Psalm 18

David was not only a great king and ‘a man after God’s own heart’ but also an incredible poet.

Psalm 18 is one of those psalms where David just lets rip his poetic creativity and powerful imagery flows from his pen. David had been delivered from so many enemies; not only Saul in his bloodthirsty lust to kill him but also the armies of the surrounding nations. David had complete confidence that God could and would deliver him from them all.

This all started with a young man who stood fearlessly, armed only with stones and a sling, facing a giant who had intimidated every seasoned Israelite soldier. David was not an arrogant youth but a confident young man, confident not in his own abilities but in his God who had delivered him as a shepherd boy from the lion and bear.

David took this confidence in the Lord out into the desert where he hid from Saul’s bloodlust. He may have sheltered in desert strongholds, behind rocks and in caves but he knew his real rock and stronghold was the Lord. He and he alone could save him ‘from the cords of death that entangled him’.

David knew that if he cried out to God in his distress, God would answer and he would come down in a full display of awesome might calling upon all creation to deliver his precious son. The writing is exquisite. The mental pictures that are conjured up of creation trembling as the Creator comes forth with fire, smoke, clouds, darkness, rain, lightning and thunder  are incredible.

The Creator God parts the clouds and rides the cherubim, the royal attendants, as he comes to rescue his beloved one who is struggling against enemies too powerful for him who are threatening his very existence.

God reaches down from on high and lifts his precious one out of the deep waters that he is drowning in and from which he cannot escape and places him in a spacious place. He is no longer confined by the cords of death and their entanglement but he is liberated to live in openness and freedom.

The first section of Psalm 18 starts with a declaration of David’s devotion to the Lord and ends with an assurance of God’s delight in him. It is because of this delight that he rescues him from his enemies. This is not an irritated God coming to rescue a wayward child who has got into trouble again but a devoted father coming to rescue his beloved son who is being harassed by powerful enemies. The Lord comes in might, majesty, power and authority to overthrow every enemy using all of his creation to do so.

The imagery in this psalm is powerful and is a great assurance to us that if we cry out to God in our affliction, he can and will deliver us from every negative circumstance that would try and entangle us and he does this out of incredible personal devotion to each one of his beloved children.