Second Samuel 22:18

The Bible says in Second Samuel 22:18-25, “He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.[19] They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.[20] He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.[21] The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.[22] For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.[23] For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.[24] I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.[25] Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.” In the previous verses David prayed to the Lord for help. In these verses we se that David’s prayers were answered. David had two things going on in his life: the spiritual enemies that were “too strong” for him, and the Lord who is, of course, too strong for the enemies. We know that David prayed to the Lord for help, and we see in these verses a couple of other reasons that the Lord helped David. David said in verse twenty that God “delighted” in him. God wants to be loved. He offers His love to everyone, but only a few return it. Those who honor the Father through faith in Christ, and those who choose Christ instead of the world and instead of sin are in a very good place because the Almighty God delights in them. David wanted to do the right thing: that is the true motivation of everyone who comes to faith in Christ. One reason to do right is because the holy God brings consequences into everyone’s life based upon what each person does. Do right, and if you do not do right, ask the Lord to forgive you. Thankfully, Jesus always forgives.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 22:26-28, “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.[27] With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.[28] And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.” These verses are a statement of the great spiritual principle that you will reap what you sow. It is important that you learn to be merciful. It is one of the requirements for obtaining mercy from God. Those who come to God through faith in Christ have tasted the sweet mercy of God, and therefore should easily show mercy to others. Since we are all sinners, there will be many times in life when we will need to show mercy to others. They will sin, and they will sin against us. If we are not merciful, we will become vengeful, bitter, and mean people. Notice that verse twenty-seven speaks of the importance of purity. Purity refers to being clean. There are things that are morally dirty. Stay away from those things or they will result in even more filth. “To the pure all things are pure.” If you do things that are corrupt (froward), then even more corrupt things will happen to you. God cares about those who are humble and cast down. God helps those who have been attacked and crushed (the afflicted.) But God knows “the haughty” (the proud ones.) It is the final result that matters most. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “…For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

The Bible says in Second Samuel 22:29-33, “For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.[30] For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.[31] As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.[32] For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?[33] God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.” In these verses David is saying some good things about God. God is David’s lamp. By saying that, David is recognizing that there is spiritual darkness in this world, and David knows that the solution to being delivered from that darkness is spiritual light that comes only from God. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world.” If you do not come to Jesus, you will stay in darkness. In verse thirty David remembers things that he had done in his life with God’s help. David had been a warrior. He had been in many battles with hand to hand combat. David had literally run through the enemy soldiers unscathed. David had leaped over a wall. David’s athletic prowess was demonstrated on the battlefield, not in an arena. And David gave God the glory for what he accomplished.

David said about God in verse thirty-one, “his way is perfect.” Go with God, and then you are going the right way. Jesus said, “Follow me…” Become a follower of Christ. Then and only then are you going the right way. But in order to follow Him, you must make the Word of God an important part of your life. David knew the value of the Word of God. He also said in verse thirty-one, “the word of the LORD is tried.” The Word is reliable. The Word is true. The Word has proved itself in ages past as well as in your own life, if you have ever used it. David is at the end of his life when he is saying these words. He is saying what he learned in his life. He learned the importance of the Word of God. And David also learned the importance of trusting in God. At the end of verse thirty-one David said that God “is a buckler to all them that trust in him.” In order to get the benefits that God offers, we must put our trust in Him. That is how we get saved. To believe means to trust. The moment that you trust in Jesus to be your Savior, He becomes your Savior. These words were told to the Philippian jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” And then you use the same principle of faith to face each day. For everything that comes your way, you put your trust in Christ. In other words, you rely on the Lord and what He will do. In verses thirty-two and thirty-three David said that God is a “rock,” God is his “strength,” and God is “power.” Always remind yourself that God can do anything. Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.” And Jesus said, “All power is given unto me.” At the end of verse thirty-three David says that God “maketh my way perfect.” David’s way became perfect. In verse thirty-one it says that God’s way is perfect, and now we see that David’s way is perfect too. That is because David followed God. David knew the power of God. David remembered what God had already done for him. David knew the value of the Word of God. And David trusted in God. The result of all that was that David’s way was perfect. In other words, the path that David took in life was God’s will.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 22:34-41, “He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.[35] He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.[36] Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.[37] Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.[38] I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.[39] And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.[40] For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.[41] Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.” David continued to use several circumstances of the battlefield to demonstrate how much God protected him and provided for him even in those extremely difficult circumstances. David could run fast, he could break a bow of steel with his bare hands, and in verse forty David mentioned that he had “strength to battle.” And of course, with all that strength and ability and with God’s help, David defeated his enemies time after time. David not only defeated Goliath, but David also defeated the armies of the Philistines, and he defeated the insurrectionists that rose up against him.

David was involved in real combat, in real wars. In those wars, he relied upon the power of God. It is interesting how much those real battles paralleled the spiritual battles that we all must fight. It says in Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.[11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The Bible says in Second Samuel 22:42-46, “They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.[43] Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.[44] Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.[45] Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.[46] Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.” David starts out these verses by telling us a little bit about those who are not true believers. He says in verse forty-two that they had “none to save.” That is a scary place to be. Everyone needs a Savior. If they do not have a Savior, they are lost. It will be terrible to stand before the Judge of the whole earth without a Savior. It will not end well. That is why we pray for them. Hopefully, they will turn to Christ before it is too late. But they have none to save them in this life either. They called upon God, but David said that God “answered them not.” A lot of people call upon God when they are in some kind of distress, just to get out of the distress; but that does not mean that they really repented and turned to Jesus. It says in Proverbs 1:24-31, “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;[25] But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:[26] I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;[27] When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.[28] Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:[29] For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:[30] They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.[31] Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”

The Bible says in Second Samuel 22:47-51, “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.[48] It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,[49] And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.[50] Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.[51] He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.” As he looks back on his life, David gives glory to God for everything. The first thing that David says about God in these verses is: “The LORD liveth.” That is why the grave did not keep Jesus. Jesus lives forevermore, and Jesus gives life to everyone who believes in Him. Twice in verse forty-seven Davis calls God his “rock.” The only sure foundation is to have Jesus as Savior. God will give you character. God will give you a place to stand that will never fail you. All other ground is sinking sand. David also used the word “salvation” twice in reference to God: once in verse forty-seven and once in verse fifty-one. Of course, the most important salvation that you can receive is the salvation of your soul. Only Jesus can give that to you. And then once you have Jesus as Savior, He can deliver you from any trouble and from any enemy in this life too. Because David was king during times of war and rebellion, David had many enemies. David was not delivered by his own strength and his own abilities. David knew that God had delivered him. David said in verse forty-eight, “It is God that avengeth me.” Learn to trust in God. Do not take vengeance on your enemies. Pray for them. Notice that David said in verse fifty-one, “sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David.” David knew that he was a sinner too, and David relied upon “mercy” from God. Jesus is always merciful. David knew that he was “anointed.” In other words, David knew that God had a plan for his life, and that plan would be fulfilled. The same is true for each of us who believe in Jesus.

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