Psalms 57
KingCommentsPsalms 57:1
Who May Be With the LORD
Psalms 24:1-2 form the background for the two questions posed in Psalms 24:3. Who dares to “ascend into the hill” of that sovereign and almighty God to approach Him? By “the hill of the LORD” is meant Mount Zion (cf. Psalms 2:6; Psalms 15:1). And what is beyond that – for the hill of the LORD is a holy place – who is able to stand “in His holy place”, to stand in His presence and serve Him as a priest? These are questions about how a person can approach a holy and righteous God, about the possibility of having fellowship with that exalted and holy God.
Four conditions are mentioned (Psalms 24:4; cf. Psalms 15:2-5). These do not involve sacrifices or good deeds, but uprightness in actions and motives. Two conditions are positive and two negative. “Clean hands” refers to the deeds; “a pure heart” refers to the motives behind the deeds. “Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood” means that he does not indulge in idolatry and does not worship anything or anyone other than God alone. He who does indulge in what is false exalts himself against God. One who “has not sworn deceitfully” is one who does not use God’s Name in vain by committing fraud in His Name. To swear deceitfully means to make God the protector of one’s falsehood. He who is ‘clean’ is not ‘false’, and he who is ‘pure’ is not a ‘deceiver’.
He who is upright in his actions and motives receives blessing and righteousness from God (Psalms 24:5). The blessing is that he is in God’s favor, that God accepts him in pleasure. The righteousness is that God sees him as righteous and receives him into His presence. God can do that because He is “the God of his salvation”. That means that God has kept Him from all that testified against him. That is only possible because He imputes to him the work of the Lord Jesus, which He sees ahead. God always blesses and gives His righteousness only on that basis.
The answer to the question of who can dwell with Him is the Lord Jesus. He answers all the conditions. But He also wants others to dwell with Him. They are mentioned in Psalms 24:6. Those who are blessed by Him and to whom He gives His righteousness, are those “who ask Him, who seek Your face”. They demonstrate a mind that is pleasing to Him, for they desire to be pleasing to Him and to live to His glory.
This is about the fact that it is possible to approach the Creator, and therefore the rightful Owner, of the universe. That this is possible is apparent from the change halfway through this verse from speaking of God, “who seek Him”, to speaking to God, “who seek Your face”.
Those who seek Him are the offspring of “Jacob”, of that Jacob of whom God said: “I am … the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). The offspring of Jacob bear the characteristics of their ancestor. It is a generation that has always longed for the blessing of God, but has so often been unfaithful in the way they have sought to appropriate that blessing. God gives them the promised blessing in the realm of peace after a long way of forming, which He also went through with their forefather.
Psalms 57:2
Who May Be With the LORD
Psalms 24:1-2 form the background for the two questions posed in Psalms 24:3. Who dares to “ascend into the hill” of that sovereign and almighty God to approach Him? By “the hill of the LORD” is meant Mount Zion (cf. Psalms 2:6; Psalms 15:1). And what is beyond that – for the hill of the LORD is a holy place – who is able to stand “in His holy place”, to stand in His presence and serve Him as a priest? These are questions about how a person can approach a holy and righteous God, about the possibility of having fellowship with that exalted and holy God.
Four conditions are mentioned (Psalms 24:4; cf. Psalms 15:2-5). These do not involve sacrifices or good deeds, but uprightness in actions and motives. Two conditions are positive and two negative. “Clean hands” refers to the deeds; “a pure heart” refers to the motives behind the deeds. “Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood” means that he does not indulge in idolatry and does not worship anything or anyone other than God alone. He who does indulge in what is false exalts himself against God. One who “has not sworn deceitfully” is one who does not use God’s Name in vain by committing fraud in His Name. To swear deceitfully means to make God the protector of one’s falsehood. He who is ‘clean’ is not ‘false’, and he who is ‘pure’ is not a ‘deceiver’.
He who is upright in his actions and motives receives blessing and righteousness from God (Psalms 24:5). The blessing is that he is in God’s favor, that God accepts him in pleasure. The righteousness is that God sees him as righteous and receives him into His presence. God can do that because He is “the God of his salvation”. That means that God has kept Him from all that testified against him. That is only possible because He imputes to him the work of the Lord Jesus, which He sees ahead. God always blesses and gives His righteousness only on that basis.
The answer to the question of who can dwell with Him is the Lord Jesus. He answers all the conditions. But He also wants others to dwell with Him. They are mentioned in Psalms 24:6. Those who are blessed by Him and to whom He gives His righteousness, are those “who ask Him, who seek Your face”. They demonstrate a mind that is pleasing to Him, for they desire to be pleasing to Him and to live to His glory.
This is about the fact that it is possible to approach the Creator, and therefore the rightful Owner, of the universe. That this is possible is apparent from the change halfway through this verse from speaking of God, “who seek Him”, to speaking to God, “who seek Your face”.
Those who seek Him are the offspring of “Jacob”, of that Jacob of whom God said: “I am … the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). The offspring of Jacob bear the characteristics of their ancestor. It is a generation that has always longed for the blessing of God, but has so often been unfaithful in the way they have sought to appropriate that blessing. God gives them the promised blessing in the realm of peace after a long way of forming, which He also went through with their forefather.
Psalms 57:3
The King of Glory
After the conditions for dwelling with the LORD are given in Psalms 24:3-6, in Psalms 24:7 both the city and the people are called to receive the King of glory. His great majesty as the One Who possesses everything because He created it (Psalms 24:1-2), obviously also gives Him the right of entrance into Jerusalem. Every gate must be opened to Him with a dignity appropriate to that Majesty. In some cases it was necessary to make the lintel of the gate higher. Here the lifting up is done because of the greatness of the majesty of the King of glory.
The poetic language represents the gates and doors as persons. The gates and doors of the city have long let their heads drop because of the sad state the city had fallen into because of its sins. But when the King of glory appears, it can be said that they lift up their heads. With the coming of the King, the time for mourning is over and the time for celebration has arrived.
In Psalms 24:8 we hear the question: “Who is the King of glory?” The answer immediately follows: It is “the LORD”, the faithful God of the covenant. That He is the Messiah, that is, that He has become Man, is evident from the fact that He enters through the gate of Jerusalem. The expressions “strong and mighty” and “mighty in battle” describe the Messiah as the Divine Warrior Who fights on behalf of His people (cf. Micah 2:13; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:11-16). He is the strong God (Isaiah 10:21), Who uses His power in battle against His enemies and on behalf of His own.
He appears in a totally different way than when He first appeared on earth. The first time He came to earth in humility and went His way in humility. When He went to Jerusalem as King, He was addressed as follows: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout [in triumph], O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11).
The call in Psalms 24:9 is a repetition of Psa 24:7, with an even slightly stronger exhortation. The repetition emphasizes the importance of giving this high Majesty ample room and a dignified reception.
The question asked in Psalms 24:10 is also a repetition (cf. Psalms 24:8). That the question is asked twice emphasizes the Person of the King of glory. As in Psalms 24:8, the answer is “the LORD”, but now with the addition “of hosts”. He is Yahweh Zebaoth, this is the warrior name of the LORD. He is the Supreme Commander of all the heavenly and earthly hosts. He has authority over all angelic and earthly forces, both good and evil (cf. John 19:11a). This means that they never act on their own initiative, but only at His command. He directs them in such a way that they cooperate in the execution of His plan, sometimes against their will. For the believer, this knowledge is a great comfort.
In the spiritual application, this psalm is fulfilled in us when we open our hearts to the Lord Jesus and give Him dominion over our lives. In the prophetic application, we see the fulfillment when the whole earth and all that it contains is subject to Him, giving Him the glory due to Him.
Psalms 57:4
The King of Glory
After the conditions for dwelling with the LORD are given in Psalms 24:3-6, in Psalms 24:7 both the city and the people are called to receive the King of glory. His great majesty as the One Who possesses everything because He created it (Psalms 24:1-2), obviously also gives Him the right of entrance into Jerusalem. Every gate must be opened to Him with a dignity appropriate to that Majesty. In some cases it was necessary to make the lintel of the gate higher. Here the lifting up is done because of the greatness of the majesty of the King of glory.
The poetic language represents the gates and doors as persons. The gates and doors of the city have long let their heads drop because of the sad state the city had fallen into because of its sins. But when the King of glory appears, it can be said that they lift up their heads. With the coming of the King, the time for mourning is over and the time for celebration has arrived.
In Psalms 24:8 we hear the question: “Who is the King of glory?” The answer immediately follows: It is “the LORD”, the faithful God of the covenant. That He is the Messiah, that is, that He has become Man, is evident from the fact that He enters through the gate of Jerusalem. The expressions “strong and mighty” and “mighty in battle” describe the Messiah as the Divine Warrior Who fights on behalf of His people (cf. Micah 2:13; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:11-16). He is the strong God (Isaiah 10:21), Who uses His power in battle against His enemies and on behalf of His own.
He appears in a totally different way than when He first appeared on earth. The first time He came to earth in humility and went His way in humility. When He went to Jerusalem as King, He was addressed as follows: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout [in triumph], O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11).
The call in Psalms 24:9 is a repetition of Psa 24:7, with an even slightly stronger exhortation. The repetition emphasizes the importance of giving this high Majesty ample room and a dignified reception.
The question asked in Psalms 24:10 is also a repetition (cf. Psalms 24:8). That the question is asked twice emphasizes the Person of the King of glory. As in Psalms 24:8, the answer is “the LORD”, but now with the addition “of hosts”. He is Yahweh Zebaoth, this is the warrior name of the LORD. He is the Supreme Commander of all the heavenly and earthly hosts. He has authority over all angelic and earthly forces, both good and evil (cf. John 19:11a). This means that they never act on their own initiative, but only at His command. He directs them in such a way that they cooperate in the execution of His plan, sometimes against their will. For the believer, this knowledge is a great comfort.
In the spiritual application, this psalm is fulfilled in us when we open our hearts to the Lord Jesus and give Him dominion over our lives. In the prophetic application, we see the fulfillment when the whole earth and all that it contains is subject to Him, giving Him the glory due to Him.
Psalms 57:5
The King of Glory
After the conditions for dwelling with the LORD are given in Psalms 24:3-6, in Psalms 24:7 both the city and the people are called to receive the King of glory. His great majesty as the One Who possesses everything because He created it (Psalms 24:1-2), obviously also gives Him the right of entrance into Jerusalem. Every gate must be opened to Him with a dignity appropriate to that Majesty. In some cases it was necessary to make the lintel of the gate higher. Here the lifting up is done because of the greatness of the majesty of the King of glory.
The poetic language represents the gates and doors as persons. The gates and doors of the city have long let their heads drop because of the sad state the city had fallen into because of its sins. But when the King of glory appears, it can be said that they lift up their heads. With the coming of the King, the time for mourning is over and the time for celebration has arrived.
In Psalms 24:8 we hear the question: “Who is the King of glory?” The answer immediately follows: It is “the LORD”, the faithful God of the covenant. That He is the Messiah, that is, that He has become Man, is evident from the fact that He enters through the gate of Jerusalem. The expressions “strong and mighty” and “mighty in battle” describe the Messiah as the Divine Warrior Who fights on behalf of His people (cf. Micah 2:13; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:11-16). He is the strong God (Isaiah 10:21), Who uses His power in battle against His enemies and on behalf of His own.
He appears in a totally different way than when He first appeared on earth. The first time He came to earth in humility and went His way in humility. When He went to Jerusalem as King, He was addressed as follows: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout [in triumph], O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11).
The call in Psalms 24:9 is a repetition of Psa 24:7, with an even slightly stronger exhortation. The repetition emphasizes the importance of giving this high Majesty ample room and a dignified reception.
The question asked in Psalms 24:10 is also a repetition (cf. Psalms 24:8). That the question is asked twice emphasizes the Person of the King of glory. As in Psalms 24:8, the answer is “the LORD”, but now with the addition “of hosts”. He is Yahweh Zebaoth, this is the warrior name of the LORD. He is the Supreme Commander of all the heavenly and earthly hosts. He has authority over all angelic and earthly forces, both good and evil (cf. John 19:11a). This means that they never act on their own initiative, but only at His command. He directs them in such a way that they cooperate in the execution of His plan, sometimes against their will. For the believer, this knowledge is a great comfort.
In the spiritual application, this psalm is fulfilled in us when we open our hearts to the Lord Jesus and give Him dominion over our lives. In the prophetic application, we see the fulfillment when the whole earth and all that it contains is subject to Him, giving Him the glory due to Him.
Psalms 57:6
The King of Glory
After the conditions for dwelling with the LORD are given in Psalms 24:3-6, in Psalms 24:7 both the city and the people are called to receive the King of glory. His great majesty as the One Who possesses everything because He created it (Psalms 24:1-2), obviously also gives Him the right of entrance into Jerusalem. Every gate must be opened to Him with a dignity appropriate to that Majesty. In some cases it was necessary to make the lintel of the gate higher. Here the lifting up is done because of the greatness of the majesty of the King of glory.
The poetic language represents the gates and doors as persons. The gates and doors of the city have long let their heads drop because of the sad state the city had fallen into because of its sins. But when the King of glory appears, it can be said that they lift up their heads. With the coming of the King, the time for mourning is over and the time for celebration has arrived.
In Psalms 24:8 we hear the question: “Who is the King of glory?” The answer immediately follows: It is “the LORD”, the faithful God of the covenant. That He is the Messiah, that is, that He has become Man, is evident from the fact that He enters through the gate of Jerusalem. The expressions “strong and mighty” and “mighty in battle” describe the Messiah as the Divine Warrior Who fights on behalf of His people (cf. Micah 2:13; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:11-16). He is the strong God (Isaiah 10:21), Who uses His power in battle against His enemies and on behalf of His own.
He appears in a totally different way than when He first appeared on earth. The first time He came to earth in humility and went His way in humility. When He went to Jerusalem as King, He was addressed as follows: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout [in triumph], O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11).
The call in Psalms 24:9 is a repetition of Psa 24:7, with an even slightly stronger exhortation. The repetition emphasizes the importance of giving this high Majesty ample room and a dignified reception.
The question asked in Psalms 24:10 is also a repetition (cf. Psalms 24:8). That the question is asked twice emphasizes the Person of the King of glory. As in Psalms 24:8, the answer is “the LORD”, but now with the addition “of hosts”. He is Yahweh Zebaoth, this is the warrior name of the LORD. He is the Supreme Commander of all the heavenly and earthly hosts. He has authority over all angelic and earthly forces, both good and evil (cf. John 19:11a). This means that they never act on their own initiative, but only at His command. He directs them in such a way that they cooperate in the execution of His plan, sometimes against their will. For the believer, this knowledge is a great comfort.
In the spiritual application, this psalm is fulfilled in us when we open our hearts to the Lord Jesus and give Him dominion over our lives. In the prophetic application, we see the fulfillment when the whole earth and all that it contains is subject to Him, giving Him the glory due to Him.
Psalms 57:8
Introduction
In Psalms 22-24 we have seen the revelation of the Savior. In Psalms 25-39 we see the experience of the believer’s exercise in response to this revelation. This emphasizes that the sequence of Psalms is also inspired and has much to say to us.
The sense of grace is still weak, but it is growing. To that end, this psalm also begins with confession of sin (Psalms 25:7; 11; 18). As a result, the psalmist can receive the teaching of grace (Psalms 25:8-9). A person who wants to, whether he is a Christian or belongs to the faithful remnant of Israel, must begin by trusting God (Psalms 25:1-2) and being open to His teaching (Psalms 25:4-5).
The LORD can only teach the meek – these are the humble, the broken-hearted, those who tremble at God’s Word (Psalms 25:9; cf. Matthew 5:5; Isaiah 66:2). Prophetically, this is the growing sense of grace among the remnant of Israel in the end time.
We hear in this psalm a believer speaking who has in his heart a deep awareness of Who the LORD is. The thought of Him dominates everything with him. In Him he trusts with regard to his enemies. He does not cry out to God to judge them. He speaks but little of them. What he mainly asks is guidance for his path of life.
The believer also sees himself in God’s light, which brings him to confession of sins. In this psalm we find confession of sins for the first time in this book. At the end, we hear him pray for the whole people; he becomes an intercessor for others.
In You I Trust
For “[a Psalm] of David” (Psalms 25:1a) see at Psalms 3:1.
The occasion for this psalm seems to be the ever-present enemies. It may be that David wrote this psalm when he was fleeing from his son Absalom, a flight resulting from his own sins.
David, with an emphatic “to You”, lifts up his soul, or his whole person, his body included, to the “LORD”, exclusively and only to Him (Psalms 25:1b). His soul is in distress. He speaks to God as “my God” (Psalms 25:2), because he has a personal relationship with Him. Therefore, he also says to Him, “in You I trust”. The word “trust” means “to feel safe”, just as a child feels safe with his father when he is threatened by a dog. David felt safe with God. This is the secret of overcoming difficulties. A God-fearing believer has no other refuge. There is no ‘plan B’ for him. His entire hope is in God alone.
David here speaks of (1) “my God”, of (2) “me”, and of (3) “my enemies”. The enemies drove him out to God, to seek refuge with Him. He begs his God not to let him be ashamed of his trust in Him. The consequence would be that his enemies would leap for joy about him, as if his trust in God was something only from his lips. Surely God will not let that happen, will He? In addition, as king he is the representative of God’s people. If he is ashamed, it takes away the complete basis of trust of God’s people.
He reminds himself that all who wait for God will not be ashamed (Psalms 25:3). He is sure of this, which we see by the strong “indeed”. This does not make praying redundant, but rather drives to it. He expects the help and outcome of Him with Whom he lives in fellowship. This verse is quoted in Romans 9 (Romans 9:33), where it appears that “wait for” here means “believe”, as opposed to ’good works’.
He also knows who will be ashamed, namely those “who deal treacherously without cause”. These are people who love iniquity. He is not one of them. He acts in faithfulness toward God, Who has appointed him king over His people. The fact that it is said “deal treacherously without cause” of course does not mean that there could be a reason to deal treacherously. This saying underlines the infamy of treachery. That there is talk of dealing treacherously also means that in this psalm David’s enemies must be sought among his own people and not among the nations.
Psalms 57:9
Introduction
In Psalms 22-24 we have seen the revelation of the Savior. In Psalms 25-39 we see the experience of the believer’s exercise in response to this revelation. This emphasizes that the sequence of Psalms is also inspired and has much to say to us.
The sense of grace is still weak, but it is growing. To that end, this psalm also begins with confession of sin (Psalms 25:7; 11; 18). As a result, the psalmist can receive the teaching of grace (Psalms 25:8-9). A person who wants to, whether he is a Christian or belongs to the faithful remnant of Israel, must begin by trusting God (Psalms 25:1-2) and being open to His teaching (Psalms 25:4-5).
The LORD can only teach the meek – these are the humble, the broken-hearted, those who tremble at God’s Word (Psalms 25:9; cf. Matthew 5:5; Isaiah 66:2). Prophetically, this is the growing sense of grace among the remnant of Israel in the end time.
We hear in this psalm a believer speaking who has in his heart a deep awareness of Who the LORD is. The thought of Him dominates everything with him. In Him he trusts with regard to his enemies. He does not cry out to God to judge them. He speaks but little of them. What he mainly asks is guidance for his path of life.
The believer also sees himself in God’s light, which brings him to confession of sins. In this psalm we find confession of sins for the first time in this book. At the end, we hear him pray for the whole people; he becomes an intercessor for others.
In You I Trust
For “[a Psalm] of David” (Psalms 25:1a) see at Psalms 3:1.
The occasion for this psalm seems to be the ever-present enemies. It may be that David wrote this psalm when he was fleeing from his son Absalom, a flight resulting from his own sins.
David, with an emphatic “to You”, lifts up his soul, or his whole person, his body included, to the “LORD”, exclusively and only to Him (Psalms 25:1b). His soul is in distress. He speaks to God as “my God” (Psalms 25:2), because he has a personal relationship with Him. Therefore, he also says to Him, “in You I trust”. The word “trust” means “to feel safe”, just as a child feels safe with his father when he is threatened by a dog. David felt safe with God. This is the secret of overcoming difficulties. A God-fearing believer has no other refuge. There is no ‘plan B’ for him. His entire hope is in God alone.
David here speaks of (1) “my God”, of (2) “me”, and of (3) “my enemies”. The enemies drove him out to God, to seek refuge with Him. He begs his God not to let him be ashamed of his trust in Him. The consequence would be that his enemies would leap for joy about him, as if his trust in God was something only from his lips. Surely God will not let that happen, will He? In addition, as king he is the representative of God’s people. If he is ashamed, it takes away the complete basis of trust of God’s people.
He reminds himself that all who wait for God will not be ashamed (Psalms 25:3). He is sure of this, which we see by the strong “indeed”. This does not make praying redundant, but rather drives to it. He expects the help and outcome of Him with Whom he lives in fellowship. This verse is quoted in Romans 9 (Romans 9:33), where it appears that “wait for” here means “believe”, as opposed to ’good works’.
He also knows who will be ashamed, namely those “who deal treacherously without cause”. These are people who love iniquity. He is not one of them. He acts in faithfulness toward God, Who has appointed him king over His people. The fact that it is said “deal treacherously without cause” of course does not mean that there could be a reason to deal treacherously. This saying underlines the infamy of treachery. That there is talk of dealing treacherously also means that in this psalm David’s enemies must be sought among his own people and not among the nations.
Psalms 57:10
Introduction
In Psalms 22-24 we have seen the revelation of the Savior. In Psalms 25-39 we see the experience of the believer’s exercise in response to this revelation. This emphasizes that the sequence of Psalms is also inspired and has much to say to us.
The sense of grace is still weak, but it is growing. To that end, this psalm also begins with confession of sin (Psalms 25:7; 11; 18). As a result, the psalmist can receive the teaching of grace (Psalms 25:8-9). A person who wants to, whether he is a Christian or belongs to the faithful remnant of Israel, must begin by trusting God (Psalms 25:1-2) and being open to His teaching (Psalms 25:4-5).
The LORD can only teach the meek – these are the humble, the broken-hearted, those who tremble at God’s Word (Psalms 25:9; cf. Matthew 5:5; Isaiah 66:2). Prophetically, this is the growing sense of grace among the remnant of Israel in the end time.
We hear in this psalm a believer speaking who has in his heart a deep awareness of Who the LORD is. The thought of Him dominates everything with him. In Him he trusts with regard to his enemies. He does not cry out to God to judge them. He speaks but little of them. What he mainly asks is guidance for his path of life.
The believer also sees himself in God’s light, which brings him to confession of sins. In this psalm we find confession of sins for the first time in this book. At the end, we hear him pray for the whole people; he becomes an intercessor for others.
In You I Trust
For “[a Psalm] of David” (Psalms 25:1a) see at Psalms 3:1.
The occasion for this psalm seems to be the ever-present enemies. It may be that David wrote this psalm when he was fleeing from his son Absalom, a flight resulting from his own sins.
David, with an emphatic “to You”, lifts up his soul, or his whole person, his body included, to the “LORD”, exclusively and only to Him (Psalms 25:1b). His soul is in distress. He speaks to God as “my God” (Psalms 25:2), because he has a personal relationship with Him. Therefore, he also says to Him, “in You I trust”. The word “trust” means “to feel safe”, just as a child feels safe with his father when he is threatened by a dog. David felt safe with God. This is the secret of overcoming difficulties. A God-fearing believer has no other refuge. There is no ‘plan B’ for him. His entire hope is in God alone.
David here speaks of (1) “my God”, of (2) “me”, and of (3) “my enemies”. The enemies drove him out to God, to seek refuge with Him. He begs his God not to let him be ashamed of his trust in Him. The consequence would be that his enemies would leap for joy about him, as if his trust in God was something only from his lips. Surely God will not let that happen, will He? In addition, as king he is the representative of God’s people. If he is ashamed, it takes away the complete basis of trust of God’s people.
He reminds himself that all who wait for God will not be ashamed (Psalms 25:3). He is sure of this, which we see by the strong “indeed”. This does not make praying redundant, but rather drives to it. He expects the help and outcome of Him with Whom he lives in fellowship. This verse is quoted in Romans 9 (Romans 9:33), where it appears that “wait for” here means “believe”, as opposed to ’good works’.
He also knows who will be ashamed, namely those “who deal treacherously without cause”. These are people who love iniquity. He is not one of them. He acts in faithfulness toward God, Who has appointed him king over His people. The fact that it is said “deal treacherously without cause” of course does not mean that there could be a reason to deal treacherously. This saying underlines the infamy of treachery. That there is talk of dealing treacherously also means that in this psalm David’s enemies must be sought among his own people and not among the nations.
Psalms 57:11
Prayer for Guidance
David is in the presence of God. He has prayed with regard to his enemies. But there is a greater danger than being overcome by his enemies. That danger is that he himself will wander away from the ways of God. If the LORD does not guide him, he will become like his enemies and also act treacherously. He does not want that. Therefore, he asks the LORD to make him know His ways (Psalms 25:4). He wants to learn the lessons that the LORD wants to teach him through the difficulties.
He is not asking for the good or best way, but for “Your ways”, which are the ways of the LORD. They are the ways the LORD has chosen for him in which the LORD Himself walks and in which He causes the righteous to walk (cf. Ephesians 2:10). In doing so, he surrenders his life to the loving care of God. Then he asks God to teach him His paths. By this he means that God teaches him how to walk His paths, how to behave in them, so that his life is to the glory of God.
To that connects his next question to God to lead him in His truth and teach him (Psalms 25:5). Leading in the truth can be compared to a shepherd leading the sheep. The shepherd goes ahead. A person goes in the ways of the Lord only when he walks in them and does so in accordance with the truth of God’s Word. Knowing the ways of the LORD intellectually is not a true knowing if one does not also walk in them. We see David taking the place of a pupil. Every sincere believer will take that place.
In Psalms 25:4-5 we see that David, and with him every God-fearing believer, has an earnest desire to do God’s will. He asks God for “Your ways”, “Your paths”, “Your truth”. The LORD’s “ways” and “paths” do not refer to doctrines or principles, but to the way of life, that it is as He shows them (cf. Psalms 32:8). The “truth” describes how we are to walk in the ways of the Lord (cf. Psalms 26:3).
The God-fearing has this desire because he knows God as the God of his salvation. He knows Him this way because he has come to know Him this way time and again. Every previous salvation he owes to Him. Therefore, even now he waits for Him “all the day”. He looks forward to Him continually, day and night, to His help that will bring relief (cf. Psalms 25:4).
David has prayed in the preceding verses for guidance because of the danger of treachery. He knows that he is liable to do so. This awareness leads him to pray for himself. One who knows his own weakness and sins knows that he is no better than his enemies. But he also knows – and his enemies have no knowledge of this – God’s compassion and lovingkindnesses (Psalms 25:6). He asks God to remember that. God doesn’t need reminding, of course, but we do, and it’s good to show that, as David does here.
Compassion is a feature of God that He shows to someone who is in misery and trouble. He makes the afflicted feel that He is with him in his misery. When we think of lovingkindnesses we may think of God’s love toward His covenant, of the blessings He grants on the basis of His covenant.
It is His mind, which longs to help people in distress. Compassion has more to do with the distress of man. Lovingkindnesses emphasizes more God’s mind. These are not features that God only acquired the moment their expression was requested. They “have been from of old”, for He is eternal, but have become visible to people in distress.
After asking God in Psalms 25:6 to think of some of His features, he asks in Psalms 25:7 for God not to remember the sins of his youth or his transgressions (cf. Psalms 119:9; Job 13:26). Instead, he asks God once again to remember His lovingkindnesses – that is, His covenant faithfulness – and to do so for the sake of His goodness which is a feature of God. The sins of his youth sometimes come to his mind again. The same goes for offenses he committed later in life. He is worried about them at the time he writes this.
Prophetically, by ”youth” is meant the earlier history of the people of God. The “old age” (Psalms 71:9; 18) is the history of the remnant at the end of time, just before the coming of the Lord Jesus.
David’s request to God not to think of the sins of his youth shows that he had no knowledge of the forgiveness of sins on the basis of a once for all accomplished work of Christ on the cross. Nor could he yet, for Christ had yet to come. We, New Testament believers, know that the work has been accomplished and the forgiveness is certain. Although David does not know this forgiveness, he does trust in God’s grace to forgive.
We can learn much from the mind David shows here. Every believer will at times think back with shame on the sins of his youth (cf. Romans 6:21). In youth, in the time when we have little experience of life and the passions are sometimes not controlled, certain sins are easily committed. It is short-sighted if we have forgotten the cleansing of past sins (2 Peter 1:9).
The point is not that we should be burdened with past sins again and again. We may know that they are forgiven if we have confessed them uprightly. Still, we will need to be reminded again and again of what we used to be in order to be thankful for what we have now received in Christ and have become in Him.
David is deeply impressed with his own sinfulness and iniquity, but also with the fact that the LORD is “good and upright” (Psalms 25:8). It brings to mind what John writes about the Lord Jesus in his Gospel, that He is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Now that the goodness of the LORD has been mentioned, David begins to give a testimony about Who God is. From now on, David speaks of the LORD in the third person singular (except for Psalms 25:11). First He is called “good”, and then “upright”. ‘Upright’ means ‘right’, ‘just’. God is never just one or the other. With Him, both features are perfectly in balance. That is, His goodness is never at the expense of right, of His righteousness. “Therefore”, says David, “He instructs sinners on the way”.
He is speaking here in the plural, sinners. We are not talking about people who love sin, but people who, like him, have fallen into sin and repented of it. They have been taught about “the way” to return to Him in order to continue on the way with Him. It is the way of confession, making sin known to Him with repentance. He then forgives and the believer can continue his way with Him, for which He also teaches. God is a God Who gives ‘aftercare’.
Sinners who have come to repentance, either for the first time or have sinned after they have become believers, have become “humble” (Psalms 25:9). They accept humiliation without resistance. They have learned to humble themselves under the powerful hand of God.
To do this, they have come into a mind or humility – they are twice called “humble”, which underscores that mind – in which God can lead them “in justice”. To lead in justice means that God determines how they are to walk. He is the Judge and His law is the only law that matters. Because they have the right mind, He can teach them His way.
In Psalms 25:4 it is about “Your ways”, which are the ways of God. In Psalms 25:8 it is about “the way”, that is the way of restoring the sinner to fellowship with God. When that fellowship is restored, it is again possible to speak, as here in Psalms 25:9, of “His way”, that is, the way of God.
Once again, in Psalms 25:10, the “paths of the LORD” are spoken of. This time it is said in general terms. It refers to “all” the paths. It is all the paths that He Himself treads to lead each of His own. He does this through His “lovingkindness and truth”. In His lovingkindness He brings them back when they have gone astray and in His truth He fulfills the promises He has made toward them.
Here again, lovingkindness is the covenant love of God. The paths of the LORD are characterized by His covenant love and His faithfulness toward those who keep His covenant and His commandments. Thus, it is about the LORD’s faithfulness toward His covenant and man’s obedience toward the commandments of His covenant.
All who “keep His covenant and His testimonies” follow Him on that path. They appreciate His covenant that He has made with them and observe its conditions. These conditions are the testimonies or commandments. They show that they are the true people of God by adhering to what He has said. In doing so, they show that they believe in its truth. In this way He guides them safely through the world of dangers toward His final goal.