SERMON TITLE: Elohim Elyon: God Most High
TEXT: Psalm 57 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Robert Tansill
DATE: 9-3-23
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Good morning, Gateway Church! I am Robert Tansill, the Pastor of Care and Counseling. And, as always, it is a pleasure and joy to worship with you both here at Country Road 9 Campus and with those joining us at North Main Campus and online. This morning, we will be looking at Psalm 57 and ask the question, “What does the name ‘God Most High’ mean, and why should this title for God encourage us in whatever trials or struggles we are going through in the present?
The Hebrew words, “Elohim Elyon”, which means “God Most High,” refers to the powerful and exalted name for Yahweh, the Hebrew God of the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Psalms. This name is used to address the supreme authority and majesty of the one true and living God. The term "God" is familiar to most people, representing the all-knowing, all-powerful creator and ruler of the universe. But in Psalm 57, God is referred to as "Most High," which emphasizes his elevated and supreme position above all other beings and things. There is no Being greater than “Elohim Elyon.”
But why is the title “God Most High” being used? What is the context? It's not because life is going so great for the author that he is overwhelmed with God’s goodness and kindness to him. And it's not because he’s pondering the purpose of life and finally realizes it is all about God. Truth be told, the reason the author uses this phrase is because he is facing death, and all he has left is God. In 1 Samuel 22, which is the background for which this Psalm was written, David is running from King Saul, who is trying to kill him out of jealousy for David’s growing popularity in Israel. As David reflects on his time sitting in a cave trying to catch his breath and waiting for Saul to finally catch him and end his life, he writes this Psalm. And at the heart of these words, we see the only one David can place his hope in and the only one who could rescue him from certain death, Elohim Elyon, God Most High.
Listen to David’s words in Psalm 57:1-11 as he is on the brink of death.
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! 4 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! 6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! (Psalm 57:1-11 ESV)
As we listen to these words, the first question that we have to ask ourselves is, “What or who claims the most exalted position in my life at this moment? What takes top priority? What is the number one thing that I am living for above anything else?” If you were honest, you might say things like, your job. Your kids. Your retirement portfolio. All the “stuff” you have amassed in your life that defines who you are. Or something like that. If that is your answer, what does that tell you about how you view God?
I think that author and theologian, David Wells, is right when he says, “We have turned to a God that we can use rather than a God we must obey; we have turned to a God who will fulfill our needs rather than to a God before whom we must surrender our rights to ourselves. He is a God for us and for our satisfaction, and we have come to assume that it must be so in the church as well. And so we transform the God of mercy into a God who is at our mercy. We imagine that He is benign, that He will acquiesce as we toy with His reality and co-opt Him in the promotion of our ventures and careers.” (David F. Wells, God in the Wasteland, Eerdmans,1994, p. 114.)
Oftentimes, when I am counseling someone who has their priorities out of whack, I’ll ask the question, “If God took everything away from you, and all you had left was him, would that be enough.” And the typical response is “crickets.” Silence. Why? Because none of us wants to think about the possibility of that actually happening to us. And we certainly don’t want to have to face the truth that our answer to that question would probably be “No.” But as David sits in a cave with nothing other than the thought that his life could be extinguished at any moment, why would “Elohim Elyon” be the top priority in his life? In Psalm 57, we see three reasons. And the first is that…
Look at how David begins Psalm 57, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me…” I don’t know if you have ever heard the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,“ but it’s true. So often, as we go about our lives, we don’t give God a second thought. But then something tragic happens, and his name is the first thing on our lips. And this is what David does as well. He calls out for God to be merciful to him. Or, better yet, to show him grace. That’s what the Hebrew word means, “to grant a favor, or be gracious toward.” (Edwin Yamauchi, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament)
Folks, can I say something that I believe is true but may not sit well with us? God doesn’t owe us anything. Anything he chooses to do for us, or any favor he extends to us, is purely by grace and a result of his mercy. I say this because so often, as believers, we feel entitled to things, as if God owes us something. I hear it all the time, “Why would God allow me to get cancer? Why would God allow my marriage to fall apart? Why would God take away my job?” And so on. And to all those questions, I say, “I don’t know why. But what are you going to do now that he has?” That’s the key question!
For David, as he’s facing the prospect of death, rather than stopping to ask why, he runs straight to God and asks for his grace. Why does he do that? The text says, “for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” For David, the only hope that he has is in God. But notice something that we often miss. He’s not asking God to do something for him. David is asking for God himself to be with him. God really is all David has, and God is all he needs. God is the one David runs to for protection and the one who will guard his soul until the trouble has passed. Literally, until the “disaster or calamity” has passed over him. Again, notice that God doesn’t eliminate the calamity but protects David in the midst of it. That’s key!
In a culture that worships numerous “gods,” David makes clear the God he is relying on. In fact, the word David uses for God in Hebrew is “Elohim” (Psalm 57:1–3, 5, 7, 11), which at times is shortened to “El,” and which can mean god, judge, or ruler. It’s not a word that sets God apart from other gods because it is simply a generic Hebrew name for God. So, how does David set Elohim apart from all the other gods? Look at verse 2. He says, “I cry out to God Most High...” To set Elohim apart from all the other gods, David uses the Hebrew words, “Elohim Elyon'' which means "God Most High." Why is this important?
Because it represents God as a divine being that is set apart from all other (false) gods, signifying his unmatched power and exalted status. David is expressing his trust, reverence, and reliance on Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, as the highest and most sovereign in all of creation. “God Most High” expresses the belief that the Hebrew God possesses unmatched wisdom, strength, and authority, which brings comfort and assurance to David in times of trouble and uncertainty. And it serves as a reminder of the unwavering faith and confidence David has in God's protection, guidance, and ultimate control over all aspects of life. Let me say that again, “It serves as a reminder of the unwavering faith and confidence David has in God's protection, guidance, and ULTIMATE CONTROL over ALL ASPECTS of LIFE.”
But why is David instinctively turning to God in his time of trouble? Look at verse 2 again, where it says, “to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” This is really an interesting phrase. In Hebrew, it literally says, “to God complete above.” And if you compare different translations, you will find three possible interpretations, “to God who fulfills his purpose for me” (ESV, NLT), “to God who vindicates me” (NET, NIV11), and “to God who holds me together” (Message). Which one is right? They all are! God is going to vindicate David by holding him together in the midst of the calamity as he fulfills his ultimate purpose for David's life. How encouraging is that? If you are a Christian, you serve God Most High, who has a purpose for your life and is going to see it to completion no matter what (cf., Philippians 1:6). There’s a new thought! Why?
As verse 3 says, “He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!” One of the reasons David cries out to Elohim Elyon is because he knows that God is loving and faithful to those who trust him and that he will act. In fact, the Hebrew word for “faithful” has at its root “truth,” which is why David can say that God “will put to shame him who tramples on me.” Remember, Saul isn’t trying to kill David because he’s done something wrong. He’s going after David because he’s jealous of him. That’s the truth! The reason why David can ask God for mercy (v. 1) and be confident that his enemy will be put to shame (v. 3) is that he knows that God is faithful to the truth and is faithful to him as well. Do we have that kind of confidence in God?
But there is another reason for David’s confidence that we see in verses 4-6, and we can sum it up this way…
Listen to how David describes his situation in verse 4, “My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.” There is a lot going on here. I don’t know if you can tell it or not, but this is a really bleak situation. David compares Saul and his men, who are trying to kill him, to lions (which is bad enough!). But what most translations choose not to translate that the ESV catches is the phrase “fiery beasts.” Most other translations simply use the word “devour” (NASB20, NET, NLT). However, the actual wording in Hebrew pictures men who symbolize fire-breathing lions that will completely devour and obliterate their prey. (W. Hall Harris, eds. The NET Bible Notes. 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019)
In David’s mind, when Saul and his men are done with him, there will be nothing left. David doesn’t stand a chance against these guys. How would you feel in a situation like this? Alone? Overwhelmed with anxiety? Hopeless? An even bigger question is, “How would you respond to God in a moment like this?” Would you be angry at him? Would you feel completely abandoned by him? Would you question his love and faithfulness? Would you cease to trust him?
How does David respond to God Most High in light of his situation? He praises him! Look at what he says in verse 5, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” Why does he say that? I believe it's because he understands that, as the Westminster Confession of Faith says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God,” and not the other way around. For David, his greatest desire is to see God glorified, not just for himself, but he wants the whole world to see it. With the thousands of gods that make up the culture of the surrounding nations, David wants God Most High to be seen for who is truly is, the one truly living God. There is no other.
David doesn’t praise God for what he will do for David. He praises God for being God, Elohim Elyon, whether he does something for David or not. David even says in verse 6, “They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down.” By saying, “my soul was bowed down,” what he is actually saying is he was discouraged (NET) and weary from distress (NLT). But as he looks forward, keeping in mind that he serves Elohim Elyon, who has ultimate control over all aspects of life, what does he see? A God who is glorified as he vindicates his people. This is why he says in the second half of verse 6, “They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah”
Listen to how one person describes what is going on, “In such a setting (as David’s weariness and imminent death), God's exaltation over all the earth will complete his ultimate purposes for the world - and thus the momentary troubles of a fearful individual are given a place in God's big scheme for the creation. He protects his faithful in order to give them a role in contributing to the progress of this great story.” (C. John Collins, Psalms; ESV Expository Commentary, Crossway; Wheaton, Ill.)
What great story is he talking about? The story of redemption that God is writing. What David went through when he wrote this Psalm and what you may be going through right now is part of the larger story of redemption that God is writing for our good and, ultimately, for his glory. Once again, let me say it clearly. It’s not all about you. It's all about Elohim Elyon, God Most High. Folks, we aren’t here this morning just to put a checkmark in the box that we went to worship. Hopefully, we are here because we know, like David, that our only hope is in Elohim Elyon and that he alone is worthy of our worship and praise as the sovereign ruler over all of creation. That is who God really is.
But there’s one last thing David wants us to see about Elohim Elyon, and we’ll sum up like this….
As we have already said, David, from all outward appearances, is going to die. He doesn’t know what the outcome is going to be, but he does know the only one who can help him and even goes as far as celebrating ahead of time the vindication that he is hopefully about to experience. And all of this leads him to do the only thing that he knows to do. Worship God. He knows that Elohim Elyon is the one true and living God. He also knows that God has a purpose for David’s life which he will carry out until it is complete, for David’s good and God’s glory. And he knows that God loves him and is faithful to him no matter what.
And it is these truths about God that fuel David’s resolve to praise him in the midst of the troubling situation in which he finds himself. Look at what he says in verses 7-9, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.” Folks, I want you to notice two really important things in these words. First, David says, “My heart is steadfast.” Why does he say that? Because he knows that he has to deal with how his heart is feeling, which in Hebrew represents the center of emotions. As we saw earlier in verse 6, David’s heart is feeling discouraged and weary from distress. That is how he is FEELING. And it is good and right to acknowledge those feelings. But oftentimes how we feel is different from what is true. David feels overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, and terrified that his life is about to end. And he has every right to feel that way because that’s how things appear to him.
And that leads us to the second thing we need to notice, which is that, in spite of what he feels, David chooses to cling to what he knows to be true. What is the truth? The truth is that he personally knows the God of creation, Elohim Elyon. And for that reason, he can run to him for protection (v. 1). He also knows that God has a purpose for his life which can not be thwarted (v. 2) and that God is faithful and loves him (v. 3). And he knows that all of creation is subject to Elohim Elyon and will answer to him alone (Psalm 33:6-9; 89:11; 104:24-30; Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Knowing that all this to be true, he resolves in his heart to be steadfast, to give thanks, and to praise God for who he is.
Twice in verse 7, David says, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!” What is he really saying? “God, in spite of what I am feeling, my heart knows what is true about you, and therefore it is established, firm, stable, secure, and ready to endure anything to accomplish your purpose for my life.” That is what it means to have a steadfast heart. I love how the translation called the Message puts this, “I’m ready, God, so ready, ready from head to toe.” What is he ready to do?
Give God thanks and praise in the midst of his circumstances! He says, “I will sing and make melody! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.” David makes the choice to override (but not ignore!) his feelings with the truth of who he knows God to be, leading to thanks and praise for who God is as “God Most High” and for what he is going to do.
That is so hard to do at times! I struggle to do that myself. Sometimes life feels so overwhelming that it is hard to remember the truth. Right?! And sometimes, even though we know the truth and would even say we believe it, at times it still doesn’t matter. We still feel overwhelmed, anxious, and distressed. So, why is David able to do it?
Look at verse 10. He says, “For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.” The reason David chooses to worship God is because he trusts him. But it's not a blind trust. It’s trust based on God’s unfailing love and faithfulness that he has already experienced firsthand in the past. These are the same two words that David used in verse 3 when he says, “God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!” Notice that David doesn’t say, “God will send out his army of angels on chariots with swords glistening, ready to do battle on my behalf and rip my enemies limb from limb.” For David, what really matters above all else is God’s unfailing, loyal love and his faithful, reliable trustworthiness to him. And these two things alone make Elohim Elyon worthy of our trust. It is not about what he does for us that makes him worthy of our worship. It is who he is that makes him worthy.
Without meaning to sound insensitive, if I were to be completely honest, the times where I have seen this most clearly is when I’m sitting in the presence of a Christian who is moments away from standing in the presence of the Lord. There have been so many times when I have been called to a home or a hospital room because a loved one is within hours or even minutes of passing away. And, most of the time, what matters to them in those moments is not the temporal things of life but their relationship with their Lord and the hope that they will see those close to them in heaven.
I saw this firsthand the day before Father’s Day. A friend of mine had been battling cancer for many, many months, clinging to the steadfast love and faithfulness of God the whole time. Yes, there were moments when the feelings would be hard to hold back, but he constantly made the choice not to allow those feelings to take over. But on this night, hours away from meeting Elohim Elyon face-to-face, surrounded by his wife, kids, and extended family at his home, I walked into his living room where worship music playing in the background and was greeted with the peaceful, calm, raspy whisper of my friend as he rested in his recliner. We chatted a little bit, and he even cracked a few jokes. Then he asked me to read something from Scripture, so I read Psalm 23 from the New Living Translation, which begins, “The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” I followed that up with Romans 10:9, which says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
When I had finished reading the Romans passage, he began asking each person in the room, beginning with his wife and kids, if they confessed with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believed in their hearts that God raised him from the dead because he wanted to make sure that he was going to see them again one day. Again and again, the answer came back, “Yes!” After talking with him a little longer, telling him I loved him, to which he responded back with, “I love you too,” I left, confident that he was in the loving and faithful hands of Elohim Elyon. The next morning, I received a phone call that he had finally arrived home safe and sound.
In the final verse of our passage, David concludes this Psalm with these words, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” For both David and my friend, this was their heart’s cry above everything else. Understanding that Elohim Elyon is loving and faithful even in the midst of the “storms of destruction,” they continued to give him thanks and praise. And that is the way it should be for all of us who call ourselves Christians.
In Luke 1:31-33, we see Elohim Elyon is still alive and well in the pages of the New Testament. Announcing the arrival of God in the flesh to Mary, the mother of Jesus, we read these words, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Though David was never able to put flesh and bones on Elohim Elyon, my friend was able to. And so are we. And this is why Romans 10:9 is so important. In Jesus, Elohim Elyon is manifested to us in the flesh. The same faithfulness and unconditional love that we saw in Psalm 57 still remain today. Nothing has changed except that the love and faithfulness in Psalm 57 now have a face, the face of Jesus. He is the one we look to as the “storms of destruction” pass by us (John 16:33). He’s the one we run to for mercy (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 18:33; 20:30-31). He’s the one God sent from heaven to save us (Luke 19:10; John 12:47). And he’s the one who will put to shame those who trample on us (Mark 12:36).
For both David and my friend, the reality of God’s glory is on full display. For you and I, it is yet to be seen in its fullness even though we have an idea of what it looks like in Jesus (John 1:14). So, until that day when we see God face to face and as we continue to live presently in a world full of false gods, let's resolve, as one person has suggested, not to be, “merely believers in God, but worshipers of God—not people simply willing to mentally assent to the reality of the supreme being, willing perhaps to accommodate acknowledgment of him into their weekly schedule, willing to nod at him on social media as a missing ‘value’ in society, but people willing to offer their whole hearts to the reality of the glory of the one true God (Elohim Elyon), willing to surrender their days—their very lives—to him, willing to reorient their very existence around the One in whom we live and move and have our being.” (Jared C. Wilson, “We Need a Church Besotted with the Glory of God.”; the Gospel Coalition, August 1, 2019)
Let's pray together.
Father, we have so much for which to be thankful to you. And you alone are worthy of our worship. By the power of your Spirit in our lives, help us to seek you above all else in everything we do. Teach us how to not give in to our feelings when the “storms of destruction” are approaching but to run to you for mercy and protection fueled by the trust we have in your steadfast love and faithfulness to your people. Whatever circumstances we face in this life, may we never forget that You have called us for a specific purpose which will result in our good and your glory. And, through it all, may our lives reflect on a regular basis David’s final words to this Psalm, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” For to you, and you alone, belongs all the glory. Amen.
“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” (Jude 24-25)
Brothers and sisters, you are sent!
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