Psalm 18
Today’s Passage: Psalm 18
The Enemy
The context behind Psalm 18 is the rescuing of David from the hands of King Saul. After the Lord revealed to Saul that David was to replace him as the king of Israel he relentlessly hunted David. Seeking to kill him and protect himself/his crown. So the immediate enemy in David’s life was Saul, but that is not what David writes as his chief threat. Read verses 4-6.
Who is the real enemy in these verses? Death. The grave. Sure, David was running from man and evil, but the root cause was sin and death. James 1:15 says it this way, “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.” This is our great opponent today. Every single life has been affected by the pains of death and every person will face death. The snares of death have confronted us (v5). We can either accept it or be rescued from it by our Savior.
The Savior
When David cries out to the Lord for help, what is the Lord’s response? Read verses 7-15. He was angry…like scary anger. At David? No, at his enemy that threatened his life and eternity - death. This was not passive anger, but verse 9 says, “He bowed the heavens and came down.” His anger was great, but his love for his servant David was greater! His heart was moved to come down, take on flesh, and face death head-on to rescue him. He’s done the same for you.
In John chapter 11 Jesus’ spirit is greatly troubled by the death of his friend, Lazarus. B.B. Warfield writes, “What John tells us, in point of fact, is that Jesus approached the grave of Lazarus, in a state, not of uncontrollable grief, but of irrepressible anger.” Jesus is God’s heart in human form; the same heart seen in Psalm 18. Angry and ready to devour enemy, death. Eclipsed only by his love - willing and eager to sweep up his children into his arms. To shield them from the grave, and then pour out upon them in his love and mercy.
The Recipient
How do we receive this sort of love and deliverance? Read verses 25-32. The recipients of this salvation are those who are blameless, merciful, and pure. But how does David say that one becomes those things? “The God who…made my way blameless.” We get to read Psalm 18 on the other side of the cross. God has literally come down. He has literally faced death in our place. He has made us pure and blameless through his sacrifice (Heb. 1:1-4). He has defeated the enemy. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26).
We receive that redemption by simply accepting it in faith and by saying with David,
“This God—his way is perfect.;
The word of the Lord proves true;
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
Family Discussion:
1. If you died today, how do you KNOW that you would be with Jesus in heaven?
2. Read verses 25-28—Does your life reflect God’s mercy, humility, and purity?
3. How can you take refuge in the Lord today?
Written By: Joe Weaver
The Enemy
The context behind Psalm 18 is the rescuing of David from the hands of King Saul. After the Lord revealed to Saul that David was to replace him as the king of Israel he relentlessly hunted David. Seeking to kill him and protect himself/his crown. So the immediate enemy in David’s life was Saul, but that is not what David writes as his chief threat. Read verses 4-6.
Who is the real enemy in these verses? Death. The grave. Sure, David was running from man and evil, but the root cause was sin and death. James 1:15 says it this way, “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.” This is our great opponent today. Every single life has been affected by the pains of death and every person will face death. The snares of death have confronted us (v5). We can either accept it or be rescued from it by our Savior.
The Savior
When David cries out to the Lord for help, what is the Lord’s response? Read verses 7-15. He was angry…like scary anger. At David? No, at his enemy that threatened his life and eternity - death. This was not passive anger, but verse 9 says, “He bowed the heavens and came down.” His anger was great, but his love for his servant David was greater! His heart was moved to come down, take on flesh, and face death head-on to rescue him. He’s done the same for you.
In John chapter 11 Jesus’ spirit is greatly troubled by the death of his friend, Lazarus. B.B. Warfield writes, “What John tells us, in point of fact, is that Jesus approached the grave of Lazarus, in a state, not of uncontrollable grief, but of irrepressible anger.” Jesus is God’s heart in human form; the same heart seen in Psalm 18. Angry and ready to devour enemy, death. Eclipsed only by his love - willing and eager to sweep up his children into his arms. To shield them from the grave, and then pour out upon them in his love and mercy.
The Recipient
How do we receive this sort of love and deliverance? Read verses 25-32. The recipients of this salvation are those who are blameless, merciful, and pure. But how does David say that one becomes those things? “The God who…made my way blameless.” We get to read Psalm 18 on the other side of the cross. God has literally come down. He has literally faced death in our place. He has made us pure and blameless through his sacrifice (Heb. 1:1-4). He has defeated the enemy. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26).
We receive that redemption by simply accepting it in faith and by saying with David,
“This God—his way is perfect.;
The word of the Lord proves true;
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
Family Discussion:
1. If you died today, how do you KNOW that you would be with Jesus in heaven?
2. Read verses 25-28—Does your life reflect God’s mercy, humility, and purity?
3. How can you take refuge in the Lord today?
Written By: Joe Weaver
2 Comments
Great blog message! I love Psalm 18! I have the first verses of this scripture on my Bible cover. This blog has given me a new insight. It is a foreshadowing of Christ coming to rescue us!
I love how you explained the encouraging and powerful message of God's anger against death and His love for us in conquering death. These are great discussion questions. I look forward to using them with my family today. Thanks, Joe.