way to be no other way. If God is who he says he is. He's good he's loving it faithfully holds true.

He's just with God is who, yes, then this can only come out one way, and of God rules these most high overall than this. Only one direction for this to go where we worried about except to dependently look to him say God be gracious to me as your gracious to me. Be exalted over all the earth, and as we contemplate these things and as we meditate on these things we remember that God does this from the nature of who he is God. God acts this way because it is in accordance with his perfect nature to do that. It's not because we deserve it, not because he's obligated to send some some way that we've imposed upon him by our merit. This is all it God's initiative. He loves us and we love because he first loved us. This was all God's idea from the beginning so I'm just pleading with you, beloved to know who your God is and to trust him like David shows us the way in Psalm 57 and two manifested in the greatest extremity even as David did in Psalm 57 and the greater the trial, the greater the challenge, the greater the threat, the greater your level of trust in God rises to meet that you rise to the occasion in trusting Christ in trust in this God is revealed himself and say God I know that this is how you will deal with me, come what may, so that so that your heart is steadfast your heart is immovable, your heart is inflexibly fixed on that point. Look at verse seven will jump ahead here, why not.

I'm not following my notes anyway. Psalm 57 verse seven sent this to a friend this morning is facing some very difficult trials.

My heart is steadfast.

Oh God, my heart is steadfast. I will saying yes I will sing praises and to the extent beloved that you're tossed by waves to the extent that you that you linger in doubt, to the extent that your overwhelmed by your circumstances.

Beloved somehow get your mind set apart and focus on these truths of the greatness of God the greatness of his character. The inflexible fixed nature of his purposes toward his people and grow in the midst of it and let those challenges be that which stimulate you to growth rather than decay because that is what can happen you can grow through your most difficult trials and so as we think about the loyal love of God, there is something that we do need to remember about this is that his loyal love is not a a guarantee or an insulation from all manner of threat or difficulty.

Quite to the contrary. David says in verse four having having started on such a lofty theme of the glory of God.

He goes in verse four and he recognizes the reality of his human situation. He says my soul is among alliance on the slide among those who breathe forth fire. Even the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword, David here acknowledges the threat and as it worried starts the Solomon and looks at the greatness of God and then from that perspective looks down at the reality of his threat. He says in the middle of my everyday life right now I I am under attack and there there that the men that are after me are like wild beasts who had the that have the power and the desire and the ability to just hear me from limb to limb like a lion with a got a hold of me. So he's mindful of this and it's no marginal threat from a small player. This is the king that's after him.

This would be like the president sending sending sending federal authorities. After you to get you what you do and that there there then there's no response. Human response to that no human defense to that but David is not cast down. David is not preoccupied with those that are after him. Look at verse five. Be exalted above the heavens of God. Let your glory be above all the earth, Derek Kidner commentator says this at this point.

He says David wonderfully looks up from his own urgent interests to his overriding concern that God should be exalted. See beloved God's glory, not our problems is the most important thing in the universe. Nothing is more important than the glory of God.

You and I will pass from the scene one day one day will all be forgotten in the glory of God will still be preeminent the glory of God will still be the goal of the universe and so we take that into account with what we want and David wants heaven and earth to witness God's display of his power and his loyal love. So even is even his request that God would be gracious to them, the God would protect him in his trial is not a self-centered prayer. It's to a greater in that God would display his glory through his ability to deliver and protect his people. God be gracious to me.

I take refuge under your wings. Be exalted, be exalted, what, how, why be exalted through the way that you protect me not just protect me, not just help me God help me, so that your glory would be put on display. So God is our refuge and David makes it clear that the glory of God is the ultimate end of his prayer for deliverance. I love that and you know, beloved, when you take the cross seriously when you view your sin rightly and you realize that a wonderful merciful Savior's come from heaven and is acted decisively to deliver you from the wrath of God and from the judgment of your sin and deliver even you from your bondage to sin that he did that in love did that in kindness toward you, then as those things sink deeper and deeper into your heart, they do fix you with the purpose they do narrow your focus of what's important. The important thing is that Lord, my life would become an instrument for you to display your glory. Everything else is secondary. By comparison with my finances be lost in the process God be glorified. When I lose my reputation in the process of serving you.

God be glorified God with friends and five family forsake me. God be glorified. That's all that matters to me. So God is our refuge and secondly, her point. Second point for tonight. God is our joy. God is our joy. That's interesting what happens here. I pointed this out. David starts the first section with a declaration of the character of God, and then he works down to the nature of the threat against him. In verse four. And then he goes to the refrain be exalted here in the second section. David does it in reverse. He flips it and he starts with the threat from men and then works his way up to the glory of God. In verse six he says they prepared Annette for my steps. My soul was bowed down, they dug a pit before me.

They themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Sell. David says yeah there there there after me there there and they're looking to attack me there setting traps for me so that they can capture me and hurt me but the truth of the matter is, is there laying nets for me there setting the stage for their own destruction dislike Haman in the book of Esther is erected a gallows to hang Mordecai on and ultimately was hanged on it himself is the providence of God inexorably turned in order to accomplish the purposes of God. And so as we said many times we recognize that Scripture in the Psalm sees the songs we've been looking at in the the 50s especially speak of this boomerang effect as as wicked men plan evil against us. We rest in the fact that God will eventually turn that against them, and that he will protect us in their evil will come down on their own head that men will reap what they so don't be deceived. Scripture says God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows this. Also, he will reap well knows we exhort you and encourage you and and and and call you to trust in your God, what were what are we doing except asking you to so that which would reap a harvest of the glory of God and the blessing that would come to your soul.

As a result.

So, toward that plant that in your soul. Rather than worrying about the things that men might do against you, and once again we see played out for us in another Psalm. One of the overarching themes of the entire Psalter, the Lord note said this so many times Psalm one verse six the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way the wicked will perish. David is manifesting his understanding that principal God. They are planning wickedness against me, but the parish in the midst of it.

I am unafraid of what they can do and so we come to verse seven is David his work through all of that and he says my heart is steadfast of God. Notice the repetition. Again, the repetition of things is one of the features of the song in verse 20 said, be gracious to me. Oh God, be gracious to me promoting the emphasis of what he was saying and now in verse seven he emphatically states the unalterable commitment of his heart. God, I will be steadfast. My heart is steadfast. Oh God, my heart is steadfast.

I will sing yes I will sing praises, repetition, repetition, showing the emphasis of his resolve of trust and praise, saying that in the midst of this I will praise you. Whatever is to come, I will praise you God, my heart is set.

My life stands on this foundation.

These are the principles and you are the God that I am committed to and therefore I close the doors to any other possibility other than the fact that I will praise you. I will sing praises to your name no matter what the circumstances may bear bring and so from that position of resolve, beloved, from that resolution of heart that says these are the convictions of my heart. This is what I know to be true. Therefore, I will be a certain kind of man or woman in response. He says in verse eight, and he stirs his soul to praise awake, my glory awake harp and lyre, I will awaken the dawn more. This rat repetition awake, awake, I will awaken more. The repetition do awaken his glory is way this of saying that I'm going to engage my mind. I'm going to engage my inner man with the fullness of who I am going to awaken down devoted to the praise of God in all beat the dawn to the Tate and will be doing it before dawn comes see beloved this this is just so important for you to understand this is just so critical to what it means to be a Christian. David is not going through any kind of external ritual here. He is not going through the motions of what he says he's not simply saying all have my quiet time at 6 AM or whatever is not just going through the ritual of Old Testament sacrifices in a mindless way. Simply repeating words and and in vain repetition saying the same prayer over and over again simply because that's what you're supposed to do, know all that's what he's doing.

David's David whole inner man is engage his his mind. His heart is will is engaged as he throws his whole man into the praise of God. In verse nine he gives the content of that praise. He says I will give thanks to you, will God among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations.

God, I will speak to an international audience.

If you give me that platform.

David says truth of the matter is God gave it to them.

Disney throughout the world.

People are still reading David's praises to God, sing praises to you among the nations. God God I am unashamed just like the apostle Paul in Romans one. I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes in. This is who my God is and yes my his praise will be on the tip of my tongue to anyone that will listen to any platform that the Lord would give David says I will sing his praises to the broadest possible extent. I will become an instrument to the answer to my own prayers. I pray God be let your glory be over all the earth and all Lynn my tongue to the course that sings your praise. Why, what's the focus verse 10 hears while praise you among the nations because your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and your truth to the clouds, God, your loyal love is immeasurable.

If we exhausted all of horse resources to declare the glory of God. There would be enough to magnify him for his loyal love and truth and so David closes with the refrain yet again be exalted above the heavens of God. Let your glory be over all the earth. Incidental point here, but important more for those outside our walls and for those of you that are inside the walls.

I suppose, but do you see how David's spirit here utterly rebukes that that common statement where people will say my worship of God is a private matter between me and God. I'm content to go out into nature and all worship God in privacy.

My heart and this is just between me and God. David David blows that the smithereens if you really know the true God. If you really know the Lord Jesus Christ you want to declare him you want to make him known. Because your own little soul is not enough to contain the magnitude of his glory and it must get out. It must be somehow expressed private worship. What you're declaring with as you don't know God at all you know nothing about his purpose for the church. Nothing about the greatness of his glory because it when when you've tasted of the glory of God. You have to's made it.

Someone has to know so we get passionate about these things because God is worthy of our inner man being devoted to his glory. That's why this matters God is worthy of what David expresses here in Psalm 57 and the earth is a broad enough and the heavens are high enough to contain the praise which is his rightful due and so David says God hotel of the rescue that you give me and I'll teach men your ways, beloved that's wrap it up this way suffering, threats, difficulties tend to drive you toward self-absorption and self-pity tend to promote within you a critical spirit, the judge mental heart and a distrusting attitude because you're so consumed with the circumstances that you think threaten you is what tends to happen or what I want you to see is is that that kind us your suffering can have a completely different impact on your life. It can transform who you are. It can become the catalyst to drive you to seek the exultation of God and to luxuriate into glory and the wonder of his attributes of grace, loyal love and truth, for his people. Danger, beloved danger makes you look for protection. A threat makes you look for help when you're feeling the weight of danger. Look up God alone is that refuge for your soul. Christ alone is the one who is worthy of your trust is love and faithfulness alone are you are your place of rest and for that we give him glory with every ounce of energy with every fiber of our being from the bottom of our hearts.

We declare the greatness of the glory of God and trust him for everything that is still to come, but spell together in prayer. God, the time is too short it's too brief.

We would spend a mere 60 minutes declaring your glory describing your greatness would somehow contain in in in a single hour what we would say about our trust in you, our love for you in response to the manifestation of your great glory is you've made it known in Scripture and the world around us, and even in the glories that we find in our own soul as your Holy Spirit is worked in us and made Christ known to us in 60 minutes. Father, we would we would begin and end God.

The truth is is that eternity will not be long enough to praise you, eternity will not give us sufficient opportunity to explore the the infinite, the infinite reaches of your great majesty and so are God in this meager hour that we've offered up to you with our words and our ears here today, we pledge that it's a mere down payment. It's a simple down payment of more that is yet to come from our hearts toward you Lord as we go forth we go forth with steadfast hearts. We believe these things we know them to be true, they are guaranteed by the certainties of your inerrant word. This is who you are and this is who you are to your people and so yes Lord in our struggles are difficulties we take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

We know that we are safe and protected their and as result of that of God saying yes we will sing praises to you, we will give thanks to you, oh Lord, among the peoples will sing praises to you among the nations. Why your lovingkindness is great heavens truth to the clouds, be exalted above the heavens of God.

Let your glory be over all pricing payment (thank you for joining us on through the Psalms. Did you know that we also offer a daily podcast.

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God bless you. Thanks, Don, and friend. Be sure to join us each weekend as we continue through the son with pastor Don Greene.

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