Psalm 18: Reflections on God's Deliverance

Join Reagan as he delves into Psalm 18, examining King David's reflections on God's deliverance throughout his life. Reagan explores the significance of David's relationship with God and the psalm's context within David's life. He draws parallels between David's experiences and our spiritual journey, emphasizing the importance of calling upon the Lord in times of need and recognizing God's powerful responses to our prayers. The sermon also discusses the implications of divine forgiveness and the role of humility in our faith. Find inspiration through this deep dive into Psalm 18 and its enduring message of trust in God.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:58 John Williams: A Composer's Legacy
03:10 David's Greatest Psalms
04:44 Psalm 18: A Reflection on God's Deliverance
07:46 David's Call to God and His Response
15:13 David's Blamelessness and Humility
21:23 God's Deliverance and David's Praise
32:23 David's Victory and Messianic Foreshadowing
34:59 Invitation to Follow Christ

Transcript

Do you have your Bible with you? Would you take it out please and turn to Psalm 18 18th Psalm. It is where we will be this morning, at least for the majority of our lessons, Psalm 18, and we'll start reading in verse one here in just a second. Psalm 18 beginning in verse one. As has already been said. Let me just repeat again, thank you for being here.

Uh, especially those who are visiting. We're grateful you're here. Uh, that's something we try and say every service because hopefully it's true every service we're. We're grateful to have those who have seeking hearts and minds, who want to know Jesus, uh, who want to have a relationship with God. And, and it's our hope and prayer that that's who we are, and that's who we're, we're striving to help others to be as well.

Uh, if you're in Psalm 18, you're ready to go for our lesson this morning. Who here knows of the composer of movie scores? John Williams. Raise your hand if you know John Williams. Okay. Uh, some of the young people raise their hand as well know John Williams. In fact, that might be the only composer of movie scores that you know, because he is the most well known of all of those who do that sort of thing.

Well, this is not an infomercial, but my first roommate in college just published the. Official biography of John Williams, uh, which is kind of cool, isn't it? And, uh, it's available on Amazon now. Uh, if you wanna buy a copy of that. Uh, and so I was talking to Stephanie and the girls about this and saying, Hey, you know, Tim, uh, published this book and this was kind of a lifelong dream for him.

I remember in the dorm room, you know, everybody else is listening to heavy metal. We're listening to John Williams, you know, because Tim had the better boombox, and that's what he brought. And so we listened to a lot of that. And so I messaged him on Facebook and stuff, and I'm just really excited about that sort of thing.

But my girls had never heard of John Williams. They didn't know who that was. And so Stephanie and I Rapid fire, start rattling off all of the movies that he's known for. Listen to this list. Star Wars, Indiana Jones Jaws, et Jurassic Park, the Harry Potter movie. But what's interesting is John Williams was asked a few years ago whether he had any personal favorites among his Hollywood scores, and he said, quote, years ago, I did a film called Images for Robert Altman.

What. Raise your hand if you've ever heard of the movie Images any. Oh, there's actually a few hands back there. It made a whopping $1,420 at the box office when it came out of all of the scores of all of the famous hooks that he has written through the years. That's the one he says is his favorite. Now in fairness, he was asked to think about all of his movies, including the lesser known ones, but still, that's the score that he chooses.

Of all of the ones that he's done. Well, we just finished studying the Psalms in our Sunday morning Bible class, and, and I ask you as we think about David, who we studied the quarter before, what are David's greatest Psalms? Well, maybe there's a long list. If, if you have a favorite Psalm in your mind, maybe it's Psalm eight, you know what is man, that you are mindful of him or, or Psalm 19, the law of the Lord is perfect.

Maybe Psalm 22 that describes in great detail, Jesus on the cross. Maybe it's Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepherd, or Psalm 32 or 38 or 51, or one 10 or more, all of these famous greatest Psalms of David that would immediately come to our minds to say, now that, that's a Psalm right there. But in second Samuel 22, at the end of David's life.

There is a psalm that he wrote that is actually inserted into the text of Second Samuel of all of the many, many Psalms that David wrote. This Psalm was chosen to be inserted into the text at the end of his life, and it is almost an exact copy of Psalm 18. Psalm 18. Do you know that one? Did that one come immediately to mind when I asked the question?

Maybe it did because I told you to turn there already. But do you know what Psalm 18 is all about? Well, probably, you know, the most well known phrase as we just sang a second ago, and Barrett did a great job in preparing our minds for the thoughts of this lesson by the things that we sang. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, but the rest of this psalm, a long Psalm 50 verses certainly isn't well known, but this was the Psalm.

That the Holy Spirit saw fit to insert into the biblical text in two Samuel 22 at the end of David's life. Why? Why is this Psalm of all of the better known, greater Psalms, that Psalm that David wrote, why is this Psalm included almost to encapsulate the Psalms that David wrote? I suggest this morning because it captures David's heart.

His relationship to God. And so this psalm provides a nice bookend to our study of the Psalms and our study of the life of David. I will call upon the Lord, reflections on God's deliverance. And that's exactly what Psalm 18 is. It is almost as if David at the end of his life looks back at all of the ways that God has saved him and pens this psalm to say, I will call upon the Lord.

Who is worthy to be praised. And I have been saved from my enemies over and over and over again because I called upon the Lord. So let's think about and read part of this psalm together this morning, and I think there are some powerful applications that can be made to our life and the ways in which we should imitate David and his relationship with God.

So start reading with me if you would, Psalm 18. We'll start with the Psalm heading. To the chief musician, a Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord who spoke to the Lord, the words of this P song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said, verse one, I will love you, oh Lord, my strength.

Now that's actually a very unusual word to say. I love the Lord in the Psalms. Uh, that's weird because maybe that's the word we use to describe our relationship with God the most. That I love the Lord. But this is unusual in the Old Testament, unusual in the Psalms, but that's how David starts. I love you, oh Lord, my strength, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Verse three. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surrounded me and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me. The snares of death confronted me in my distress. I called upon the Lord. I cried out to my God, he heard my voice from his temple.

And my cry came before him, even to his ears. So David calls upon the Lord in verses one through six, and he says it in this way as we sang and as we read there in verse three, I will call upon the Lord and it's almost as if there's a parenthetical thought. Who is worthy to be praised? And then he finishes his thought, thought.

So shall I be saved from my enemy? I will call upon the Lord, so shall I be saved from my enemies. That really is the theme of this psalm, and it's simple. It's straightforward. David is saying God is always worthy to be called upon and I should call upon God during times of praise when things are going well and I should call upon the Lord in times of difficulty when I am surrounded and I need his help.

He is always worthy to be prayed. But I should especially call upon him in those times when I need saving. And David acknowledges that God has a role in saving him, in delivering him from his enemies. Saved is a key word in the Psalm in verses 3 27, 35, 41, 46. David says that God saves him. And again, you imagine David at the end of his life.

Reflecting on all of the ways that God had saved him through the years from Goliath and Saul and Absalom and others, and he calls upon the Lord one more time to thank him for what he has done. Then in verses seven through 19, David describes God's what I would call extreme reaction when David calls upon him.

Read there in verse seven. Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundation of the hills also quaked and were shaken because he, God was angry. God says God. David says that God was angry. Why? Wow. He was angry because David said, I need your help. These enemies surround me. And, and the verses that follow down through verse 19, talk about fire and smoke and hail and lightning and thunder.

The very foundations of the earth are shaken because one person was in trouble and cried out to God. I mean, that seems extreme. I mean, I know it's David. I know he's the king of Israel and all those sorts of things, but one voice spoke out and God's reaction is extreme to come and save him. And I wanna suggest this morning that it is, I'm, I'm so excited.

I'm almost, almost fell off the stage. I wanna suggest this morning that it was not David's voice as king that God heard. It was David's voice as one who loved him. It was David's voice as someone who had a relationship with him. And may I suggest that your voice, if you call out to the Lord in faith, has the same power to shake the foundations of the earth because God hears and God answers at your voice.

Now we could get into the weeds pretty quickly at all of the things that are said here. There are echoes of Exodus and Mount Sinai and the Song of Moses. We could even call this the Song of David because of those parallels that would be accurate. But instead of all of that, let me just put it this way.

It impacts God's emotions and actions in powerful ways when we call upon him. Um, raise your hand if you're a parent this morning. We got some parents in here who in here can recognize the sound of your child's voice when they're in trouble? What about those words, daddy, help? Doesn't matter what else is going on.

It doesn't matter else what other noises are around. Doesn't matter if you're starting to lose your hearing a little bit. Like I am Daddy Help you hear those words and you come running and you can hear the sound of your, your child's cry. You can hear the sound of your, your child when they yell out, you can hear their scream, you can hear their whimper, and it causes you to act in extreme ways.

Um, I remember when I was a kid, uh, you know, that, uh, I didn't learn how to swim. Many of you know that I didn't learn how to swim until I was 18 and I moved to Florida. Uh, but my sister wasn't a very good swimmer either. And I remember one time that we were at this big pool party for one of her friends, and I had to go to, and I was a teenager.

I was sulking a little bit, I think. And so I was up under the, the awning and I was just sitting there. And I remember my dad came, this was after work. And so he is there in a full suit. And so he's in a suit and he comes to the party after work. And I remember looking over there and I see my dad in a full suit doing a swan dive into the pool.

And I thought that's weird. What in the world would cause my dad to jump into the pool in a full suit? I mean, that's an extreme reaction. My sister yelled for help, and the lifeguard wasn't paying attention, and so my dad heard her cry and did something extreme to save her loved ones. God hears. You cry out and so often we are confused and we wonder, does God hear?

Is God even answering? May I encourage us to have faith that God will shake the very foundations of the earth if that is what is best for us in those moments like any parent of grown children, though. Whose children have their own plans and purposes, God wants to be invited into our lives. He doesn't want to force his way in, and I suggest that that is what prayer is an invitation for God to work in your life.

And so can you view prayer simply as your desire as a Christian to invite God and his working and his love into every aspect of your life. God said to his people, call to me and I will answer you. In Jeremiah, the Lord is near to those who call upon him. Psalm one forty five in verse 18. How much more in the New Testament where we have the mediator that we talked about in Bible class this morning of his son, Jesus Christ, by whom we approach him.

And it is that Jesus, that mediator who invites you to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep, keep on knocking in. Matthew chapter seven, verses seven and eight, and what is the promise if you ask? He will answer. If you seek, you will find. If you knock, the door will be opened. What gives you the right to call upon the Lord?

The God of heaven and earth. Your relationship with him through his son, Jesus Christ, and if you keep on asking, he responds in extreme and powerful and unexpected and wonderful ways. Such wonderful ways that sometimes it's hard to comprehend. Kind of like the next section that we see in verses 19 through 27 where David proclaims his blamelessness before God.

Read with me. Start there in verse 19 of Psalm 18. Psalm 18 in verse 19. He, the Lord also brought me out into a broad place. He delivered me because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. David says, according to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompense to me. Four. I have kept the ways of the Lord and I have not wickedly departed from my God for all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

I was also blameless before him, and I kept myself from iniquity. Therefore, the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. Really, I mean, this is David saying this. Hold that thought. Verse 25, with the merciful, David says, you will show yourself merciful.

With a blameless man. You will show yourself blameless. With the pure, you will show yourself pure. And with the devious, you will show yourself shrewd. Uh, let's work backwards a little bit, verses 25 and 26. There is a principle there that forgiveness and the relationship with God is conditional. If you want to have mercy from God, you've gotta show yourself merciful.

In the New Testament, Jesus says over and over and over again, if you wanna be forgiven by God, you better what in Bible class. But what? You better be forgiving of others, and if you're not forgiving of others, don't think you're gonna be forgiven of God. The same thing is true here in the Old Testament with David, and yet David in verses 19 through 24, goes on and on and on about his blamelessness.

Now I want you to be honest. You're good Christian people. Of course you're gonna be honest. You read through this knowing it's David writing, does it sound just a little self-righteous to you? Because of my righteousness, God is gonna repay me with deliverance because of how blameless I am. God is gonna make sure everything turns out right for me.

I mean, is that really what happened in the life of David? But it's not just that David claims his blamelessness. If we keep reading through verse 27, he claims humility in all of this. Verse 27 for you will save the humble people, but will look down on haughty looks. God, you saved me because I am righteous.

I am clean in my hands. I am blameless. I have kept myself from iniquity and I am so humble about it. How can he say that after going on and on about how blameless he is when we know all of the things that he did? Uh, if you've been around any period of time, you know, I get kind of frustrated with David.

I love the Psalms, love the Psalms. My relationship with David is a little more complicated. Here is this wonderful man with a wonderful heart who got off to a wonderful start in his life and service to God, and then he did some horrible, horrible things. How can he say these things that he says about himself?

Some commentators have tried to get around this by saying, well, this must have been written really early in his life before he committed all of those big sins that we know about. It has to be that, and they point to things like in the Psalm heading, it says how he was delivered from the hand of Saul.

But to me that just doesn't fit with where this is placed in two Samuel 22 at the very end of his life that it says that God had delivered him from all his enemies. And that there is a strong messianic tone, especially at the end of this psalm. All of that indicates this is at the end of David's life, after he's committed all of these sins that he says these things about his own righteousness.

How could David say this? Well, David is the standard by which all other kings are judged, and later in one Kings chapter 14 and verse eight, in making that comparison, the text says this, my servant David. Who kept my commandments and who followed me with all his heart to do only what was right in my eyes.

A man after God's own heart is what we call David and David's will was to do God's will. A person after God's own heart follows after God's heart what God commands, he or she will live God's truth and follow God's commandments. It's not that David always did that. Sometimes he failed spectacularly, but that was always his intention.

David always had the humility to do two things. Number one, make things right when he did wrong. Every single time we see that with David, and number two, David had the humility to give all credit to God for those things. In verse 19, he says. He delivered me because he delighted in me. That's the same phrase, slightly out of order that we see in Psalm 22 in verse eight, as those mock mocking Jesus on the cross.

He let him deliver him since he delights in him. Same concept, and I have to be reminded of this when I think about David, that God delighted in David. God delighted in him and forgave him because David sought forgiveness. And maybe the issue isn't with David's heart being self-righteous. Maybe the problem is with my heart not being forgiving enough of those who have been forgiven by God because David relied on God and he could call himself humble.

He gave all credit to God for his deliverance, both spiritually and physically, and that's exactly what we see beginning in verse 27, that David is giving credit to God. He affirms God as the source of his salvation in all of these ways physically and spiritually. Read beginning in verse 27. Read it with me again for you, will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks for you.

God will light my lamp. Lord, my God will enlighten my darkness for by you. I can run against a troop and by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is proven. He is a shield to all who trust in Him for who is God except the Lord and who is a rock except our God.

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me on the high places. He teaches my hands to make war so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Talking to God, David says, your right hand has held me up.

Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarge my path under me so that my feet did not slip. David gives credit to God for his salvation. God is the source of deliverance both physically and spiritually. David saw that he lived by it, and even when he forgot it sometimes he remembered it again and came back to God.

And I think the placement of this psalm in second Samuel 22 is especially striking because what we see just before it in second Samuel 21, 15 through 22, it describes David's victory over the Philistine giants, the biggest physical obstacle that he had, and David defeated them. And then in two Samuel 23, 8 through 39, it gives a list of David's mighty men and all of the things that they accomplished as well.

And between those two, we find this psalm that demonstrates behind the greatest victories and exploits of David and his men is God himself. And how much, how much does God deliver David, we think physically giants and stuff like that? No. No, no. How much does God deliver David spiritually from sin and guilt?

David can honestly and humbly say what he said in verses 19 through 26, that I'm blameless and I'm righteous and my hands are clean, and I don't know about you, but that seems like a greater deliverance even than from a giant.

Hebrew word for blameless is a key word in this section, and I think maybe it helps us understand these things sometimes translated perfect. The word is the same in Hebrew in verse 23, 25, 30 and 32. Same word that's used of job like we studied this morning in job one and verse one and eight and chapter two and verse three.

That job was blameless. David walked in a way that is blameless in verse 23. He talks about how God's way is blameless in verse 30, and he makes his servants way blameless in verse 32, as is summarized in verse 25, with a blameless man, you will show yourself blameless. David saw himself as blameless, and those statements are not about perfection.

Uh, and translating it perfect in the sense of complete is a little bit confusing. What it really is is about loyalty. Loyalty to his covenant and our loyalty to, to God's covenant with us. That we can commit our souls to a fateful creator in doing what is right because he knows our hearts and will judge accordingly as one.

Peter chapter four in verse 19 says, so I've got some questions for you. Um, instead of raising hand, just thumbs up for yes. Thumbs down for no. Can you do that for me? Shake your head for that. Yeah. Okay. So yes. No, yes, no, we got that. Do you believe that anyone can be forgiven if they truly repent? They truly repent.

Can anybody be forgiven? Yes. Do you believe that God sees them as blameless in the sense that we just talked about loyal to the covenant, right? With him? Blameless before him. When they do that, do you believe if somebody truly repents, they're viewed as blameless by God?

Are you willing to forgive anyone who truly repents and view them as blameless? A little tougher, isn't it? It's not just God who's perfect in his forgiveness. Am I willing to forgive someone who truly repents that God uses blameless? Toughest of of all, at least for some of us. When God forgives you, when you truly repent, do you believe that you are blameless before God?

When God forgives you? When in your heart of hearts you've truly repented of what you have done? Do you believe you are blameless before God?

Yes, I hope, 'cause that's the way we're supposed to view ourselves. I want you to mark your spot there in Psalm 18. Mark your spot there in Psalm 18. And turn with me to the New Testament one. John chapter one. I wanna show you how much, uh, I read from one John,

one John chapter one. Beginning in verse five, first on chapter one, beginning in verse five. We're gonna read through chapter two and verse two.

This is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from some sin, most sin all sin.

Now, if we say that we have no sin, we believe deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, don't say you've never sinned. That's not the point. But that his blood can cleanse us of all sin. If we confess our sins, verse nine, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from most unrighteousness.

Some unrighteousness. No, all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. My little children. These things I write to you. To Christians who are in that covenant relationship with God, who have been made blameless by the blood of Jesus. I write to you so that you may not sin, but if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, and he himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

Jesus' blood is powerful enough to cleanse you of all sin and all unrighteousness. Not only that, he is powerful enough to cleanse every person who would come to him of all sin and all unrighteousness. And so maybe we should take a page from David here. David believed God truly forgave him. And the same one who wrote Psalm 32 and Psalm 38 and Psalm 51, talking about how his sin was always before him with so much sorrow and contrite and regret over his sin and its consequences He wrote this to because he took God at his word.

When God says, you are forgiven, brethren, you are forgiven. There may be consequences to that sin, no doubt. There will be consequences to sin, but you can stand blameless and righteous before God with clean hands when you truly confess and repent. David leaves us an example. He was right to claim his blamelessness and so should we when we are forgiven, well, where does that leave us in the Psalm?

Well, we see that David defeats all of his enemies there in Psalm 18. And, uh, there's some language that's pretty powerful, pretty graphic. Uh, we'll talk about that more tonight, not from Psalm 18, but this idea of the Psalms of curses. That was a request by, uh, some of you as we went through the Psalms, I just want you to focus in on verse 41, as David is defeating his enemies.

Notice what it says. They, these enemies cried out, but there was none to save even to the Lord. But he did not answer them. Well, wait a second. We just said, God can cleanse all sin and all unrighteousness, anybody who cries out to him can be made blameless. David says, I cried out to the Lord and he delivered me.

My enemies cried out to the Lord, and he did not save them. He didn't hear him. What's the difference David saved And they're not. Is God showing preferential treatment? Not really. What is the difference between each who is crying out and the same word is used in verse six as what we just read. The difference is the heart, the heart of the person who is crying out to God.

Why was David answered in sin? Because of his heart that desired to do what's right? Why were they his enemies not answered in their sin because their heart wasn't right? I remind you of one Kings four 14 of verse eight. My servant David, who has kept my commandments and who followed me with all his heart.

To do what was only right in my eyes. May we imitate him in this as well as Jesus says in John 14 and verse 15, if you love me, keep my commandments. Have a heart that wants to do what's right now, are you gonna do that perfectly? That's where you shake your head this way or that way. Are you gonna keep God's commands perfectly?

No. But your heart is such, I want to and I will to the very best of my abilities keep God's commandments. And when I fall short, I will confess and repent so that he might restore me. The other side of the coin is in Luke six and verse 46, but why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do the things which I say have a heart like David's to where we cry upon the Lord because we want to do what's right?

And then finally, in verses 43 through 50, David looks ahead to God's promises and what God has promised for him, for the nation, and for you and me. Read with me beginning in verse 43. You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations, the Gentiles. Maybe your translation says, whoa, wait a second.

The gentiles a people I have not known shall serve me. I doesn't really fit with David necessarily. As soon as they hear of me, they obey me. The foreigners submit to me. The foreigners fade away and come frightened from their hideouts. The Lord lives. Verse 46, blessed be my rock. Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

It is God who avenges me and subdues the people under me. He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me. You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore, I will give thanks to you. Oh Lord, among. The Gentiles and sing praises to your name. Great deliverance he gives to his king and shows mercy to his anointed, his Messiah to David and his descendants forevermore.

King's victory and reign foreshadows that Messiah for foreshadows Jesus and his victory and reign the king's victories in battle foreshadow Jesus defeating all of his foes, including sin and death, and Satan and Jesus will put all enemies under his feet, just as David does in this Psalm. Jesus rules all nations before him.

And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is indeed the son of God. And verse 50 talks about how this is for David and his descendants and the children of Israel, but that's not all. It's for us too. The Gentiles there in verse 41, 49. David conquered nations by defeating them in battle giants sending out his mighty men.

But Jesus conquers the nations. By converting them to himself, and we don't have to guess about this. The Apostle Paul makes it explicit in Romans chapter 15 verses four through nine. This is not just for the Jews, this Messiah, Jesus Christ. He's for the Gentiles, he's for you and he's for me. So if you're here this morning and you're not yet a Christian, you are one of those people's.

Foreigners not to the United States, foreigners to the country of God, the kingdom that belongs to Jesus Christ. But he is calling you and desires that you call upon him, that you come to him and humble submission to obey him as soon as you hear about him, because you realize how great he is. If you are willing to confess him as Lord and Christ, that he is this promised, anointed one, that he is your savior and your king, and that he is the promised son of God.

By putting off the old man of sin, you can be buried in water and rise to walk in newness of life. To where you have a mediator to call upon the Lord at any time, knowing that he will answer your call. And if we can help you with that even this morning, or if you desire to call upon the Lord now in whatever way, come so that we might help you in doing just that.

As we stand and as we sing is a grand.