Psalms 18 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 18

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

18:1   I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2   The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3   I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.
4   The cords of death encompassed me;
    the torrents of destruction assailed me;¹
5   the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.
6   In my distress I called upon the LORD;
    to my God I cried for help.
  From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.
7   Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
8   Smoke went up from his nostrils,²
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9   He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
10   He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11   He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
    thick clouds dark with water.
12   Out of the brightness before him
    hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13   The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
14   And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15   Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
  at your rebuke, O LORD,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16   He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
17   He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.
18   They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the LORD was my support.
19   He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
20   The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21   For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22   For all his rules³ were before me,
    and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23   I was blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from my guilt.
24   So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25   With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26   with the purified you show yourself pure;
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27   For you save a humble people,
    but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28   For it is you who light my lamp;
    the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
29   For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30   This God—his way is perfect;⁴
    the word of the LORD proves true;
    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31   For who is God, but the LORD?
    And who is a rock, except our God?—
32   the God who equipped me with strength
    and made my way blameless.
33   He made my feet like the feet of a deer
    and set me secure on the heights.
34   He trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35   You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand supported me,
    and your gentleness made me great.
36   You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet did not slip.
37   I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
    and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38   I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
    they fell under my feet.
39   For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
    you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40   You made my enemies turn their backs to me,⁵
    and those who hated me I destroyed.
41   They cried for help, but there was none to save;
    they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42   I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
    I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43   You delivered me from strife with the people;
    you made me the head of the nations;
    people whom I had not known served me.
44   As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
    foreigners came cringing to me.
45   Foreigners lost heart
    and came trembling out of their fortresses.
46   The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47   the God who gave me vengeance
    and subdued peoples under me,
48   who rescued me from my enemies;
    yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
    you delivered me from the man of violence.
49   For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
    and sing to your name.
50   Great salvation he brings to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
    to David and his offspring forever.

Footnotes

[1] 18:4 Or terrified me
[2] 18:8 Or in his wrath
[3] 18:22 Or just decrees
[4] 18:30 Or blameless
[5] 18:40 Or You gave me my enemies’ necks

Commentary

A psalm of praise to God for His wisdom, majesty and power, and His deliverance of His own. This is David's longest psalm, and is found in 2 Sam 22. David rejoices in being delivered from his enemies (see Title).

v1-3: Introduction; David had become king (v35, 43, 50), and he looked back with gratitude on the Lord's dealings with Him. There is much personal testimony, "I love you...I take refuge...I call...I am saved."

The godly man had enemies, such as the Philistines (1 Sam 29), Amalekites (1 Sam 30), as well as other things mentioned here, the cords of death (v4-5), my distress (v6), deep waters (v16), my powerful enemy (v17), disaster (v18). The theme is that the godly man is saved from his enemies.

The titles of God; Lord, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold; here is our guarantee of personal security. We find God is faithful, and we must trust Him at all times (Ps 62.8).

The 'stronghold' was a place in the centre of an ancient city, a secondary defence, a place of security. Even the most committed of enemies would be unable to breach it. The apostle Paul uses this word in a different context in 2 Cor 10.3-6.

v4-6: The final enemy, death itself. David had faced death very close, and writes these words from personal experience. In his distress he called out to the Lord, and He answered him.

v7-15: The glory and power of God. This power is manifested, demonstrating that God truly is God; He is not impotent, nor absent, nor uninvolved. His power cannot be doubted; when He speaks and breathes, there is mighty power, see v8, 13, 15. He is far greater than any other power.

He acts in the lives of real people, scattering the enemies of His people. His works are not random or capricious, for He is always righteous.

v16-19: This power came for David, and delivered him. God is mighty but despises no one; He is not so powerful that He does not care; such is the paradox which is God.

Again, we see David's personal testimony; He reached down, He drew me, He rescued me, He brought me, He rescued me; see 1 Sam 29.9-16. Whatever the enemy may say, he cannot take away a personal testimony of God's deliverance.

v20-24: See also Ps 15; a commitment to personal godliness. Here is a definite decision to do what is right, to live a life of integrity. God's power is not demonstrated randomly, but especially for His people. He works in us that we might become more like Him; He works divine holiness in our lives.

David kept himself from sin ('my iniquity', in one version); he was conscious of personal weakness, making no claim to perfection. Indeed, we know that David did fall seriously into sin. Verse 21 indicates the two sides of godly living; keeping the ways of the Lord, and turning from the ways of sin; both are necessary. David had confidence that God would honour such an attitude, contrast Job 35.3.

v25-27: God is never deceived by man, nor ignorant of man, and He deals fairly with people. So, the merciful man finds that God is merciful, the pure, the blameless, the devious likewise; our actions and attitudes are returned to us. It is in this way that God saves the humble, and brings the proud low.

v28-34: God gives strength to His people. He changes things in our lives, turning darkness to light, weakness to strength, and fear into boldness.

God's way is perfect (v30), and He makes our way perfect (v32). By His strength, I can do things which would otherwise be impossible (Dan 11.32); there are exploits to be done.

At the centre of this section (v31), God is unique, there is none like Him (1 Sam 2.2); we can know Him and enjoy His blessings; we can be like Him, and do His work.

v35: God gives to us, see v40, 48, Rom 8.32; His generosity knows no bounds.

v36: A wide and safe path to walk in; the safest place is where God wants us to be.

v37-42: David subdued many enemies, 2 Sam 5; 8; 12, as God protected and helped him. He completed the work thoroughly. He gained authority over nations, and received tribute from them; just as every knee shall bow at the Name of Christ.

The enemies cried out to God; but they were not His people, they did not live godly, so He could not hear them.

v43-45: Enemies amongst the people were also subdued; even here David knew victory, 1 Chr 22.18.

v46-50: David's final exultation of praise. God has brought him victory, and his proper response is praise. The Lord lives (v46); we do not pray to an inanimate object. There were victories over the nations, and God is to be praised among the nations.