Be Exalted, O God – David

 

David was the anointed, but was in a hazardous circumstance. And yet, he found reason to lift words of praise to Him, a portion of which Ken Young (and others, undoubtedly, with their own versions) has relished in “Be Exalted, O God”. David’s hideout was a cave (perhaps the cave at either Adullam, shown here, or at En Gedi), so the incident was either still ongoing or David’s memory was still fresh, and even repetitive in nature for this fugitive whose life was in danger for an extended period before his enemy was vanquished. So, this shepherd-and-eventual-but-not-yet king was panting out of desperation, and yet feeling for not the first time that his Protector-God was listening. Trust, and a certain belief that He was greater than any earthly foe David faced, was at the root of his poetry. Where else could he turn?

 

⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. ¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. Nothing sums up David’s state of mind on this occasion better than his own words, what we know as the last three verses of Psalm 57. In at least one of the episodes when Saul was so very close to his prey – David -- in the back of a cave, David and his men observed Saul enter the cavern, and their skin must have had goosebumps (1 Samuel 24). Could Saul have been any more vulnerable, his adversaries probably gloated? David thought about it, and indeed did sneak up toward the king. But all he did was cut off a piece of Saul’s robe, apparently as a way to prove to Saul that he’d had the chance to kill him and yet did not. After all, Saul was his father-in-law, and more importantly to David, he was the 1^st king that God had chosen for the nation, although David was anointed to replace him. God Himself would decide when and how Saul would be moved out of David’s path to the throne. After he left the cave, Saul heard David call out to him, and he turned to hear David tell him all about what had happened in the previous few minutes. Showing him the piece of the robe, David appealed to Saul’s conscience, with success as Saul wept openly and repented of his murderous jealousy, at least for a time. David apparently felt Saul’s change of heart was genuine, and agreed to treat Saul’s family and his name with respect, even after Saul’s departure from the earth. It was a pledge that David honored. David was often angst-ridden, especially when it came to Saul’s anger, but he left the matter in God’s hands. The contrast between the king and the next king could not have been any clearer.      

 

David was in so many ways like the rest of us, including this blogger who wears the same name. He felt the hot breath of his enemies, and called out to God in frustration on many occasions. Just read the very next psalm in your bible, Psalm 58, if you think you can stomach hearing what David wanted God to do. There’s no praise of God, just vicious vengeance that David sought. I have to admit, that one resonates a bit truer with my own feelings more often than I’d like to admit. Leaders, as the target of David’s cursing words, are so newsworthy in today’s world that I often have to remind myself that position and power invite attention…it’s not that anyone is trying to taunt me. It’s just news, and I am not obligated to consume every bit of it. And, it isn’t as personal for me – no one is throwing spears at me, really – as it was for the other David who lived some 3,000 years ago. That David had a danger within eyesight and yet could laud God who was in his corner at the same time – that is pretty amazing. Perhaps David had matured, had experienced God’s prevailing influence in his life despite the whirlwind about him enough times to say ‘thank you, you are my great God’, no matter what transpired. I think I have some more growing up in my future….what this other David said once is a good start.  

 

 

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adulam_cave_of_khureitun_1880.jpg... This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. … This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer… {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States….found inside  this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Adullam