Psalm 18

Psalm 18

The Rock of Deliverance

I.                    God alone is our Rock of Deliverance, so we must praise Him for His faithfulness in all seasons of life (Vv. 1-3)

a.       As David considers all the circumstances of his life, and how God has moved to deliver Him over and over, he’s moved to praise God and declare his love for him. His reference to God as his rock, points to the unchanging and stable nature of who God is and what he does, regardless of our circumstances. When David was experiencing seasons of success, it was God who was his shield that protected him in the heat of battle, and his strength and horn of salvation which powered him to victory. When David was experiencing persecution and threats from enemies which he couldn’t withstand, it was God who was his fortress to which he could retreat, refuge in which he could hide, and his deliverer who sustained his life. Repeatedly David faced danger and death; repeatedly David turned to God for help and victory; and repeatedly God, his Rock of Deliverance, saved him from his enemies and proved Himself to be the only worthy of all praise. (Vv. 1-3; 1 Sam. 2:1; 16:1-13; 18:9, 11; 19:9-10; 2 Sam. 2:1-7; 15:1-10; 18:33; Ps. 19:14; 31:23-24; 33:20-22; 84:9; 95:1; 96:4; 145:3; Luke 1:69)

II.                 God alone is our Rock of Deliverance, so we must praise Him because He sets us free in our distress (Vv. 4-27)

a.       Now David begins to recall the details of the seasons in his life in which God delivered him. Many time David felt the pressure of enemies and the grip of death pressing in on him, causing him to flee, and cry out to God for help, but he was always confident that God heard his voice and responded. God shook the earth, and moved in like an extraordinarily powerful thunderstorm in His anger at those who threatened His anointed servant. Like He delivered His people through the sea in the Exodus, God delivered David through the waters of difficulties, and from the fierce storm of those who hated him and desired to destroy him. (Vv. 4-18; Exod. 2:10; 15:8; 19:16-18; 20:18, 21; 24:16-18; Ps. 23:4; 69:2, 15; 77:17; 88:16-18; Isa. 6:1-5; 43:1-2; Matt. 17:1-6; 27:50-54; Rev. 4:1-11) 

b.       God delivered David from his tight place, and set him free in open spaces because He delighted in him. David says God delighted in him because of his righteousness and his clean hands. Had David done something special that made him more righteous and clean than others, that earned God’s delight? No, this is after David was still a sinful human being, but in his great sin, David repented and sought God’s mercy, grace, and love over all else. David describes his relationship with God in which God washed him clean and credited him with righteousness. The way we relate to God determines the way He relates to us. God delights in David because he delights in God. But if anyone persists in unrepentant sin against God, His love for them remains, but eventually, in His righteousness and equity, He must leave them in the sin which they’ve chosen over Him. We know that God is for us, and delights in us, because He sent Jesus to pay our penalty for sin, that we might be restored to Him. God alone is our Rock of Deliverance and He continually delivers those in whom He delights because they delight in Him through faith in His Son! (Vv. 19-27; Deut. 7:7-8a; 27; 28; Ps. 37:4-5; 51:4, 16-17; Matt. 5:3-12; 10:32-33; John 3:16-21, 36; 13:8-10; 15:3; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 1:18-32; 3:23; 6:16-23; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-10)  

III.              God alone is our Rock of Deliverance, so we must praise Him because He is solid footing, equipping us for strength and victory (Vv. 28-45)

a.       David’s relationship with God has led him into deeper understanding of who God is and how faithful He is to stoop down and come to the rescue those in whom He delights. No one is like God. God is perfect, His Word is proven true and faithful over and over, and He alone is the solid Rock of refuge for those who belong to Him. He faithfully delivers His faithful children, and sets our feet firmly in Him so we never slip. In Him, His children are equipped in strength for victory and deliverance from all enemies, and to overcome all obstacles. He desires that we cast our cares and difficulties on Him, walk humbly in Him, trust fully in Him, and He’ll exalt us at the proper time and set our feet on His solid ground.                   (Vv. 28-45; Ps. 27:1; 40:2; 113:4-6; Prov. 3:5-8; Isa. 57:15; Matt. 7:24-27; Rom. 8:31-39; Phil 2:2-11; 1 Pet. 5:6-11) 

IV.               God alone is our Rock of Deliverance, so we must praise Him because His salvation is solid and eternal (Vv. 46-50)

a.       David again blesses the Lord as his Rock and God of his salvation, who delivers him from his violent enemies. God’s victories in David’s life, blessed David, but also accomplished His great and eternal salvation through Jesus. David understood that his deliverance was our deliverance because he believed God. (Vv. 46-50; Deut. 32:43; Ps. 117:1; Isa. 11:10; 32:1-2; Matt. 21:42-44; Rom. 15:8-13; Rev. 11:15)