Charles Spurgeon: Psalm 57
Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, 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. Psalm 57:1
Verse 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 he should seek mercy from him in whom it dwells.
For my soul trusts in You. 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 believes unto righteousness."
Yes, in the shadow of Your 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.
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