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THE LION AND THE LORD (Psalm 57)

As we come to Psalm 57, David is being chased like an animal, hiding from Saul under rocks in the mountains and in caves.

But the picture we get from these verses is not an animal being chased, but rather his enemy as the animal in pursuit. He used the symbol of a lion to portray his adversary.

Verses 1-4: “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.”

David was being chased by someone who wanted to consume him. Does that sound vaguely familiar? Throughout scripture, lions are used to depict the enemy, and many biblical characters faced them. Samson, for example, squared off against a lion and God gave him victory (Judges 14:5-6). David faced a lion and a bear, defeating both (1 Samuel 17:34-36). Daniel was placed in a den of lions and came out unscathed, learning that God would meet him even under the most dire circumstances (Daniel 6).

The Lord Jesus faced His own lions. In Psalm 22, one of the messianic psalms, we read: “They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion” (verse 13). It is a picture of what Christ faced at Calvary.

All of us will face our lions. The Bible says in I Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Satan himself is pictured in the Bible as a lion. He wants to consume and destroy. There are times when all of us feel as though we will be his prey, casualties in this spiritual war.

But let me encourage you. Read again this portion of verse 1: “… in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” This is a portrait of God as a mother hen or a great eagle bringing us under the protection of His wings. Also, it is a reminder to us that every calamity has a time limit ordained by God. Whatever you are going through right now is not permanent; it will pass.

Verse 2 refers to “God that performeth all things for me.” Aren’t you glad that when you are weak and weary, or even wounded, it is not about you performance but God’s? He is the One who gets it done. It is not about how good you feel today or what you think you can accomplish; it is about who God is and what God can do.

The description in verse 4 is of a lion “whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” This is a picture of the enemy lashing out with words that may include criticism, gossip or false accusations. Whatever is being used as a weapon against you, God will deal with it. He will take care of the lions.

In verses 5-11, David shifted his attention from the lion to the Lord.

“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.”

If you live your whole life looking at earth, you will be a very defeated person. But if you can get your eyes above what is going on down here and see the God of Heaven, you will be helped. I love that the opening verse shows God with wings and the closing verse places Him in the heavens.

David learned that the victory did not come from concentrating on the lions; it came from concentrating on the Lord.

But there is another Lion in Scripture. The Bible says in Revelation 5:5, “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”

In the Bible we have the lion that is the enemy, and the Lion who is the victor. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. Aren’t you glad you know the victor? You may have enemies, but “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4).

David described three things in this psalm that we can apply to our own lives.

1. Set your heart and devotion on God every day. This is evident in verse 7: “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” If you don’t want to live in fear and despair, set aside some time every day to fix your heart and emotions on the Lord.

2. Work on your daily discipline of praise every day. Verse 8: “Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.” Get up a little bit earlier and spend time in private worship and praise. It will do your heart good all through the day.

3. Give attention to your witness every day. Verse 9: “I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.” David remembered that it was not just about the battle he was in. A greater spiritual conflict was going on, and he wanted all the people to know that his God is a God of mercy and truth.

Let me challenge you today to do these three things, no matter what kind of battle you might be in. You will find that your Lion is the victor, and He is greater than all other lions who come against you.