1 But the psalmist seeks God’s protection (“refuge” [twice], ḥāsâ, GK 2879; cf. 11:1; 16:1; 25:20). The “disaster” is like a violent storm (v. 1; cf. RSV, “the storms of destruction”; NEB, “the storms”), but the Lord can give him “wings”—a metaphor for protection and refuge (cf. 17:8; 36:7; 61:4; 91:4; Ru 2:12; Mt 23:37).[1]
1 Psalm 57 opens with a double plea using the same imperative as Psalm 56. The reason for the plea in Psalm 56 is that the enemies are threatening. What is sought here is refuge, a place of safety from the dangers of the world. Hebrew ḥāsâ (“refuge”) appears first as a perfect verb, indicating that the very act of taking refuge happens the moment the sentence is uttered, while the second occurrence is in imperfect form, telling that the situation is ongoing until the danger passes by. Instead of running from the arms of the enemy as many prayers of help express, here the one praying is running toward God (in the shadow of your wings), where this one will be and remain safe. Some have seen in this verse a possible reference to the refuge of the temple and the wings of the cherubim that guard the ark (see Pss. 17:8; 32:7; 63:7). This is certainly a possible context, but that does not mean that the image is limited to this context alone, especially since the editor of the superscription associates this psalm with a cave in the wilderness.[2]
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed (v. 1). The psalm begins with a call for God to be merciful, along with a repeated assertion of trust in him. The reference to taking refuge under the shadow of God’s wings could be either a general allusion to God’s protective care, or it could relate to his presence at the tabernacle. In Exodus 25:20 the wings of the cherubim are said to overshadow the cover (the mercy-seat) of the ark of the covenant. Hence it is possible that ‘your wings’ is a way of saying that the psalmist will go to the tabernacle to meet with his God and to find refuge there until the present distress passes by. The word ‘disaster’ has been translated ‘destructive forces’ in 55:11. It is a rare word but the parallels of ‘malice’ and ‘abuse’ in that context help to define its meaning. In this context, the psalmist professes confident trust in God’s ability to protect him until the present destruction is past.[3]
57:1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me. The repetition of “have mercy on me” strengthens the request for mercy. See also Psalm 123:3. The same link between a prayer for mercy and seeking refuge is found in Psalm 16:1.
Tate calls this literary device the “pivot pattern,” which employs a central word and uses it to pivot the ideas on either side, giving the pattern AB C AB. Goldingay speaks of this phenomenon as a word doing double duty (57:5, 7a–b, 9, 11), meaning that it occurs in one colon but applies to the following colon too, as in the following examples:
Have mercy (A) on me (B),
my God (C),
have mercy (A) on me (B). (57:1)
Steadfast (A) is my heart (B),
O God (C),
steadfast (A) is my heart (B). (57:7; this is the Hebrew word order)
This method serves to emphasize the ideas on either side of the direct address and to put God, in this case, in the middle of the invocation, surrounded by the voice of the psalmist. It is the merger of art and theology.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. The unusual verb form of “take refuge” is a past tense bearing a present-tense meaning. The metaphor “shadow of your wings” appears several times in the Psalter (17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7). The image is that of a bird gathering its chicks under its wings (Isa. 34:15; Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34). Also, there are many instances of ancient deities with expansive wings, indicating the extensive use of this imagery. The same word for “disaster” (hawwot) appears in Psalm 91:3 (“deadly pestilence”). Note Psalm 91:4, which says, as here in 57:1c, “and under his wings you will find refuge.”[4]
1. We must not pass over the title of this Psalm, for every part of it seems interesting; and if we regard the writer, David, both as a type of Christ and as a prophet predicting Christ, nothing can be more worthy attention by way of throwing light upon it. If, as hath been before remarked, the dedication of it to the chief musician refers to Jesus, the Al-taschith, which signifies destroy not, is very important. Destroy not: David must not be destroyed, for Christ is of the seed of David after the flesh. And Michtam intimates that this is a golden Psalm, a precious Psalm: and so it is indeed, if read typically or prophetically. And how beautifully do the words of the supplication begin! The repetition is striking. And how did Christ, in the days of his flesh, send forth strong crying and tears! Heb. 5:7. If the Reader wishes to consult the history of David, as the title of the Psalm refers to him, he will find the account, 1 Sam. 24.[5]
57:1. In the shadow of your wings
The psalmist prays to God to protect him in the midst of an unspecified disaster. In later verses (vv. 3, 4, 6), we will learn that he is being attacked by powerful and dangerous enemies who want to destroy him. By not being more specific, the composer allows later readers to apply this prayer to their own unique circumstances. The psalmist expresses his intention to trust God by evoking the refuge provided by a bird’s wings (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4). To most, this suggests the image of a bird shielding its young with its wings, or perhaps driving potential threats away from its young with the rapid beating of its wings. However, it is also possible that there is a polemical function to this image and that the comparison is with winged deities of the Ancient Near East. Perhaps both are brought to mind, since the winged deities themselves are bird-like.21[6]
The shadow of God’s wings (v. 1): confidence
What the compilers understood to be the background of Psalm 57 was in fact the very next scene in the drama: ‘David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam’ (1 Sam. 22:1). Soon others came, happy to make common cause with him, but at the outset he would have been alone. Isolation and solitude are not the same. He had felt the first in Gath; now he had to cope with the second as well. Would that make things even worse?
Strangely, he felt better. We sense a growing confidence. He may have been a fugitive hiding in a cave, but he was also a believer taking refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. This beautiful phrase occurs several times in Scripture, most recently in Psalm 36:7. The wings of refuge figure also in the story of David’s great-grandmother Ruth, a memorable page in his family history.
The first three verses of our psalm give reasons for his, and our, confidence. If what has happened has been a total disaster (and for David it has), there is no point in pretending otherwise; but under God, he knows that one day he will be able to say that it has passed. Furthermore he knows that God is a God of action, who fulfils; as in Psalm 52:9, the verb is absolute, stressing not what he does, but the fact that he does do things. And David’s escape from both Saul and Achish itself shows that God’s covenant love and faithfulness are looking after him.[7]
1. “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me.” Urgent need suggests the repetition of the cry, for thus intense urgency of desire is expressed. If “he gives twice who gives quickly,” so he who would receive quickly must ask twice. For mercy the Psalmist pleads at first, and he feels he cannot improve upon his plea, and therefore returns to it. God is the God of mercy, and the Father of mercies, it is most fit therefore that in distress we should seek mercy from him in whom it dwells. “For my soul trusteth in thee.” Faith urges her suit right well. How can the Lord be unmerciful to a trustful soul? Our faith does not deserve mercy, but it always wins it from the sovereign grace of God when it is sincere, as in this case where the soul of the man believed. “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” “Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge.” Not in the cave alone would he hide, but in the cleft of the Rock of ages. As the little birds find ample shelter beneath the parental wing, even so would the fugitive place himself beneath the secure protection of the divine power. The emblem is delightfully familiar and suggestive. May we all experimentally know its meaning. When we cannot see the sunshine of God’s face, it is blessed to cower down beneath the shadow of his wings. “Until these calamities be overpast.” Evil will pass away, and the eternal wings will abide over us till then. Blessed be God, our calamities are matters of time, but our safety is a matter of eternity. When we are under the divine shadow, the passing over of trouble cannot harm us; the hawk flies across the sky, but this is no evil to the chicks when they are safely nestling beneath the hen.[8]
[1] VanGemeren, W. A. (2008). Psalms. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition) (Vol. 5, p. 462). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] deClaissé-Walford, N., & Tanner, B. (2014). Book Two of the Psalter: Psalms 42–72. In E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, & R. L. Hubbard Jr. (Eds.), The Book of Psalms (p. 488). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[3] Harman, A. (2011). Psalms: A Mentor Commentary (Vol. 1–2, pp. 433–434). Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor.
[4] Bullock, C. H. (2015). Psalms 1–72. (M. L. Strauss & J. H. Walton, Eds.) (Vol. 1, pp. 434–435). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[5] Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 339). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[6] Longman, T., III. (2014). Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary. (D. G. Firth, Ed.) (Vol. 15–16, p. 233). Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.
[7] Wilcock, M. (2001). The Message of Psalms: Songs for the People of God. (J. A. Motyer, Ed.) (Vol. 1, p. 206). Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.
[8] Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 27-57 (Vol. 2, pp. 475–476). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.
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