Fight Of Flight?

FIGHT OR FLIGHT? (PSALM 57)

This psalm has a title: “To the chief Musician, Al-tas'-chith, Mich'-tam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.”

What does the word "flee" mean?

Cambridge Dictionary: 1. to escape by running away, especially because of danger or fear.

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries: to leave a person or place very quickly, especially because you are afraid of possible danger.

Here are some sentences with the verb “flee” from the Internet:

1. Follow love and it will flee, flee love and it will follow thee.

2. To flee vice is the beginning of virtue.

3. It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.

4. War, famine and oppression have forced people in the region to flee from their homes. https://sentencedict.com/flee.html

No one in the Bible is more associated with the verb “flee” than David in the Bible (eight times - 1 Sam 19:12, 18, 20:1, 21:10, 22:17, 27:4, 2 Sam 15:14, 19:9). Moreover, twice in the Psalms mentioned David “fled” - one fleeing his son Absalom (Psalm 3:1) and this psalm running from his father-in-law Saul (Psalm 57).

If you ever have to flee from foes, what do you need? How do you face your fears and frustrations? Why is our focus on God and not man or things?

Plead to God for Mercy

For the director of music. [To the tune of] "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [his purpose] for me. 3 He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah

Here are some quotes on “calamities” (“disasters” in NIV) from the Internet:

“Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind.” Aristotle

“When any calamity has been suffered, the first thing to be remembered is, how much has been escaped.” Samuel Johnson

“The calamity that comes is never the one we had prepared ourselves for.” Mark Twain

“Often it takes some calamity to make us live in the present. Then we suddenly wake up and see all the mistakes we have made.” Bill Watterson

“It is not every calamity that is a curse, and early adversity is often a blessing.

Surmounted difficulties not only teach, but hearten us in our future struggles.” James Sharp

“There’s no disaster that can’t become a blessing, and no blessing that can’t become a disaster.” Richard Bach

More than one third (55) of 150 psalms were dedicated to the Chief Musician (For the director of music “NIV”), but Psalm 57 is the first of three with the introduction: “David’s poem: Thou shall not destroy.” On top of this, this is the only setting where David “fled from Saul” in the Psalms.

While the title mentioned Saul, David never disclosed a name in the psalm itself to make it applicable to all sufferers. Instead he called his situation “disasters” or “calamities” (v 1 KJV), plural and not singular (NIV). Ironically, plural means more than one person, including Saul’s advisers and army. You might as well include the mischief, misfortune and madness. This word “disaster” did not appear in the Bible until the long-suffering Job uttered the first of three times it appeared in the Bible (Job 6:2, 30, 30:13).

David’s focus, however, is on his relationship with God. The imperative “Have mercy” or “be merciful” (“chanan”) occurs only in the Psalms, as many as 18 times, but only five of the 18 pleas occur as soon as verse 1 of the psalm, and Psalm 17 is the only time the heartbreaking cry (have mercy) is repeated twice in the beginning. “Have mercy” means to have sympathy, make supplication and provide support. It is asking God to be your help, haven, hideout, harbor and helmsman. Mercy occurs a record-breaking 127 times in the psalms, more than goodness (69 times), glory (51 times) and holy (45 times).

A reason (“ki”) is attached – “for in you my soul takes refuge.” (v 1) Like the verb “have mercy,” “take refuge” is repeated too in verse 1. Take refuge is to run, race and rush for safety, solace and support, to escape menace, malice, malevolence, mischief, and maltreatment. Take refuge signals our attitude, approach and acknowledgement, rejecting inaction, indecision and inability.

Wings (v 1) is plural. Wings absorb shock, stress and scrapes.

Google AI says, “Birds use their wings to cushion landings by flapping them in a way that generates both drag and lift, acting as an airbrake and suspension system to decelerate and absorb the force of touchdown.”