3/12/2012 8:00:14 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus:
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 57:1-
Message of the verses: I will begin with the short introductory commentary from the John MacArthur Study Bible on Psalm 57: “This is another lament expressing supreme confidence in the Lord in the midst of calamitous circumstances. Though David finds himself hiding from Saul (see Title), he knows that his real refuge is not in the walls of the cave (cf. 1Sam. 22:1; 24:3), but in the shadow of God’s wings.”
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following in his introduction: “After his deliverance from Gath, recorded in 56, David fled for protection to the cave of Adullam (1Sam. 22:1ff), and later re would move to a cave in Engedi (1Sam. 24; see Ps. 142). Better to be in the will of God in a cave than out of His will in a king’s palace. The melody ‘Destroy not’ was also assigned to 58, 59, and 75. This psalm covers one day in David’s life as a fugitive, for verse 4 records his lying down and verse 8 his walking up to greet the dawn. God quieted his heart and gave him the sleep he needed (see 4:8 and 5:3). Note the repetition of mercy and refuge (v. 1), sends (v. 3), steadfast (v. 7) and awake (v. 8), and refrain in verses 5 and 11. From his difficult experience in Gath, David shares with us some responsibilities (and privileges) believers have every day.”
The following is the commentary that I wrote on July 1, 2010 from 1Samuel 22:1-2: “The cave of Adullam was not too far from Bethlehem and so David’s family came to him there because they also feared for their lives because of Saul.
“Psalms 57 & 142 were written while David was in this cave and show that this cave became a sanctuary for those who were in distress, those who owed money and those who knew that the Lord had appointed David to be king over Israel. Here in this cave, with all of these people coming to David he continued to display good leadership as his group would grow from 400 to 600 as more people would join him. It is evident that David grew closer to the Lord while in this cave as he wrote the Psalms and relied upon the Lord. He may have been thinking of Joseph and how long that it took the Lord to bring him to power in Egypt after having the dreams while just a young man, as David was just a young man when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint him as king.”
“Each Day Is a Day of Prayer” (vv. 1-5): “1 ¶ «For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Mikhtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.» Be gracious to me, O 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. 2 I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. 4 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. 5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.”
Like Psalm 56 David asks the Lord for mercy at the beginning of his prayer to the Lord, for David knew that is what he needed from the Lord. David takes refuge in the Lord while he is in this cave and makes this cave like the Holy of Holies that is in the tabernacle which is where the two cherubim are seated on the mercy seat. You can find this in Exodus 25:17-20.
David cries out to “God most High” for he knows that God will help him for it was God who had Samuel anoint David to be the king of Israel, but David had to first get his “schooling in the wilderness” before he would ascend to the throne. The wilderness is mentioned on different occasions in the Scriptures speaking of a time when God deals with His people in order to give them the “education” they need. The children of Israel marched around in the wilderness for forty years before going into the Promised Land. We also see that the Lord Jesus Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting and praying and also being tempted by Satan. See Mark chapter 1 and Matthew and Luke chapter 4.
We see in verse three that David says that God will send from Heaven and save David and this is speaking of being saved from Saul and his men which David describes in verse 4. David uses animals to describe the men of Saul.
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following to describe verse five: “David included a song of praise in his evening prayer (v. 5) and lay down and went to sleep. David didn’t pray only at bedtime, as too many people do, but all day long; however, he closed the day with a special time of worship and commitment.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I will have to admit that most of my praying comes before I go to bed, but I do have a time on a lot of days just talking to my heavenly Father about things that are going on in my life. It seems that I have steadily grown closer to God as I grow older and older in my walk with the Lord. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior and Lord, but He is also my friend. Jesus spoke about this in the later portions of John’s Gospel. The apostle Paul calls God “Aba Father” in the book of Romans.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. I desire to continue to grow closer to my Lord each day as I walk with Him, knowing that He is able to see me through the difficult times of life and bring joy to my heart.
2. Have a more consistent prayer life, speaking to the Lord more throughout the day.
3. Continue to learn contentment through the experiences of the day.
3/12/2012 8:51:44 AM
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