Dwell in the Word: Psalm 18:1-3

Think on these questions as you dwell in Psalm 18:1-3:

1. How does David's emphasis on the LORD as his source of strength and security in Psalm 18:1-3 reflect his experiences while being pursued by Saul?

2. In what ways does Psalm 18:1-3 point us to the saving work of Jesus Christ, and how can we apply this understanding to our own lives?

3. Why is it significant that the headings in Psalm 18, particularly the information above verse one, are translated from Hebrew, and what does this detail contribute to our understanding of the Psalm's context and message?

Transcript:

So, Psalm 18 is by far the longest Psalm we've come to since the beginning of the Psalter, and I labored a little on whether or not to break up the psalm, but in order to keep these videos a reasonable length, I decided to break this psalm down and look at it over a few videos. And in this video, we're going to be looking at verses 1 through 3. And as we start out, we see that the information that isn't given a verse number that we read there is important. Usually the headings that we find in our Bibles are not a part of the original text. They're just there to help us make it easier for us as modern readers.

Well, in this case, the stuff above the verse is actually translated from Hebrew and it tells us the very important occasion of the writing of this psalm. It's addressed to Yahweh on the day that David was delivered from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. Well this psalm praises God from 1 of the most significant moments in the life of David. And we're introduced to David when he is selected to be anointed as king of Israel even though Saul is presently the king. Remember, Samuel is shocked that God has him anoint the youngest child of Jesse. And once we get to know David, the story twists and turns quite a bit. David finds favor in the house of Saul, but eventually Saul is out to get him. And there's 1 famous story where David has an easy opportunity to overtake Saul, but David refuses to ambush Saul and take his life. But still, Saul pursues David, but we know that God protects him from the hand of Saul, and when Saul dies, David comes to his rightful place as the king of Israel. And you can imagine the joy that David must have felt that he was no longer running for his life. And what I want us to notice as we look at this psalm is the fact that David does not claim that he is somehow crafty or he is smart, but instead his emphasis on the fact that the Lord is the 1 who delivered him from the hand of his enemies. And we see this expressed right away with verses 1 & 2 as he declares that this is the Lord, Yahweh, who is his strength.

And verse 2 uses some language to describe God that is found in multiple places in the Salter. We read that Yahweh is a rock and a fortress. David was not protected by his own might, but God has kept him safe. And I think about what David experienced, and this is strong imagery for me. David was on the run. He was not the king. He didn't have the power of the state at his back. He didn't have military fortresses. He hid in caves and he had to stay on the move. He wasn't hunkered down in a stronghold. Instead, his stronghold, his fortress, moved around with him because the Lord was his fortress. Large rocks and fortresses don't move, but no matter where David went, he had the strength and security of the Lord. And notice how David emphasizes this idea that God is his source of security and defense. He says he's a shield, he's the horn of his salvation, he is his stronghold. Because God has rescued him, what does David do? We see in verse 3 a phrase you likely know well from the Psalms, I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised and he is saved from his enemies. And the praise that the psalmist brings to God is because of this saving work for him. And we most assuredly praise God for all of his attributes, his power, his majesty, his holiness. But something we see in the Psalms and in all of the scriptures is that 1 of the most important reasons that we praise God is because he rescues his people. And with that theme at the beginning of this psalm for us, we can clearly see a theme pointing us to the Lord Jesus Christ in this psalm. He is the 1 who saves us from our greatest enemy. David was on the run from Saul, but we have an enemy we can't run from.

Death is coming for each and every last 1 of us, and we have no refuge or deliverance within ourselves. We need a stronghold in the face of that reality. We call upon the Lord because we know that we need salvation and we are saved from our enemy. May our lives be filled with praises such as David's as we relish in the joy of our salvation. For the Lord is our only strength and fortress. He alone is our shield. May we daily rise in praise of our God, knowing that we have found our refuge and our stronghold in Him. As we finish up, let's have a quick word of prayer. Almighty God, we come before you with hearts full of praise and gratitude. Just as David declared, you are our rock and our fortress and our deliverer. In times of trouble, you are our refuge and strength. We call upon you, knowing that you are worthy to be praised and that You are the 1 who saves us from our enemy. Thank you for your unfailing protection and deliverance. May we always remember that our strength and our security come from you alone. As we face the trials and challenges of life, remind us to rely on you, our shield and our stronghold, our fortress. Fill our hearts with joy and praise for the salvation that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, amen. All right, that is Psalm 18, 1 through 3. Next time we'll look at verses 4 through 19. We'll see you then.