2 Samuel - Lesson 22B

**2 Samuel series originally taught by Stephen Armstrong. Chapter 20 onwards taught by Wesley Livingston**

• Our last time together, I said that the verses we would cover tonight, according to some, would seem controversial.

  • The reason being is due to some individuals’ interpretive approaches in understanding David’s expression of thankfulness.

    • However, as we will see tonight and as we began to see last time, David’s reflection of God’s goodness and provision was based upon God alone.

  • David, through his writing will speak to God’s blessing and provision as an outworking of man’s obedience and submission to God.

    • To put it another way, the blessings of the Lord come through our obedience to the Lord.

  • Time and again, we see in the second giving of the Law in Deuteronomy 28, the Law outlines for Israel the reward for their obedience and their curses regarding disobedience.

    • As you dive more into the Old Testament and the Law, you find that the Law was the guide by which Israel was to obey.

    • And in return, because of their obedience, the Lord would provide blessing.

  • So when we move to the New Testament, for those in Christ, the principles of the Old Testament set the template by which the believer experiences growth and blessing in Christ.

    • That for the believer, through your obedience comes blessing and reward which will be seen at the Bema Seat Judgement.

    • And for the believers who do not obey but continue in sin, there is loss of rewards at the Bema Seat.

  • So, where salvation is connected to physical deliverance by obeying God’s Law which renders long life, and blessing for Israel in the Hebrew Bible…

    • Salvation in the New Testament is directly linked to one’s faith in the only Living Hope, Jesus Christ.

  • So what we discover from the Hebrew Bible are the principles by which can be applied or reveal for us how and what the New Testament writers express we have richly in Christ.

• What we are going to see tonight in our text regarding David’s song of deliverance are the following:

  • 1. Obedience and Faithfulness to the Lord (vv.20-25)

  • 2. How Yahweh Rewards the Faithful (vv.26-30)

  • 3. The Excellence of the Lord experienced in the Lord (vv.31-51)

• If I were to put a tag on tonight’s text, it would simply be: David’s Praise to the Lord.

2 Samuel 22:21 “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
2 Samuel 22:22 “For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not acted wickedly against my God.
2 Samuel 22:23 “For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
2 Samuel 22:24 “I was also blameless toward Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.
2 Samuel 22:25 “Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness before His eyes.

• On the onset of verses 21-25, it seems as if David is speaking to his own personal righteousness as if his moral capacity or standing has kept him well before the Lord.

  • But if we were to assess David’s life from a 30,000 ft view, it won’t take us too long to see the many failures and misdeeds of his life.

    • So, to assume that David’s hands and life is somehow clean of sin and guilt would be a far stretch.

    • However, what is not a far stretch is the success that David possessed because of his obedience and faithfulness to the Lord.

  • Notice that the benefits in which David receives God’s righteousness is not based upon any meritorious works that David has done.

    • Rather, David has been deemed righteous.

    • The question becomes how has David been awarded righteousness or deemed righteous.

    • Well, the text tells us in verse 22, because he has “kept the ways of the Lord”.

  • In other words, David has dedicated himself to obey the word of the Lord and His ways, as best he could.

    • David is made righteous and clean before a Holy God because he has set himself to do the word of God.

    • Friends, this same principle stands true for how men and woman come to faith in Christ today!

  • We are counted as righteous before God when we respond to the provision in which God has made for us to be made right before Him.

    • Plainly put, salvation cannot be attained by our own meritorious works and efforts (works).

    • As Paul would say, our works are like filthy rags and do not appease the wrath of God.

    • Only what the Son has accomplished on the cross has fully satisfied God’s condition of payment.

    • And through the Son’s blood is there remission of sins and forgiveness by which saves us!

  • The same goes for how Abraham was made righteous.

    • It was not based upon Abraham’s perfect track record or his ability to do things right before God, but rather Abraham simply believed.

    • Check out Genesis 15:4-6.

Genesis 15:4  Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 
Genesis 15:5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 
Genesis 15:6  Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

• • So, in Genesis 15, we see the first expression of Justification.

    • Abraham trusted God’s word as being true and trustworthy and in the same way so did David trust what God told him regarding his rule and descendants (Davidic Covenant).

  • Plainly put, salvation is attained through the work that the Son accomplished.

    • At the same rate we find both, in scripture and life, that the opposite of obedience is the rejection of truth and righteousness.

    • That to oppose God is to find the path of utter demise!

    • It’s like driving on the road knowing what the speed limit is yet you make a personal decision to disobey the limits the Law has established.

  • So, it’s through David’s faithful obedience to the Lord and His Law that David, in the sight of the Lord, is found righteous.

    • Moving on in verses 23-25 we find that in rightfully pursuing and adhering to God’s ways and commands, that there is benefit and blessing.

  • Verse 23 begins by saying that the ordinances or commands of the Lord were before David.

    • And as David kept his eyes and diligence towards the things of God, despite the things around him, he says that his steps were ordered.

    • As we move throughout the duration of this chapter, we will see how David’s ability to overcome the external and internal threats come about because of God’s divine provision.

  • We can’t get past verses 20-25 without seeing how David is blameless, preserved, kept from iniquity, and deemed righteous.

    • That means God’s provision and grace towards David is because of David’s faithful loyalty and obedience to God.

    • Paul states a similar point in Colossians 1:21-22 regarding how Christ’s finished work on the cross has accomplished this spiritual reality for the believer in Him. Check out the text:

Colossians 1:21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 
Colossians 1:22  yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

• We all, prior to placing our faith in Christ, were alienated and hostile in mind towards the things of God.

  • However, Paul furthers explains this point by making known how those far from God can be made right with God.

  • What is such good news is identifying the fact that it is not us presenting ourselves before a Holy God.

  • For if this were the case, our efforts would not even get us to the starting line.

  • Paul tells us that it is in Christ, through His death, which is the penalty of sin, Who presents us before Holy God as blameless and beyond reproach.

    • Here’s the good news: Being that we are in Christ, the maintaining of our blamelessness and righteousness rest in Christ alone.

    • And even when we fall short of the Glory of God and fail because of our sin nature, Christ is faithful to forgive our sins.

    • This is why John says these words in 1 John 1:9:

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

• David understood that the strength, provision, and safety of the Lord was fully realized in his trust and obedience in the Lord.

  • We cannot expect the blessings of God if we are not yielding to the word of God!

  • Check out verses 26-30.

2 Samuel 22:26 “With the kind You show Yourself kind, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
2 Samuel 22:27 With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverted You show Yourself astute.
2 Samuel 22:28 “And You save an afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase.
2 Samuel 22:29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord; And the Lord illumines my darkness.
2 Samuel 22:30 “For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.

• David continues in verses 26-30 by providing statements of reciprocation regarding God’s response to those in whom respond to Him in sincerity and faithful obedience.

  • As a reminder, understand what this does not mean; this does not mean that those who are believers in Christ won’t make mistakes (sin).

    • However, it does indicate that, because we are in Christ, we have an Advocate with the Father, as Christ is seated in His Session.

    • 1 John 2:1 puts it this way:

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

• In other words, those in who’s faith is in Jesus, finds a righteous response in Christ according to His own faithfulness.

  • Friends, this is good news because it speaks to the reality that we hold no stake in the upholding of our spiritual walk with God.

  • Our sanctification is upheld through the person of Christ according to what He has done in obedience to the Father’s Will.

  • So, what David has documented for the reader here is God’s faithfulness to His word when those who trust in Him abide by His very word and promise.

    • David says that with those who demonstrate kindness in their ways to the Lord, so the Lord returns that kindness to them.

    • With those who seek to be blameless (walk in integrity) in the sight of the Lord, by keeping with the commands of the Lord, so does the Lord return that same integrity of faithfulness to them.

    • Plainly put, the measure of trust and obedience that is displayed in our walk with the Lord is the measure in which the Lord rewards to you and I.

  • It’s like going to the gym for your daily workout routine and you expecting to gain muscle and accomplish your body goals.

    • Yet you fail to come under the pressure and pain of the weights in the gym.

    • If you don’t bear under the weight of the weights in the gym, how can you expect to gain fruitful growth in your goals.

    • The same holds true to our spiritual development in Christ!

  • That although you may be a believer in Christ, if you fail to come under the weight of the Lordship of Jesus in your obedience to His word, then you will not gain the benefits of the spiritual life you have been graciously given.

    • David’s point is, what you put in regarding your abiding relationship with the Lord is what you will get out.

    • So, the question is how intimate do you desire to be with the Lord?!

  • As Frances Ridley Havergal wrote in her hymn, “Like a River, Glorious is God’s Perfect Peace” she says towards the end:

    • “Those who trust Him (God) wholly find Him wholly true.”

    • David demonstrates this great sense of familiarity and intimacy with the Lord and so does the Lord desire of you and I.

  • It’s in verse 27b that we see this sense of reciprocity holds true in the reverse for those who are not believers.

    • In other words, the Lord’s response to the haughty, the perverted and the evil, renders them a similar response as well when they reject His Law.

    • That the same way in which God is both Just and the Justifier, the integrity within Himself must hold true the same.

  • So, when there are those who stand opposed to a Holy God and who seek to distort His truth, the Lord will handle them accordingly.

    • This is why we must learn as believers that vengeance is not ours but the Lord’s.

    • There is no greater retaliation or response to evil or wrongdoing than when it is accomplished by a Just and Holy God.

  • We often find ourselves in situations where we want to retaliate or make someone suffer because of how they may have treated us in various situations.

    • However, there is nothing more satisfying than when you allow the Lord to fight your battles for you.

    • Why? Because it causes you to maintain your integrity before the Lord and as the scriptures tell us vengeance belongs to the Lord. (Romans 12:19-21)

  • This is why David can say in verse 28, “And you save an afflicted people;”

    • David had seen time and again the faithfulness of the Lord toward Him.

    • That when the enemies of Israel sought to bring about destruction, the Lord upheld David and his army.

    • When David was being chased by Saul who sought to kill him, it was the Lord that shielded David.

    • When Absalom concocted a coupe to tear away the Kingdom from David, it was the Lord who had the final say in Absalom’s demise.

    • David’s battle against the Philistines, even in his weariness, the Lord strengthened those around David to defend and protect David as the “lamp of Israel”.

  • I could go on and on providing example after example of how David overcame despite his shortcomings.

    • And what we see in every instance is that David knew who He served and most importantly David knew that His God was a promise-keeping God!

    • He kept entrusting himself unto the Lord!

  • Verses 29-30, David begins both verses beginning with the object of His help.

    • He says, “For You are my lamp” meaning that the Lord shined forth the direction in which David should go even with calamity all around him.

    • “For by You I can run upon troops” meaning that the Lord provided the strength and ability necessary to accomplish the victories over his enemies.

  • What powerful pictures and imagery of how David describes his own frailty and inability.

    • Yet, in the very same stroke of his pen he acknowledges who provides the wind beneath his wings.

    • David can do these things because God is at work through David!

  • How much could we accomplish for the Lord through the opportunities He provides for us if we took the effort to abide in Him, daily?

    • Better yet, how much of our spiritual lives are handicapped, in a sense, because of our lack of faithfulness to His word?

    • Imagine if we walked by the Spirit according to the power that is at work within us (Holy Spirit)?

    • Observe David’s unyielding and fearless trust in the Lord as he pens Psalm 27:1-6:

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
Psalm 27:2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
Psalm 27:3 Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.
Psalm 27:4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
Psalm 27:6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

• • I pray that each of us can attain to this great level of intimacy that David experienced with God.

    • What becomes so encouraging is that although the Holy Spirit did not permanently indwell men in the Old Testament, He does today in believers.

    • So, how much more can we experience all that the Lord desires for us to experience in Him by and through His Spirit?

    • Let’s check out our last chunk of Chapter 22 by reading through verses 31-49.

2 Samuel 22:31 “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
2 Samuel 22:32 “For who is God, besides the Lord? And who is a rock, besides our God?
2 Samuel 22:33 “God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way.
2 Samuel 22:34 “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me on my high places.
2 Samuel 22:35 “He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
2 Samuel 22:36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help makes me great.
2 Samuel 22:37 “You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
2 Samuel 22:38 “I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
2 Samuel 22:39 “And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; And they fell under my feet.
2 Samuel 22:40 “For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
2 Samuel 22:41“You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me.
2 Samuel 22:42 “They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
2 Samuel 22:43 “Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and stamped them as the mire of the streets.
2 Samuel 22:44 “You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people; You have kept me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me.
2 Samuel 22:45 “Foreigners pretend obedience to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me.
2 Samuel 22:46 “Foreigners lose heart, And come trembling out of their fortresses.
2 Samuel 22:47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
2 Samuel 22:48 The God who executes vengeance for me, And brings down peoples under me,
2 Samuel 22:49 Who also brings me out from my enemies; You even lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man.

• This is a lengthy section of the text, but it provides us with a full scope of the grandeur and greatness of the Lord.

  • David in verses 31-41 summarizes the Lord’s deliverance of him throughout his life.

    • Notice that David begins by establishing the fact that the Lord’s ways are blameless.

    • Meaning that the Lord’s workings and dealings throughout human history and all eternity is faultless and has been proven true. (Psalm 18:30)

  • If we consider even our own plans in life, it tends to be a trial-and-error type of deal.

    • You may even hear some individuals say that their teacher in life was the “School of Hard Knocks”.

    • However, David mentions that the Lord didn’t need to be instructed in His ways nor sought the counsel of others, because He is God.

    • Isaiah 40:28 says this:

Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.

• Clearly, the word of the Lord is pure and therefore it makes him trustworthy and one in whom we can trust in for all we need.

  • This is why David says in verse 31c that the Lord is a shield to all who take refuge in the Lord.

  • As David scans his life and reflects upon the goodness of the Lord, he sees that there is no one like the Lord.

    • He is described as a shield, a rock and a strong fortress!

    • In other words, the Lord is dependable to those in whom have placed their faith in Him.

  • What this demonstrates to the reader is how the Lord draws near to those in whom trust in Him.

    • There is a great sense of intimacy with Yahweh drawing near and those who trust in Him, abiding with Him.

  • Verse 33b makes a revelatory statement in that we see how the ways of those who trust in the Lord become blameless themselves.

    • Those who trust in the Lord become blameless because the Lord makes them blameless.

    • This is a significant aspect to consider theologically for believers today and speaks to what David mentioned earlier in Chapter 22.

  • To be set means “to be made”. In other words, the blameless position before God is not based upon human meritorious effort.

    • Rather, this is the righteousness of the Lord, making those who have trusted in Him righteous because of His doing!

  • David continues by speaking to God’s justifying work through those who have trusted in Him.

    • Notice time and time again from verses 34-44 David’s wording:

      • “He makes my feet” (v.34)

      • “He trains my hands” (v.35)

      • “Your help makes me great” (v.36b)

      • “You enlarge my steps” (v.37a)

      • “For you have girded me” (v.40a)

      • “You have subdued under me those who rose against me” (v.40b)

      • “You have made my enemies turn their backs (v.41a)

  • Time and again, David recounts how the Lord has provided sure footing for him and has kept him from missteps that could have led to danger.

    • As the King of Israel, David’s decisions would have to be calculated and wise to provide security for the Kingdom.

    • And although David made many missteps in his life as King, the Lord provided the necessary wisdom and people in His life to steer the ship in the right direction.

  • In verse 35 the text says that David’s hands were trained for battle by the Lord.

    • Simply put, it is Yahweh who has made David the skilled fighter that he is. The Lord is David’s strength.

    • And how refreshing is it to know that David does not take credit for any of the victories under his belt.

    • He attributes them all to the Lord who is strong and mighty and who provides the stability he needs.

    • Psalm 46:1 says it this way:

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.

• You might ask how this relates to believers today in how we experience Christ, fully.

  • Well, in the same way that the Lord provided David with the shield of victory, we too possess the shield of faith in Christ.

  • Paul mentions this very means of God’s outworking power and grace to believers in Christ in Ephesians 6:16-17. Check out the text:

Ephesians 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

• Paul outlines the armor of God by first mentioning that we should be strong in the Lord and by the strength of His might.

  • Nowhere does Paul speak to our own human strength or ability, but rather God in Christ.

  • That all that we need and all that we are is found and is complete in the person of Jesus Christ.

  • When we come to the realization that God is at work through us when we submit to the spiritual resources He has provided, everything changes.

  • It is then where we can experience what David did!

    • We will see the Lord make us great, in the sense that we will see Him respond to our needs and make ways of victory, when we respond to His truth! (Sanctification)

  • As believers, circumstances that face us and surround use don’t seem as gigantic when we face them through with Christ.

    • Difficult people don’t become so overwhelming when we allow our steps to be ordered by the Lord.

    • Family drama doesn’t become burdensome when we approach it in the grace and tenderness of the Lord.

  • Understand that the presence of these circumstances is not an indication that God is not there.

    • Rather, it is an opportunity to see that God is nearer than you know. The question is will you call upon the name of the Lord?!

    • So as David says in verse 37, because the Lord has ensured secure footing, David’s ways have not been shaken but sure.

  • David speaks confidently in verses 38-41 because he mentions how his enemies have been trampled.

    • That every attack against them was counted and returned until they were fully consumed by the wrath of the army of Israel.

  • Verses 40-41 then proceeds to mention why David and his army have been so victorious.

    • It is because the Lord has girded Him for battle!

    • It is because the Lord has caused David’s enemies to stumble when they attempted to rise up against him.

  • If you recall, every enemy of David from external nations to internal threats, each were accounted for and received their due penalty of death.

    • And this serves as a reminder to all who stand in enmity with God – that there will come a day that if they do not respond to the Lord and believe, they too will meet a similar fate. (This is the mercy of God! His enemies are given time!)

  • It is those who humbly cry out to the Lord and have placed their faith in Him who will see Him respond to their cry.

    • For verse 42b makes clear that even when those who are enemies of the Lord call out to Him for help, that He will not respond.

  • Well, David continues in verses 43-44 by continuing in his victory over his enemies through the might of Almighty God.

    • That the enemies of David become a spectacle of defeat among the nations and to those domestic threats.

    • One could quickly think through Absalom and Sheba’s assault against the King to remove David from his kingship.

  • It’s in verses 45-46 which offers us some brief insight into how David’s rule in partnership with the Lord garners desired mercy from surrounding nations.

    • David writes that foreigners “pretend” obedience to him.

    • That word for “pretend” in Hebrew is ke-hesh which speaks to a false sense of perceived obedience.

  • In other words, to proctor peace and refrain from future bloodshed, one will demonstrate a placated sense of loyalty or obedience to preserve oneself.

    • Perhaps David is reminded of King Toi of Hamath in 2 Samuel 8:9-12 who sends his son to bring gifts to David after David had defeated his Father.

  • Imagine you and a coworker both went after a job posting at your job and your coworker received the job instead.

    • So out of an attempt to get over your anger you send a bouquet of flowers to show that you have no hard feelings.

    • All the while you believe in your heart you deserve the job, but to protect yourself and be on guard for the next promotion, you befriend the winner with all sorts of gifts.

    • This is what is expressed by David from how these foreigner nations are responding to him.

  • Recognize however, it’s less about David and more about the power that is behind David keeping him afloat and above the chaotic waters of war.

    • These surrounding nations realize that it is David’s God who is behind him and it would be to their benefit to be on his good side.

• David utilizes the remainder of his time in Chapter 22 to speak to the greatness of his deliverer.

  • It’s in verses 47-51, that David gives praise and adoration to the Lord.

    • He begins by saying that the Lord lives.

    • That God is not dead or uninvolved in the affairs of His creation, but rather, God is intimately intertwined in the lives of His creation.

  • God is a solid rock in which David could stand on and not be moved or tossed to and from.

    • He declares that the Lord is the rock of his salvation.

    • Understand, that David is not speaking in the sense of eternal salvation in this context.

    • Salvation in the Old Testament is almost always centered on physical deliverance from danger.

    • So, David is speaking to the delivering power of God in a physical sense.

  • What is interesting to observe within the text is that the Hebrew word for salvation here is ye-sha which means deliverance, rescue, or help.

    • And it’s not by chance that this word is a derivative of Yeshua, which was the name given to Jesus which means to save, to deliver, or to rescue.

  • David sees that the Lord has been his very present help during every battle, every coupe, every trial and circumstance.

    • And in that intimate relationship between David and Yahweh, we see that David’s confidence increased, time after time.

  • Think in terms of a marriage. That you can be married to your spouse, but you two never grow if there is not life encountered together.

    • There is no growth if there has been no communication.

    • That growth in intimacy demands communing with one another.

  • You show me a marriage that has no communication and I’ll show you a failing marriage.

    • But you show me a marriage that is rooted in intimacy and communication, and I will show you a marriage that is thriving and sustained.

  • At the very foundation of David’s relationship with Yahweh is the reality that David sees he is nothing without the Lord.

    • This reality is what brought about immense grief when he sinned against God.

    • This reality is what brought about David’s dependency upon the Lord.

  • That where David’s dependency increased, David also witnessed the Warrior-King fighting on his behalf. (Fellowship with God)

    • That where David’s enemies rose up in great number and skill, the Lord increased David’s ability to overcome them all.

  • And in return to the Lord’s faithfulness to David’s house and descendants, David extends constant adoration and thanksgiving.

    • Check out the last two verses, verses 50-51.

2 Samuel 22:50 “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name.
2 Samuel 22:51 “He is a tower of deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his descendants forever.”

• David concludes Chapter 22 in verses 50-51 by beginning with the word, “Therefore”.

  • In other words, because of all the things in which he has listed regarding God’s provision, faithfulness, mercy, and kindness, he ascribes the following to the Lord.

    • And David says, “I will give thanks to you, O LORD…”

    • Not only will this be a personal praise of thanksgiving regarding who the Lord is and what He has done, but this praise becomes a public proclamation.

  • Notice where David proclaims his praises to the Lord – among the nations and to the Lord Himself.

    • David’s adoration of the Lord is both a public and private praise.

    • This is key in the identity of Christian worship even today. That our lives are to exalt and make much of the Lord both in private and in public.

  • Why would David want to hide who the Lord is to him and what the Lord has done for him?

    • Might I push a bit further to ask: “Why would you want to hide all that the Lord has done for you?”

    • Those whom the Lord has been a strong tower for, a provider for, a way maker for, a healer for, a deliverer for, we can’t keep it to ourselves!

  • There was a song we used to sing in church when I was a teenager, and the lyrics went like this:

What He’s done for me
Is so amazing
The Love He has for me
I can not explain
All I know is I once was lost but now I’m found
I was blind, but now I see
And I know he will do for you
What He’s done for me

• The love of God is an experiential type of love.

  • Meaning, it requires one to not only believe in His word for the assurance of being justified, but to grow in intimacy with Him requires you to walk with Him (abide) – this is sanctification.

  • David knew God to be a tower of deliverance because the Lord had delivered him from many attacks and surrounding nations.

    • Verse 51b says that the Lord showed “lovingkindness to His anointed.”

    • That word “lovingkindness” is the Hebrew word hesed which is an unfailing love as it relates to faithfulness to His covenant.

  • In other words, God’s response to David is due to God’s promise to David because He chose David. (Davidic Covenant)

    • And through God’s promise of His word, and David’s submission to God’s truth in obedience, David reaps the many blessings of the Lord.

    • And beyond that, David can see for Himself the faithfulness of God in all things – even in David’s failures.

  • Finally, it’s in verse 51c, that David says that this covenant-keeping God will continue His loving faithfulness (hesed) to David’s descendants forever.

    • In other words, this is a perpetual promise that will extend to David’s eternal seed, Jesus Christ.

  • David recalls Yahweh’s promise to him in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 which says this:

2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 
2 Samuel 7:13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 
2 Samuel 7:14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 
2 Samuel 7:15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 
2 Samuel 7:16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” 

• And what a beautiful glimpse the Lord provided David to see exactly what Yahweh meant when He said that this promise of a seed forever would be blessed.

  • Turn with me quickly to Psalm 110:1-2 because David, in the Holy Spirit, sees the following as it relates to his eternal descendant.

  • Furthermore, Jesus uses this very verse to address the religious leaders in 1st century AD as it relates to who He is.

Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
Psalm 110:2 The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

• In the Hebrew it reads, “Yahweh said to Adoni, Sit at My right hand.”

  • In other words, David’s descendant was given the seat of high position next to God Himself as a Son to his father.

  • David was given a glimpse of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, his descendant, being given authority and power by God Himself in which Messiah would rule over all.

    • What a gift that must have been for David to have received that vision as to God’s plan!

    • And this plan is accomplished fully in the work of God through the Son of God to the Glory of God.

  • God’s choosing (the elect of God) are instruments of mercy by which we are able to see His plans accomplished in our lives.

    • Not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of His great doing.

    • And what a blessing it is to know that just as God showed Himself to be a promise-keeping God in David’s time, He is doing the same through His Son, Jesus Christ, who’s Spirit indwells us, even today!

    • Let’s Pray.