Psalm 18: 1–11, 46–50 (NIV)
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In 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.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
…
46 The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
CONSIDER THIS
Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. Most recently, he served as the president of Asbury Theological Seminary among other posts he holds across the global church. She is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to fruition the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. We will share some of their writing on the Psalms on Sundays.
Psalm 18 emerges out of the historical account of 2 Samuel 22 when David had been granted victory over his enemies. The psalm appears in the historical account of 2 Samuel 22:1–51 and then appears here in the Psalter. This psalm demonstrates the cosmic dimensions of our earthly struggles. Although David was battling enemies here on earth, the psalm portrays the whole earth rocking and quivering under the power of God as he thunders forth with his presence and power (vv. 7–9). The picture of God reaching down from heaven to save and rescue (vv. 16–17) is a powerful foreshadowing of the incarnation. Ultimately, it is in Christ that the heavens were truly parted, and God came down to vanquish our foes.
David’s struggle, finally, was not against the household of Saul or the Philistines. The early church’s struggle was not, finally, against Pilate or the warnings of the Sanhedrin. Our struggle is not against any political party, or forces of evil arrayed against us. In the final analysis, our struggle is a cosmic one. Paul says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Paul is speaking of the great cosmic struggle, against which God in Jesus Christ has prevailed through the cross and resurrection. We sing this psalm with Christ, God’s Son, the resurrected One! He alone was rewarded for his righteousness and is the truest voice of Psalm 18:20: “according to my righteousness” and the “cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.” This points us far beyond any righteousness that belonged to David. Rather, it points us to the righteousness of great David’s greater son, Jesus Christ. He alone has kept the path of the Lord. When David declares that this victory was not merely for himself, but for “his descendants forever” (v. 50), this is a clear sign of a victory that transcends David’s historical setting. This psalm points to and celebrates that great victory of the Lord on behalf of his church. We, too, can fully share in this victory.
For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent
THE HYMN
Sing Psalm 18 with the Seedbed Psalter today. I suggest the tune FOREST GREEN (“I Sing the Mighty Power of God”). You can hear the tune played online by Julie Tennent here. If you listen to the podcast audio version, I will sing the psalm in this same tune. For your convenience, the words from the Psalter are printed below.
1 I love You, O my Lord, my strength, my Rock and Fortress strong;
2 My trust for my deliverance does to the Lord belong.
My God, my Rock, in whom I trust, a refuge unto me;
The horn of my salvation and my stronghold, shield, is He.3 I’ll call upon the Lord my God, who’s worthy of all praise,
And then from enemies I shall be saved through all my days.
4 The cords of death entangled me, destruction o’er me swept;
5 The grave coiled all around me, and in death’s snares I was kept.6 In my distress, I called the Lord; to God my words did fly.
He from His temple heard my voice; to His ears came my cry.
7 The earth was frightened, and did quake, with trembling it was seized;
The hills’ foundations shook with fear, because He was displeased.8 Up from His nostrils came hot smoke, and from His mouth there came
devouring fire, and coals by it burned hot with blazing flame.
9 He split the heavens and came down, from thence He did descend,
And thickest clouds of darkness did around His feet attend.10 Upon the cherubim He rode, upon them He did fly.
Yes, on the swift wings of the wind, His flight was from on high.
11 The darkness was His covering: about Him, for His tent,
Dark waters were, and thickest clouds of the sky’s firmament.46 The Lord God lives, bless’d be my Rock; exalted be my God!
47 He does avenge me, and subdues the nations far abroad.
48 He saves me from my enemies—yes, You have lifted me
above my foes; and from the men of vio-lence set me free.49 Therefore, to You I will give thanks ’mid nations great and small.
I will sing praises to Your name, O Lord, the King of all.
50 He gives deliv’rance to His king; His mercy does extend
to David, His anointed, and descendants without end.
P.S. Get the Resources
If you would like to have the meditations and the metrical psalter in a beautiful two-volume set—which I highly recommend— you can order those through the Seedbed store.
One Response
“We sing this psalm (18) with Christ, God’s Son, the resurrected One! He alone was rewarded for his righteousness and is the truest voice.” –Timothy and Julie Tennent
Now hear the here God. Let His inner voice motivate you. He’s always here. God’s the ultimate Speaker! He spoke everything into existence.
Hear the near God say: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” Hear Jesus the God-Man.
Jesus uses words because He is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Hear the living Word say: “My sheep hear My voice,” and “I am with you always.”
The risen Jesus is talking to you. Notice the sound of His still small voice. Wake up from your daze. Tune into Jesus — the living, eternal Waze.
Let your heart be Christ’s moment by moment sanctuary. Listen t what God’s Spirit is saying in your inner ear. Hear Him call you by name over and over again. Let the awe-filled hush of His pure and holy voice reveal His way and ever lead and direct you from within — wherever you are and wherever He tells you to go.
Hear the word of the Lord in what God told the prophets and the other writers of the Bible. Continually ponder Scriptures. Write them on your heart. Savor them like a love letter to you from God, until they burn as an inner fire and flood you with His presence. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”