Topic: The Rock (Psalm 18)
Some commentators indicate that this Psalm was one of the last ones that David wrote.
Psalm 18 is David reflecting on his life filled with ups and downs and yet through it all God never left him. This Psalm remembers specifically how God was the source of strength. These 50 verses are an outpouring of David’s praise to God for what He has done for him. Just as God was David’s rock of salvation (46), God is also your rock in which to build upon.
David tells of his love for his Lord. (Psalm 18:1-3)
In verses 1-3, you almost get the sense of David’s overwhelming joy as he bursts out into song. He starts off saying those three precious words "I Love You." It is good for us to say the words, "I love You" to the Lord. David goes on to call the Lord: "my Strength, my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Refuge, my Shield, the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold."
David tells of his deliverance provided by the Lord. (Ps 18:4-19)
David describes with picturesque language how God provided deliverance. It is important to note, that in the examples that David cites, he doesn’t indicate that he never had difficult times. On the contrary, he says: "the cords of death entangled me," "the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me," and “the snares of death confronted me.” Obviously the situation was grim but David indicates that he "called to the Lord for help" (vs. 6) and his cry for help did not go unheeded. God heard his cry and God came.
David tells of the faithfulness of God to his people. (Ps 18:20-29)
David is overwhelmed with the faithfulness of God. Verse 29 says, "with Your help, I can advance against a troop; with my God, I can scale a wall." This is David’s way of saying that when the difficulties seemed insurmountable with God, he could run through a whole troop or he could leap over tall walls. The faithfulness of God is not just for David, but it is also for all who place their faith in God (vs. 25).
David tells of God’s power behind all his achievements. (Psalm 18:30-45)
David’s list of accomplishments are pretty incredible. First Samuel 17:34-36 tells us David fought off lions and bears while shepherding a flock of sheep. David is well known for defeating Goliath with a sling and stones as well as defeating nations much larger. I’m sure it would be easy to get a little arrogant, but David acknowledges that it all comes from God.
David lifts his voice in praise to the Lord. (Psalm 18: 46-50)
David never takes personal credit. He says, "I will praise You among the nations,” “I will sing praises to your name.” It is certainly appropriate to lift his voice and sing praises to the One who has made all this possible.
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem