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The first thing that we have
to know about Psalm 18 is that this was written by a young man,
David. He had just been freed from Saul
and Saul's pursuit of his life. He was being acclaimed as the
new leader of Israel, and he was rejoicing and exuberant over
the fact that God had delivered him. But Psalm 18 is also used in
2 Samuel 22 as the closing thoughts of an old man who wanted his testimony to stand
as a beacon and as a directive for generations to come. And as we come to this psalm,
we need to first hear the fresh, exuberant voice of a young David
and the reflective and solemn voice of an older man reflecting
on his life. Let us give attention to God's
Word. I love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge. my shelter and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is
worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords
of death encompassed me. The torrents of ungodliness terrified
me. The cords of shale surrounded
me, the snares of death confronted me. In my distress, I called
upon the Lord and cried to my God for help. He heard my voice
out of his temple, and my cry for help before him came to his
ears. This is an astounding testimony
by a young man who has finally escaped the pursuit of a king
who desired his death. David clearly identifies the
deliverance that he has as a deliverance provided by God. and that it
is his faith and trust in God and God's plan and purposes for
him that in fact has brought about that deliverance. It is
the faith and trust and confidence that he has in God because he
says literally his situation was that of facing death and
death at every turn. It was not just an idea that
he could potentially die, but he was being pursued by Saul
and by the armies of Saul and by many of the allies of Saul. And so, as we
know the history of David fleeing from Saul, we know that death
many times was close. It was intimate. He could taste
it. Even as he was in the cave and cut the
hem of Saul's garment, and declared to Saul, I'm not
your enemy, death was close to him. Death was something he lived
with every day. He uses the imagery of being,
that God is his rock, his fortress, and his deliverer. We know that
David hid out. in the hills and the caves and
the wilderness in order to evade the scrutiny and the discovery
of Saul. He protected his life by using
not only the physical environment, but calling upon God to give
him that protection. And being, I don't know if any
of us have been that close to death. I don't know if any of
us have ever had the breath of death breathing upon us. But it's clear that David has
known that imminent sense of losing his life and his only
solace, his only place to go. was the living God. And God brought
to him deliverance. And David acknowledges, had it
not been for God, my life would have been lost. And I would have
become a victim of the plans and schemes of Saul and his allies. Let's look at verse seven and
following. Then the earth shook and quaked
and the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken
because he, God, was angry. Smoke went up out of his nostrils
and fire from his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and
came down with thick darkness under his feet. He rode upon
a cherub and flew. He sped upon the wings of the
wind. He made darkness his hiding place,
his canopy around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds in the
sky. from the brightness before him
past the thick clouds, hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also
thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire. And he sent out his arrows and
scattered them, and lightning flashes in abundance and routed
them. And then the channels of waters
appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare.
And by thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy
nostrils. David is saying that it wasn't
just little escapes that God gave him. But he came in the full force
and power of nature itself to deliver him. We don't have any
accounts of thunder and hailstorms delivering David. We don't have
any accounts of floods preventing pursuers. But in David's mind,
he is saying that God pulled out every single stop, even riding
on the winds, to separate him from his pursuers. And this is
the powerful image that David has of how God delivered him. And as Psalm 97 also refers to
that burning fire of God and the lightning and the forces
of nature being at God's disposal to deliver his people. Thinking back to the psalm that
I preached on that declared how nature and
God work together as a testimony, as a witness for God, a witness
against us, We see here David saying, all of nature rallied
itself at the behest of God to protect me. I was in the shadow and the darkness
and the sun blotted out my presence so that I could not be found. with storms and torrents to deliver
me. God used everything in his creation
to prevent me from being overcome. It's an amazing picture. Whether, in fact, there were
storms, we haven't been told. Whether, in fact, there were
floods, we haven't been told. But we know that God delivered
David and protected him and kept him from Saul and his allies
to preserve his life in order that he might establish David
as king and build the entirety of his future king on the life
and the legacy of David. And that's why God went after
the enemies of David. Verse 16, he sent from on high
and he took me and he drew me out of many waters. He delivered
me from my strong enemy. and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the
day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth
also into a broad place. He rescued me because he delighted
in me. David's testimony is that God
was on his side, that God's favor rested on him, and because of
that favor, David was loyal to God beyond all comprehension. There was nothing that would
enter his life that could separate him from his dedication to God. And to that end, then, he begins
to tell us that the Lord has rewarded me
according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of
my hands, he has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways
of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all
his ordinances were before me, and I did not put away his statutes
from me. I was also blameless with him. And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore, the Lord has recompensed
me according to my righteousness and according to the cleanness
of my hands in his eyes." Now, young David clearly can write
this. But an old David? who had the blood of Uriah on
his hands, the adultery with Bathsheba, being compromised by his son
Absalom. A lot of commentators have struggled
with this whole confession that it was because of his righteousness
that God came to his defense, to include such commentators
as John Calvin. But what David is saying here,
as a young man, And he can also affirm as an old man was whatever
troubles he had, he never forsook God. He was not so rich and so famous
and so powerful that he didn't come face to face
with God in his life. That it was his righteousness
in attempting to keep the law, in attempting to please God,
that transformed him from just another man to a man chosen by
God and protected by God and blessed by God, it's an amazing
thing. Because when we as believers
come to God, we come as broken sinners and declare that our
only righteousness is Christ. that our only hope is in the
living God, in the sacrifice of Jesus. And yet David is coming boldly
to God and saying, because I never forsook you, because I never
stopped believing that you were there, because my righteousness
reflected your law, including my repentance and penitence for
all of my sins. God, you protected me." And that,
for a believer, is an incredible testimony before the world. that no matter how flawed we
are, no matter how disgraceful some of our actions have been, if God is for you, nothing will
be against you. It's amazing. Again, the testimony of David
beginning at verse 25, with the kindness that thou dost show
thyself kind, with the blameless thou dost show thyself blameless,
with the pure thou dost show thyself pure, and with the crooked
thou dost show thyself astute. For thou dost have an afflicted
people, for thou dost save an afflicted people, but haughty
eyes ye despise. For thou dost light my lamp,
the Lord my God illumines my darkness, for by thee I can run
upon a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. David is saying there isn't anything
I can't do because of God's saving grace
to me. There's no army I can defeat.
There's no critic I cannot silence. There's no plan and scheme against
me that can't be broken. And it is an extraordinary testimony
for a young man to make. that there is nothing that will
ever stop me because of my love for God, because of my faith
in God, because of my adherence to his word. And for an old man, as he reflects
on his life, He can say, there were times when I was almost
overcome, and God and his power brought me through. I thought
that this situation in my life was so horrible and awful and
despicable, but God delivered me. God brought me to himself. wrapped
his arms around me and gave me victory. There are so many people in the
world who look at their situation and say, I have no place to go,
nothing to do, I'm defeated, I can't find a way out. But that
can't be said by any of God's people. Because Jesus tells us that he's prepared a mansion
for his people, that he is the way, the truth,
and the life. And he doesn't reject anyone
who humbly comes to him. Victory is in the blood of Christ
for us. And we can overcome the world. David then goes on to talk about
what God has given him as abilities to overcome his enemies. the enemies of God, and the enemies
of David. As for God, his way is blameless. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a shield to all who take
refuge in him. For who is God but the Lord,
and who is a rock except our God? The God who girds me with
strength and makes my way blameless, he makes my feet like hind's
feet, that is, able to scale any obstruction, and sets me
upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle
so that my arms can bend David isn't saying, I'm great because
I'm great. Because Saul has been defeated,
he's saying the power of God is available to every single
believer in him. And just as God has brought me
from dark places facing death, he has in fact set me on a high
place and given me that freedom. He has brought to me the riches
of his glory, and thy gentleness makes me great." David says, it's all God. I haven't done anything. He's
the one. that has come in the storm and
the fire and given me victory. Verse 37, I pursued my enemies
and overtook them. I did not turn back until they
were consumed. I scattered them so that they
were not able to rise. They fell under my feet. For thou has girded me with strength
for battle. Thou has subdued under me those
who rose up against me. Thou hast also made my enemies
turn their back to me, and I destroyed those who hated me. They cried
for help, but there was none to save, even to the Lord. But he did not answer them. Then I beat them fine as dust
before the wind, and I emptied them out as the mire of the street." David doesn't have a very weak
view of God and what's required for spiritual victory. David was living the promise
of God in all of its power. He knows that God had trained
him to be a warrior and he didn't back away from it. He destroyed
his enemies. He had no mercy on them because
God had no mercy. a real strong thing that we can
say these days in public, that God takes retribution on unbelief. But David says, there isn't a
single enemy that I encountered that I was not able to destroy. What enemy are you facing? What obstacle is in your path? Who is opposing you? Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
we have the victory. Just as David knew God, we know
the deliverance of the Lord Jesus. That he's given us the victory. That we are not defeated. We
don't have to submit. There's no one who can stand
in our way. And so that fear that Satan has
put in your heart that there is no solution in your life. He's a liar because there is victory in the
living God for his people. Verse 43, thou hast delivered
me from the contentions of the people. Thou hast placed me as
head of nations. A people whom I have not known
serve me. As soon as they hear, they obey
me. Foreigners submit to me. Foreigners
fade away and come trembling out of their fortresses. David says, the power of God
behind me has brought all the nations to my feet. What a message for missions. Anyone who would oppose the gospel
of Jesus Christ. anyone who would oppose the testimony
of a believer. I've often thought that one of
the greatest things that could ever happen is for someone to
be called before Congress at this point in time and instead
of getting involved in the incipient arguments and banalities of what
lawmakers think are important. that there would be a believer
who stands in the power of Christ and witnesses to his or her faith
and calls every single member to humble themselves before Christ. David says, with God, all things
are possible. And as king, he didn't become
king so that he could have enormous power, but when he became king, people that he had never known
came and humbled themselves before him. and became subject to the truth
that was in David's heart. The Lord lives, and blessed be
my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation. The God who
executes vengeance for me and subdues people under me, he delivers
me from my enemies. Surely, thou dost lift me above
those who rise up against me. Thou dost rescue me from the
violent man. Therefore, I will give thanks
to thee among the nations, O God, and I will praise, sing praises
to your name. Another doxology, another praise
of God. David says those people who have
submitted themselves to me is not me. It is the power of God
at work in his plan to bring all of the world in
submission to the truth and the gospel of the living God. David's not confused. He knows
where the power came from. He knows why he's king. He knows what his mission is. And in all of it, he hasn't lost
this loving, caring, submissive relationship with the living
God. And finally, he gives great deliverance
to his king and shows loving kindness to his anointing, to
David and his descendants forever. And that's why I read Psalm 112.
The theme is there, that posterity will be blessed by you as you
live your faith. Those in your house, those in
the circle of your friends, those whom you work for, the people
that you encounter on a daily basis will be influenced by the
power of God within you. And he will bless you. Psalm 112 says, riches and glory
and honor and recognition and all of that are yours as a child
of God. But we know our real riches are found in heaven. And our real glory is that Christ
has died for us. And he's called us into the family
of believers. David, as an old man, testified
that his entire life he has seen the hand of God touch everything
that he's done. From the time Samuel anointed
him when he was a child, through the confrontation and victory
over Goliath, to running for his life from Saul. David saw the hand of God in
all of that. And for a believer, we can see the hand of God bringing
us into a loving and caring relationship with Jesus Christ because he's forgiven our sins.
He's promised us a new life. He's given us everything that
we could ever want or dream of, because we are his. Being older than most of you,
I think I'm older than all of you, I can see the hand of God providing for me, giving me the freedom to walk
before Him because He's redeemed me. The power is not my intellect.
Power certainly is not how adept I am at anything. It is because I belong to Him. David's testimony is my testimony. Is your testimony the same? Let
us pray. Lord God, we are humbled because
of your greatness. Because of your power. Because you have loved sinners
and sent your son to die for them. And raised them in newness of
life. Gracious God, empower us with
the testimony that we have seen your hand. Bring us from the darkness and the depths
near death to the true light and understanding
of eternity in you. But these things we pray in Jesus'
name.
A Song Without Borders
| Sermon ID | 111824035587102 |
| Duration | 38:13 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - PM |
| Bible Text | Psalm 18 |
| Language | English |
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