Psalm 57 (56):6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What have they done to You, O Lord? Let the Prophet rejoice in this moment! For the Lord spoke through the Prophet: indeed, it is the Prophet, yet it is the Lord Himself who speaks through him. He declares, "Ascend, O God, above the heavens." The one who hung on the Cross is also God exalted above all. Let them continue their violent acts on earth; You remain in Heaven as the righteous Judge. Where are those who rage against You? Where are their teeth, their hands, and their weapons? Have their blows not become mere arrows of infants? In another passage, the Psalmist affirms that their fierce battles are in vain and that their madness accomplishes nothing against Christ. They crucified Him before time, and in His resurrection, He was seated in Heaven.

In order to secure our salvation, You willingly descended to the depths of suffering and demonstrated perfect obedience, even unto death. Yet, You rose once more and ascended into heaven, for upon Your return, You will encompass the entire earth with Your glory.

We ought to continually offer our praises to You, for although You seem to reside in the heavens, Your glory encompasses the entire earth. The blessed Habakkuk also proclaimed, 'His glory shall cover the heavens, and the earth shall be filled with His praises' (Hab. 3:3). However, it is declared, 'Thou shalt be exalted,' rather than 'Thou shalt reveal to all nations Thy majesty.'

Reveal Yourself, Lord, exalted and divine, to those who do not recognize You, as Theodoret notes. Allow Your majesty to resonate throughout the earth through the miracles You perform. Athanasius and others interpret this as referring to Christ, who, after fulfilling the mystery of the Incarnation, ascended back to the heavens from which He came, and His glory spread throughout the earth via the proclamation of the Gospel. Another voice, possibly Cyril, suggests that when he says “ascend,” it should not be understood as a plea for God to reach a greater height, for He lacks no glory; indeed, God possesses the utmost glory. Rather, this signifies the way in which the holy angels are honored as they exalt Him.

When we hear a just and holy individual calling upon God’s righteousness, seeking retribution, and proclaiming, O God, ascend into heaven, and let your glory fill the earth, we should not be surprised. Consider the brazen defiance of the wicked and their arrogance, as they scorn the forbearance of God and the way He humbles Himself to their malevolence; this sentiment is not without purpose. God, in His justice, must uphold His sacred name and rise to confront the pride of arrogant individuals, who show no less contempt for Him than for the just, who bear false witness against Him. Thus, He cannot and should not endure the shame they cast upon His glory. This is why it is appropriate for the Prophet to request that God make His glory known, so that all may recognize and exalt His righteousness.

After cleverly escaping from the grasp of the Philistines, David sought refuge in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1) to evade Saul. The psalm reflects the emotions and thoughts that overwhelmed David during that period. It appears that some may not reasonably connect this psalm to the time he spent in the cave of Engedi (1 Samuel 24ff.). The expression “May ye not molest—destroy not (al tashkhet)” likely represents the central theme of the psalm: a plea for the preservation of life; it may also be interpreted as “through (the song of) al tashkhet.” The Hebrew version of this psalm poses significant challenges for interpretation; its parallel structure seems more cohesive in the LXX compared to the original Hebrew text.

The phrase "Thou shalt not harm" echoes in a traditional song that begins with these words, suggesting that the psalms of David, which carry this title, should similarly be sung. A more compelling illustration comes from David himself, who, while hiding in a cave from Saul and facing grave danger, beseeches God to prevent him from harming or taking Saul's life. David's moral conscience stayed his hand, guiding him to refrain from violence and ensure that others did not assault Saul either, despite having many opportunities to do so. This principled stance deserves to be commemorated for all time.

On the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord, the prokeimenon proclaims: Ascend into Heaven, O God, and your glory is in all the earth. God's glory is also revealed in the protection of the vulnerable (Isaiah 65:5). The psalmist petitions the Lord to manifest this glory in the heavens and across the earth, rescuing him and others like him from adversaries. Together with the psalmist, we implore our Saviour, who has ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father, to continually defend His Church against those who oppose it and to demonstrate His glorious victory over them from His exalted position.