I love how the Bible uses word pictures. In Psalm 18 David uses images for God’s protection—“my fortress, my shield, my stronghold, my rock in whom I take refuge, my deliverer. He calls the Lord his “strength and the horn of his salvation.” And that’s just in the first two verses. David was a man used to warfare and conquest. He didn’t seek it at first, but he couldn’t avoid it. Whether it was standing up to Goliath, or the years of outwitting King Saul, who became his mortal enemy, or after, when he was King of all Israel, casting out its enemies from among them.
In the remainder of Psalm 18, David paints scene after scene of terror, eminent death, and distress. And when David cried out to his God, he tells in graphic, Cecil B. DeMille terms what it was like to have Almighty God come to his aid: “Then the earth shook…and the foundations of the mountains were trembling…because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils and fire from His mouth devoured…He bowed the heavens…and came down with thick darkness under His feet…” (v. 7-9) It reminds me of the feeling a parent gets when her child comes home with a tale of a school bully. What parent hasn’t marched to the principal’s office or the home of the offender to straighten out the matter? On a much grander scale, here, we see God come down to intervene for his child, “The Lord thundered…and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And He sent out His arrows, and scattered them. And the flashes in abundance routed them” (v. 13-14).
Deliverance Comes from Thee
And finally, the deliverance, when God plucks David from an impossible situation of attack on every side: “He drew me out of many waters…delivered me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay (v. 16-18, italics mine). David gives all credit for his rescue to God, who placed him “in a broad place… because He delighted in me” (V. 19). Because David was intimately acquainted with his Lord and could cry out in his helplessness, God rescued him. Further, David attributes God’s reason to His delight in His child. God also prepares His children for the battle and is present with them.
David concludes his testimony with this, “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock…” (v. 46) There is much here to mull over. It’s God who gives strength, draws us up from our trouble, makes us walk in righteousness, anoints our way before him and others, and takes care of our enemies. The lesson is this: when we are afflicted, we must turn to God and His ways, not look to our own devices. It is He who illumines our darkness (v. 28). But to the proud (“haughty and crooked”), God turns away. His Word keeps us from being proud. He gave “great deliverance to His king, and showed lovingkindness to His anointed” (v. 50). Even kings need God.
The Horn of Salvation
David’s story is our story, too. Is the battle at your doorstep today? Are you “encompassed by the cords of death” and the “torrents of ungodliness?” Call upon the Lord…and be saved from your enemies. Let David’s words serve as your courage and guide. By the way, I checked to see what the “horn of salvation” literally meant. Unger’s Bible Dictionary said it was the projections at the corners of the altar of burnt offering and the altar of incense, and by laying hold of them, a criminal found safety if his offense was accidental. Zacharias, John the Baptist’s father, after John’s birth said, “Blessed be the Lord of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, His servant” (Luke 1:67-69). This amazing passage refers to God’s plans from the beginning, and His covenant of peace toward those who believe.
Psalm 18 tells of God’s faithfulness and loyal love throughout generations. It would be one to commit to memory and teach to our children’s children.
His Love Knows No Bounds
I love Thee, too, Lord, my strength. Be my rock and my deliverer, as I take refuge in You. I am also Your anointed, because of the promise You made ages ago. Let me never forget that You are my stay, and delight in me. In my dark times light my lamp, and let my heart still sing the wonder of Your name. In Christ’s name, Amen.
The Great I Am
I wanna be near, near to your heart;
Loving the world, hating the dark.
I want to see dry bones living again--
Singing as one
Hallelujah, Holy Holy, God Almighty, Great I Am.
Who is worthy, none beside Thee,
God Almighty, Great I Am.
The mountains shake before Him.
The demons run and flee
At the mention of the name, King of Majesty.
There is no power in hell, or any who can stand
Before the power and the presence of the Great I Am.
Comments