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Psalm 18
For the director of music. Of David, the servant of the
LORD.
He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him
from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love You, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
3I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From His temple He heard my voice;
my cry came before Him, into His ears.
7The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because He was angry.
8Smoke rose from His nostrils;
consuming fire came from His mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under His feet.
10He mounted the cherubim and flew;
He soared on the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness His covering, His canopy around Him--
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12Out of the brightness of His presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
14He shot His arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
15The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at Your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of breath from Your nostrils.
16He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into a spacious place;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
20The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
22All His laws are before me;
I have not turned away from His decrees.
23I have been blameless before Him
and have kept myself from sin.
24The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25To the faithful You show Yourself faithful,
to the blameless You show Yourself blameless,
26To the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
27You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29With Your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
30As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
31For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
34He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You give me your shield of victory,
and Your right hand sustains me;
You stoop down to make me great.
36You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn over.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39You armed me with strength for battle;
You made my adversaries bow at my feet.
40You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41They cried for help, but there was no-one to save them--
to the Lord, but He did not answer.
42I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I poured them out like mud in the streets.
43You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
You have made me the head of nations;
people I did not know are subject to me.
44As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cringe before me.
45They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
46The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Saviour!
47He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men You rescued me.
49Therefore I will praise You among the nations, O Lord;
I will sing praises to Your name.
50He gives His king great victories;
He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed,
to David and his descendants for ever.
As the inscription notes, this psalm (a psalm which is also found in II Sam. 22) concerns God's deliverance of David (in general) from his enemies, and (specifically) from Saul. Though most of us are not pursued by such a formidable enemy in Saul as David was, we can apply many of David's psalms that concern warfare to our spiritual warfare. For, we indeed are pursued by a formidable enemy, Satan, and his allies. Just as David cried out for deliverance from Saul, so we can cry out for deliverance from our enemy, the devil; just as Saul persecuted David with the goal of prevailing to the death, so does Satan persecute us; just as David's ground in righteousness versus Saul was secure, so ours is versus Satan, and thus we can confidently approach God with righteousness in our battles against Satan.
The psalm can be outlined as follows: to preface, God as our strength (v. 1-3); David's dire situation, explaining his need for deliverance (v. 4-6); God's intervention (v. 7-15); the victory, from a heavenly perspective (v. 16-19); the victory seen as the rewards of righteousness (v. 20-36); the victory from an earthly perspective (v. 37-42); the results of trusting in God's strength (v. 43-45); to conclude, God alive and active in our battles (v. 46-50).
By the way, one more thing to note from the inscription is that David is called "the servant of the LORD." Unlike the kings in other cultures, who considered themselves to be gods, David, the king of Israel, sees Himself rightly to be "the servant of the LORD". We also have the privilege to be "servants of the LORD": "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10). May we all see it as a great honor to be a "servant of the LORD", entrusted by God to do the work He has prepared for us to do.
God, Our Strength
1I love You, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
3I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
To preface his song of deliverance, David enumerates God's protective qualities. He starts with a simple statement of praise, a reflective response to God's many deliverances over the years: "I love You, O LORD, my strength." David's love for God was the foundation for his prayers of deliverance. By the same token, God's deliverance, the love He showed for David, engendered great love on David's part. "As the love of God is the beginning of all our mercies, so love to God should be the end and effect of them all."[Footnote #5] The response to God's protection and blessings in our lives must be deep love for God. The fruit of our love for God should be evident in our lives through our obedience to God. John tells us: "This is love for God: to obey His commands" (I John 5:3).
Note, that it is God Himself whom David loves, not just God's deliverance. He says: "I love You, O LORD". We should love God personally, not just love what He does for us. We must not be spiritual mercenaries: loving God's salvation, but not loving God.
In verse 2, David enumerates three aspects of God's protection: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer." He is a "rock", in that He is unchanging and immovable; He is a "fortress" that we can run into for shelter from our enemies; He is a "deliverer", in that He actively works out our salvation.
David continues: "My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge." David, in his fleeing from Saul, was well aware of the value of rocks and crags and caves for protection. Though David took refuge in the rocks and caves surrounding Jerusalem, ultimately, it was God who was his "rock, in whom [he] took refuge." David could not say enough about God's protection: "He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." When David says "horn", he is speaking not of a musical instrument, but of the horn of a ram or ox (a symbol of strength).
David sums up his confidence in the Lord: "I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies." C. H. Spurgeon sums up this verse succinctly: "Prayer resolved upon; praise rendered; result anticipated."[Footnote #6] At the first sign of trouble, "call to the LORD" in prayer. Also, as a matter of course, render praise to Him who is "worthy of praise". Praise should be the constant companion of prayer. It is easy for us to remember to turn to God in prayer during times of trouble, but we so often forget to turn to Him in praise during times of blessing. Finally, David anticipates the result of his calling to the Lord: "I am saved from my enemies." David states this with confidence, as if to say salvation is certain for those who "call to the LORD". Indeed, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).
The Need for Deliverance
4The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From His temple He heard my voice;
my cry came before Him, into His ears.
David, in this section, describes his dire situation, which shows his need for deliverance from God. Here, as in much of this psalm, David speaks picturesquely, not explicitly. "The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me." We are not given specifics of David's affliction, only an impressionistic description of the situation. The benefit of this is that most of us can identify with David's anxiety, since he describes feelings that we have also experienced. Indeed, before coming to Christ, we also were "entangled" by the "cords of death" and "confronted" by the "snares of death." Paul states: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. . .without hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:1,12). Our deliverance came when we did what David did: "In my distress I called to the LORD."
Notice that David practices what he preached. He said in verse 3: "I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies." Here, in his "distress", David calls to the LORD. No trouble is so great so as to render prayer useless; on the contrary, the greater the "distress", the more necessary the prayer. When David prayed for deliverance, he did so fervently, for he says also: "I cried to my God for help." It is difficult for our loving Father (as any father) to resist the "cries" of His children. Here, David informs us that, indeed, God responded to his prayer: "From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears." This pattern is often demonstrated in the psalms: the enemy attacks; David prays; God hears.
God Intervenes
7The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because He was angry.
8Smoke rose from His nostrils;
consuming fire came from His mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under His feet.
10He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness His covering, His canopy around Him--
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12Out of the brightness of His presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
14He shot His arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
15The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at Your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of breath from Your nostrils.
David here describes God's intervention. Again, as in the previous section, David speaks picturesquely, rather than literally. It is an awe-inspiring passage, which, through its figurative language, gives us a wonderful picture of God's feelings towards those who persecute His people. After reading this passage, we can consider the question: Who was better off? Saul, the powerful king, yet carrying out an ungodly pursuit of David; or David, the afflicted prey of the king, yet the one who was under God's protection.
Certainly, after reading the above verses, one has to realize that it is much better to be afflicted within the will of God, than to live comfortably in disobedience to God. Those who persecute God's people will experience the wrath of God. They will feel "the earth tremble and quake" because of God's anger. They will see "smoke [rise] from His nostrils" and "consuming fire [come] from His mouth". They will hear "the voice of the Most High resound[ing]" as the "Lord thunder[s] from Heaven". Don't mess around with God. He has varied and powerful weapons at His disposal: clouds, wind, hail, fire, lightning, earthquakes, etc. Certainly, "it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb. 10:31).
The Deliverance: Heavenly Perspective
16He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
17He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into a spacious place;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
In this section, David describes his deliverance from a heavenly perspective. This deliverance is a result of God's intervention described in the previous section. David, in this section, describes his deliverance as being entirely the work of God, as God "reached down", "drew [him] out of deep waters", and "rescued [him]...from [his] foes". Later, in verses 37 to 45, David will describe from an earthly perspective literally how the deliverance was carried out, but David first focusses on the first cause of his deliverance, the intervention of God. Most would consider their victories as a result of their own skill and prowess, with a little luck thrown in. David, however, gives due credit to the true cause of his victory, as he says: "He...He...He...the LORD...He...He..." David rightly gives the glory to God first, before he describes what actions he himself took to attain the victory.
In preparation for the next section, David states the reason God delivered him: "He rescued me because He delighted in me." It is all important to truly have God on your side in the battle. Also, the fact that God "delight[s]" in His people is a privilege that we should not take for granted. Such a privilege should be a stimulus for all praise and thanksgiving.
The Rewards of Righteousness to David
20The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
22All His laws are before me;
I have not turned away from His decrees.
23I have been blameless before Him
and have kept myself from sin.
24The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
The reason for God's "delight" in David is given here: "The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me." David here is speaking of his own righteousness with respect to this specific situation; David is not speaking of himself as being righteous in all situations (we know from his history that he stumbled many times). So, David is not here speaking of his own righteousness unto ultimate salvation, but just his righteousness to merit deliverance in this specific situation. Certainly, with respect to Saul's pursuing him, David was in the right.
Indeed, righteousness is a great aid to prayer, and a good conscience is indispensible for passing through trials with confidence. To be able to come before our just God on the side of righteousness is to greatly increase the chances of our prayers being answered. Even in his affliction, David could say: "For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God." David did not turn from God to worldly remedies when his situation got difficult. "All His laws are before me; I have not turned away from His decrees." Through his study of God's word, David knew well the law of God, and so could say, "All His laws are before me." This is important. "Backsliders begin with dusty Bibles, and go on to filthy garments."[Footnote #7] Then also, David did not use his affliction as an excuse to disobey the law of God. Many, in times of trouble, begin to compromise their obedience to God. When they are slandered, they seek to slander; when they are unjustly persecuted, they seek to persecute. To compromise obedience to God's law, risks the loss of the protection of God. Why would God protect the unrighteous? It is a great advantage to be able to say, even in affliction, as David could: "I have been blameless before Him and have kept myself from sin."
The result of such righteousness is the protection of God: "The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight." David was not arbitrarily favored by God; rather, he was favored based upon the justice of God.
The Justice of God, in General
25To the faithful You show Yourself faithful,
to the blameless You show Yourself blameless,
26To the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
27You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
In these verses, David speaks of the justice of God (the subject that he just spoke of), but in more general terms. "To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless, to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd." In other words, God is to us what we are to Him. This is in line with one of the fundamental natural and spiritual laws: what you sow, you shall reap. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Gal. 6:7-8).
In addition to the law of sowing and reaping, David mentions the spiritual law of humility: "You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty." God hates pride, and speaks against it many places in the Bible. It is very difficult, near impossible, for a proud man to serve God effectively, because the proud man finds it difficult to submit to anyone or anything but his own will. Pray for humility. It is much better to be humble before God, than to be humbled by God.
David's Preparation for Victory
28You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29With Your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
30As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
31For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
He enables me to stand on the heights.
34He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You give me Your shield of victory,
and Your right hand sustains me;
You stoop down to make me great.
36You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn over.
David now turns to a more earthly perspective upon the whole situation. In this section, he specifically tells how God prepared him for victory. First, David says: "You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." It is easy for us during affliction to get "burnt out". Amidst the heavy trials that David was experiencing, God kept his "lamp burning", giving him the moral and physical strength and resolve to continue battling. We would do well to pray that God would keep our lamps burning in our spiritual war.
The presence of the Lord gave David confidence in the battle: "With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall." David knew that the guidance of God is perfect, that whatever God leads him to do, he should do. Who has tried God's way and found it to fail? "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless." And why not? "For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?" Let us not forget that the Lord is God, the Creator of the universe. How could His guidance not be perfect? Why trust anyone else?
David goes on to describe his physical preparations for battle. "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights." Having the "feet of a deer" made David swift, and also sure-footed, a quality he would need in the rocky and hilly terrain that surrounds Jerusalem. "He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze." Strength and skill in handling weapons are indispensable in battle. "You give me Your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great." David sensed God's shield of protection. War is unpredictable. A stray arrow could end it for David in a moment, but God's shield was protecting David. Some would have called it luck in war; David realized it was God's protection. "You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn over." God blessed David, not only in the battle, but in the marching to the battle ground.
Now, David in pride could have taken credit for each of these qualities. He could have bragged about his swiftness and sure-footedness, his strength and skill in archery, his luck, his good health in marching to the battle; but David chose to give the glory to God, and properly so. Let us not forget that any talent or gift that we have comes from God, for use in service to Him.
The Deliverance: Earthly Perspective
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39You armed me with strength for battle;
You made my adversaries bow at my feet.
40You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41They cried for help, but there was no-one to save them--
to the Lord, but He did not answer.
42I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I poured them out like mud in the streets.
43You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
You have made me the head of nations;
people I did not know are subject to me.
44As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cringe before me.
45They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
In verses 7 through 15, David gave a description of his deliverance from a heavenly perspective, speaking of God's coming down and aiding him in the battle. Here, he tells of the victory from an earthly perspective, relating his own role in the battle. "I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet." Even when describing his own role in the battle, David continues to give the credit to God: "You armed me with strength for battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes."
As is often the case, the ungodly persecuters themselves cried to God when they were faced with affliction: "They cried for help, but there was no-one to save them--to the LORD, but He did not answer." No doubt, their prayer was just as fervent as David's. They "cried", just as David "cried" for help (see vs. 6). However, they were not heard, whereas David was. The difference has already been stated in verses 20 through 24: "The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight" (vs. 24). There is no mystical power in the mere act of praying. Prayer, to be answered, must be based on truth, righteousness and obedience to God, and the object of prayer must conform to the will of God.
The Lord Lives
46The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men You rescued me.
49Therefore I will praise You among the nations, O Lord;
I will sing praises to Your name.
50He gives His king great victories;
He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
David ends the psalm with praise for the salvation of the Lord. Significantly, he begins his praise with: "The LORD lives!" The fact that the "LORD lives" was essential for David's salvation, but it is even more crucial to ours. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead demonstrated that, indeed, "the LORD lives!"; it also secured our hope to a Rock. If Christ can be raised from the dead and live, so can we. We can shout with David: "Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!"
David, in his praise, goes on to enumerate the ways that God has blessed him: "He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me." The visible result of such blessings was seen in David's life. He resolved: "Therefore I will praise You among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to Your name." David ends the psalm summarizing God's unending blessings on His people: "He gives his king great victories; He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants for ever."
Praise You Father for the innumerable blessings that You shower upon Your people. Also, praise You for raising Your Son, our Rock of Salvation, from the dead, so that we can say "the Lord lives". Be glorified in our lives, as You were in David's. Prepare us for our battle, as You prepared David for his. Help us, by Your Spirit, to be on the side of righteousness, so that our prayers for deliverance may be just. We praise You that You are alive and active in our battles, working Your will through them. We pray these things in the Name of Christ, our Savior, Amen.
(Our study in the Psalms will continue in the next issue)
5. Richard Steele, cited in Spurgeon, A Treasury of David, pg. 250.
6. Spurgeon, A Treasury of David, pg. 267.
7. Spurgeon, A Treasury of David, Vol. I; pg. 243.
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