Psalm 18

Psalm 18:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3  I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 4  The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5  The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. 6  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

God is able to provide so many helps to our lives, and this passage reveals that we must be looking to the Lord for all we need.

  1.  God is My Strength

We get weary in well doing and the Bible tells us that we can go to the Lord for rejuvenation.  When you are weary, take extra time with God and you will find solace when there seems to be no strength left in your being.  We have an omnipotent God that means all powerful.  Have you taken advantage of this in your life?  What are you struggling with that you are lifting on your own?  God can be your strength.

  1. God is My Security

In our text, God is called my rock and my fortress.  What does this mean to you and I?  Albert Barnes in his commentary on this Psalm has the following comment:

“The word “rock” here has reference to the fact that in times of danger a lofty rock would be sought as a place of safety, or that men would fly to it to escape from their enemies. Such rocks abound in Palestine; and by the fact that they are elevated and difficult of access, or by the fact that those who fled to them could find shelter behind their projecting crags, or by the fact that they could find security in their deep and dark caverns, they became places of refuge in times of danger; and protection was often found there when it could not be found in the plains below. The word fortress means a place of defense, a place so strengthened that an enemy could not approach it, or where one would be safe. Such fortresses were often constructed on the rocks or on hills, where those who fled there would be doubly safe.”

3.  God is My Savior

 

In our text, God is called my deliverer and the horn of my salvation.  Again, the commentator pens these thoughts. “The “horn” is to animals the means of their defense. Their strength lies in the horn. Hence, the word is used here, as elsewhere, to represent that to which we owe our protection and defense in danger; and the idea here is, that God was to the psalmist what the horn is to animals, the means of his defense.”  Horns in the Bible represent power, so God being the horn of salvation is the power of salvation.  He saves and keeps me.

Hallelujah: What a Savior!

Hallelujah! Praise His name. Sorrowed man, no earthly fame.

He came to serve, to save mankind. No fault in Him could Pilate find.

Still they nailed Him to the tree To bear the shame of Calvary.

For sinful men He suffered long, Mocked and scourged by maddened throng.

“Forgive them, Father!” was His cry; Then, at last, He chose to die.

A handful bore Him to the tomb; No Bethlehem; friends made Him room.

The old, old story ended here Would leave us only doubt and fear;

But Christ the bonds of gravedom broke. In three days, Son of man awoke!

Ascended now on throne to reign, Praise God! This one will come again!