I Will Love You, O Lord, My Strength! - Psalm 18

 

A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord who spoke unto to 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, the King of Israel. The psalm is, also, found in 2 Samuel 22. Commentary by Dennis Edwards.

In reading the psalm, we can look at it through the eyes and life of David, as he calls out to God in his affliction and persecution from King Saul. We can likewise see it as prophetic of Christ and His affliction and persecution from the hands of wicked men. We can even see it as yet prophetic of the future, when Christ returns to judge the wicked and set up the 1000-year Millennial rule. During His Millennial rule, He will give the unbelievers more time to hear the gospel and come to faith, Revelation 20:1-7. Then comes the final battle of Gog and Magog and the destruction of the surface of the earth by fire, Revelation 20:8-9. The Great White Throne Judgment will follow after, where all the ungodly will be judged righteously according to their works, Revelation 20:11-15.

However, we who are truly Christ’s, shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ at our deaths, and shall receive judgment for the things we have done, whether they be good or bad, 2 Corinthians 5:10. We will take part in the first resurrection at Christ’s coming and the second death, or the death of the soul, will have no power over us, Revelation 20:6. Apostle Paul concludes, “therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men,” 2 Corinthians 5:11a. In other words, knowing that there is a judgment day coming for all of us, and death is not the end, we try to share the light of the gospel with all we come in contact, for that is our commission.

Paul may be feeling the weight of God’s warning to Ezekiel in the Old Testament.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore, hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. When I say unto the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him not warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life (and/or soul for eternity); the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand. Yet if you warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul,” Ezekiel 3:17-19.

As followers of Christ, we have the heavy weight of the urgency of sharing the message of salvation that has been granted undeservedly unto to us. Because of the seriousness of the task God has given us, and our desire to please the Lord and not fail Him, we may at times be over zealous in the commission given unto us. As Christian ambassadors we are instructed to walk in love and truth. We are commissioned to keep the Lord first in our lives and learn how to offer a good defence for the gospel with meekness and respect. That’s the commission that we have from our Lord and Saviour, and that’s one we do not want to fail.

However, we don’t always get it right. At times we may offend others with our zeal, as life is a learning process. But it is our hope and prayer we can be faithful servants of our Lord and not fail to share His message of salvation with all those we meet and interact with.

18 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 my 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.

We can see these verses coming from the heart of Christ at His death on the cross followed by the earthquake that took place either then or at His resurrection 3 days later, see Matthew 27:45-51.

⁷ Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth, (or filled with wrath, anger).

⁸ There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

⁹ He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰ And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹ He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

¹² At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

¹³ The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

¹⁴ Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

¹⁵ Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at Your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

¹⁶ He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

David was delivered from the hand of King Saul and his other enemies. Though it seemed as if Christ's enemies were victorious over Him, three days later He rose from the dead in victory over not only His enemies, but death and sin altogether!

¹⁸ They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

¹⁹ He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

²² For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

²³ I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴ Therefore has the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

We know from the pages of the Sacred Text that David wasn’t always upright and pure. However, Jesus the Christ was indeed so. The words of the psalm at times apply more to Christ than to David himself, as the Holy Spirit was speaking through David prophetically. 

²⁵ With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with an upright man You will show Yourself upright;

²⁶ With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the froward You will show Yourself froward.

²⁷ For You will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.

Jesus said that the meek and humble shall inherit the earth, not the rich and the powerful.

²⁸ For You will light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

²⁹ For by You I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

³¹ For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

³² It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.

³³ He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.

³⁴ He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms.

³⁵ You have also given me the shield of Your salvation: and Your right hand has holden me up, and Your gentleness has made me great.

God, through love, mercy, and truth, is great. He says, “Not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts,” Zechariah 4:6.

³⁶ You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

³⁷ I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

³⁸ I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

³⁹ For You have girded me with strength unto the battle: You have subdued under me those that rose up against me.

⁴⁰ You have also given me the necks of my enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

⁴¹ They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

⁴² Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

⁴³ You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; and You have made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴ As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

⁴⁵ The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

The ultimate judgment is coming both before and after the rapture event. Before His coming the tribulation trumpets found in Revelation 8-10 will sound and bring the plagues of tribulation upon the world. Following the rapture of the righteous, the vials or bowels of wrath shall be poured out upon the wicked and unbelieving, Revelation 16. Armageddon will end with Christ taking over the world for that 1000-year reign, Revelation 19:11-21. All His judgments are made in the hope that the unbeliever will repent and turn to the God of our fathers, Jesus Christ.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

⁴⁷ It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people under me.

⁴⁸ He delivers me from my enemies: yea, You lift me up above those that rise up against me: You have delivered me from the violent man.

As David was delivered from Saul, so Christ shall deliver the world from that “violent man,” the “man of sin,” the "son of perdition," the Antichrist, who may soon rise in power on the earth. Apostle John wrote, “Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know it is the last time…Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ. He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son,” 1 John 2:18 & 22.  If John believed that he was living in the last time, how much more should we who have seen many more Bible prophecies fulfilled?

The Antichrist shall be thrown into the lake of fire and Satan, his spiritual influence, shall be bound for a thousand years and cast into a bottomless pit, Revelation 19:20 & 20:2-3. Some have interpreted the bottomless pit as being in the heart or centre of the earth where the forces of gravity would make it seem to be bottomless. First you would fall one way, then the other, never reaching a bottom.

⁴⁹ Therefore will I give thanks unto You, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto Your name.

⁵⁰ Great deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

The happy ending is that Satan and Antichrist will be defeated, Revelation 20:10. The forces of evil shall be overthrown and the forces of love and truth through Jesus Christ the Messiah shall reign supreme for ever and ever. Don’t miss the boat because of pride or lethargy. Call out to God today. He will hear your cry and answer. He will send help and rescue you from the snares of the enemy. That’s His job. That’s what He has done. Call, and believe and He will not fail you. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved,” Acts 16:31. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved,” Romans 10:13. Call Him, He will answer!

Originally published January 18, 2025.