David writes about the Lord delivering him from the hand of Saul in Psalm 18. This psalm is also recorded in 2 Samuel 22. I focused on Psalm 18:1-31 the other week noticing these 31 verses repeat truths which fall into one of four categories – who God is, what God does, what God has, and what the human (who loves God) does. Below is how I fit the verses into the four categories. May you be comforted by the truth of God’s Word, who he is, and what he does. Whatever you are facing today, here is what is true about the God of the Bible.
God is . . .
- My strength (v.1)
- My rock (mentioned 2 times here and again in v.31), my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my shield, my strength, my stronghold or fortified place to protect me from attack (v. 2)
- Worthy to be praised (v.3)
- Angry because his child is in distress (vv.6-7)
- Covered in darkness (v.11), see Job 36:26-33
- My support (v.18)
- Perfect, true, a shield (v.30)
- The Lord (v.31)
What God does . . .
- Saves me from my enemies (v.3)
- Hears my voice, hears my cry (v.6)
- Comes down (v.9)
- Comes swiftly (v.10)
- Utters his voice (v.13)
- Sends out arrows (disasters) to scatter and route people (v.14), see Deut 32:23
- Rebukes (v.15)
- Rescues me from my enemies (vv.16-17)
- Brings me into a wide open freeing space (v.19)
- Rescues me because he delighted in me (v.19)
- Deals with me and rewards me according to my works (v.20, 24)
- Shows himself merciful to the merciful (v.25)
- Shows himself blameless to the blameless (v.25)
- Shows himself pure to the purified (v.26)
- Makes himself seem complex, twisted and confusing to the crooked, twisted and confused (v.26)
- Saves the humble (v.27)
- Brings down the haughty (v.27)
- Lightens my darkness (v.28)
God has . . .
- Ears (v.6) and hears me
- Nostrils (v.8, 15) and with them brings wrath and rebukes
- A mouth (v.8) and with it brings wrath
- Feet (v.9) on thick darkness, which is where God is (See Ex 20:21, 1 Kings 8:12)
- A voice (v.13) which speaks and judges with thunder, hailstones, and coals of fire (See 1 Sam 2:10)
What the human, who loves God, is doing . . .
- Loving God (v.1)
- Taking refuge in God (v.2)
- Calling upon God (v.3, 6)
- Crying out to God for help (v.6)
- Keeping the ways of God and not departing from him (v.21)
- Keeping God’s rules before him or her and not putting his Word away from himself or herself (v.22)
- Keeping himself or herself blameless before God (v.23)
- Leaping [like a deer] over a wall (v.29), see Isaiah 35:6
- Taking refuge in God (v.30)
Application
If we are the Lord’s, we are in a relationship with him. He is personal. He saves, hears, speaks, and rescues. And to those who oppose us, he rebukes, judges, scatters, and brings down.
Of all the bullet points and verses above, I want to focus on Psalm 18:9. Our God comes down to us! He has come down throughout redemptive history. Psalm 18:9 and Isaiah 64:1 declare it. Genesis 11:5 shows God come down as a people are trying to reach him. The end of Exodus depicts God coming down to fill the tabernacle to dwell among his people. Each gospel proclaims God taking on human flesh and coming down to tabernacle among his people. After God defeats death and resurrects, Acts 1:11 announces Jesus will come down again at his return in the same way he ascended. Then Revelation 20-21 tells us of that great day when Jesus will come down from heaven for his bride and completely seize Satan. That greatly anticipated day when the holy city, the new Jerusalem, also comes down and the dwelling place of God is with man forever. We will be his people, and he will be with us as our God – forever.
Until that day, love God. Call upon him. Take refuge in him. Cry out to him. Keep his ways. Do not depart from him. He is coming down again!