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,
1 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.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled: the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth.
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 Thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Thy 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.
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 hath 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 mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyesight.
25 With the merciful Thou wilt shew Thyself merciful: with an upright man Thou wilt shew Thyself upright:
26 With the pure Thou wilt shew Thyself pure: and with the froward Thou wilt shew Thyself froward.
27 For Thou wilt save the afflicted people: but wilt bring down high looks.
28 For Thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by Thee 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 girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued mine 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 Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine 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 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people: and Thou hast 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.
46 The LORD liveth: and blessed be my Rock: and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, Thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: Thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will praise You among the nations, O LORD:
I will sing praises to Your name.
50 He gives His king great victories: He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
We thank the Lord for strengthening us and delivering us out of the hand of the enemy.
We exalt in the victory given us by our God. Do you ever feel a thrill when you read tales of adventure, escape, and victory told by those who have engaged in physical battle? As David tells of God’s mighty hand in the deliverance of His people, our hearts leap with joy and exaltation. Perhaps the best way to describe the emotional fabric of this psalm is by the word “delight.” We delight in God—His nature, His works, and His love for us. A parent who delights in his child is tempted to brag to others about him. So we delight in God and there is no limit to which we may brag on Him.
Verses 1–3. David begins this song in an expression of love for God. Although the word “love” holds a lot of flimsy connotations today, this is a love of a warrior for his captain. It is a love of admiration and commitment. Using seven metaphors in verse 2 that describe God as Savior, David lays out his relationship with Yahweh. It is a relationship of trust. By calling on the name of Yahweh, we are saved from our enemies of sin, the flesh, and the world. The act of calling on the name of Yahweh is illustrated in the tragic circumstance where a child falls overboard from a ship. Looking directly up into the eyes of his father standing on the deck, he calls out in faith, “Daddy, help me!” In a cry of utter reliance on his father, that little boy lets his father know that he is counting on him to save him from the waters. The call of faith in the Old Testament is the same as that call of faith we read about in the New Testament (Acts 22:16). Our baptisms must be attended by faith, calling upon the name of the Lord!
Verses 4–5. In these verses David describes his predicament. He speaks of hell and death. Indeed, the threat of eternal death breathes upon every man because of sin. Without the grace of God and the promise of resurrection we would be without hope and we would fear death. David is both threatened physically—by men like Saul who want to kill him—and threatened spiritually—by the fires of hell.
Verses 6–19. So in his despair, he cries out to God for salvation from his spiritual and physical enemies. Remember, “calling upon the LORD” is an Old Testament reference to faith.
Using the most beautiful poetic language, David brings forth the story of God’s great deliverance. He pictures God in His sovereign majesty, His terrible justice, and His omnipotent power over all creation. First, our Savior God overpowers the enemy, and then He reaches down and delivers His man out of his predicament. We must remember that the context of this psalm is physical warfare. Therefore, the salvation David speaks of is a physical salvation, but it is spiritual as well. To think of salvation merely on spiritual terms would be to deny the resurrection and glorification of the body at the end of time. And as we live the life of faith, we should trust God to preserve us from both physical and spiritual death. Verse 19 speaks of the tender love and appreciation the Lord has for His people. He delights in us. Have you ever seen a father delight in his little daughter when she dances around the living room, or when his son hits a home run? He smiles. He laughs. He has to give that little one a hug! This is the language David uses for God’s relationship with us, His children. Because of nothing less than free grace, our God has chosen to delight in us and that is why He saves us from our enemies of sin, death, and hell.
Verses 20–28. Now David presents his case to the Lord. First, he claims to be in the number of the righteous. While David is not claiming sinless perfection, he does insist that his hands are clean. We must take this to mean that David’s sins are confessed and he trusts that God will wash them away. He does not wickedly depart from Yahweh, and he does not put away the law of God from him. This makes for a sharp contrast with unbelievers who are actually repulsed by the law of God and refuse to walk in God’s ways. But David’s heart is regenerated and that is why he has an inclination towards that which is good. Because David’s heart is in the right place, he has full assurance that God will save him even in his darkest hour.
Verses 29–45. Verses 19 through 45 are some of the most encouraging words in the entire Bible. Through a sequence of wonderful images, David describes the blessed salvation of God that has worked out in his own life. God gives him super-human strength to take on all opposition—physical and spiritual. Think of it for a moment. Throughout his life David has overcome tremendous challenges, such as his battle with Goliath and his escapes out of the hand of Saul. He has entered physical battle and taken down real enemies. God enabled him to traverse paths he would have never thought he could handle.
Some who read this psalm might be uncomfortable to think that this psalm might apply to a Christian who is faced with physical enemies in real battle or challenges that face us constantly—at work or in the home. However, this should not be the case for us. Life is filled with challenges—spiritual and physical. Because our lives consist of body and soul, our trials will always combine the spiritual and the physical. It is only by the strength God gives us that we can leap over high walls in a single bound, break bows of steel in half, and take down the Goliaths of our lives.
We also identify with the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is His kingdom for which we fight. The submission of enemies to the Psalmist refers, in essence, to their submission to Jesus Christ. Those who were once enemies to Christ now serve Him. Those that fall upon Him will break: but those upon whom He falls will be ground to powder (Matt. 21:44). This passage speaks of the progressive, conquering work of David’s Son in the hearts and institutions of men throughout history.
Verses 46–50. The psalm ends with a glorious chorus of praise to Yahweh. “The Lord liveth: and blessed be my Rock: and let the God of my salvation be exalted!” What motivates such praise from the lips of this man? Our God is a God of justice who avenges His own. He brings the hard hearts of men to serve the Lord Jesus, and delivers us from our enemies. His mercy continues to visit our children and our grandchildren forever. Verse 49 is the capstone of the entire psalm. David can no longer remain silent. He explodes in public expression of gratitude, thanking the Lord and boasting of His works even among the heathen!
The Christian life ought to be a life of gratitude. Upon deep reflection on the glorious salvation of our God, we should, from time to time, break out in public thanksgiving and boasting in the works of God. This spirit of gratitude should also press us to witness to our friends and neighbors that do not know Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Worship will demonstrate our delight in God and our gratitude to God. This gratitude is expressed in poetic, war-like stories of God’s mighty works in history in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm.
1. Name one Thanksgiving psalm.
2. David speaks of God saving him from his enemies, but what are the enemies that David speaks of here in this psalm?
3. How does David speak of himself before the Lord?
4. According to verse 19, why does God save His people?
5. Which psalm contains the phrase, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies”?
1. Do you really see your need for salvation? How desperate is your need? Is it something like the child who falls into the deep seas? How often do you pray to God for deliverance?
2. Does our family pray prayers of thanksgiving to God as often as we should? Do our hearts fill with warm gratitude for the salvation God has brought to us?