On September 16, 1541, John Calvin walked up to the pulpit at the church in Geneva to preach as he had done numerous times before. But this Sunday was not just like all those previous Sundays. Calvin had been away from his congregation for three years, having been expelled from Geneva by a council that had now decided reversed course, realized they had made a mistake, and asked Calvin to return. So, after three years of his absence, there was quite a buildup and anticipation for what he was going to say and do when he stood to preach. What was he going to say about the council? What was he going to say about his three years away? You can imagine the scene. And it’s easy for me to imagine all the whispers silencing as Calvin began his ascent into the pulpit.
Calvin wrote of this event, “Everyone was alert and expectant. But entirely omitting any mention of those matters which they all expected with certainty to hear, I gave a short account of our office. Then I added a moderate and modest recommendation of our faith and integrity. After this . . . I took up the exposition where I had stopped.” That is, Calvin simply took up with the next verse where he had stopped preaching three years earlier. He stood and preached just as if he’d preached the previous verse the week before. And he did this, he says to indicate “that I had interrupted my office of preaching for the time rather than that I had given it up entirely.1
Therefore, in order to indicate that my going to Louisville over these past two years was never an intention to give up the office of preaching but merely to interrupt it, I am taking up Psalm 18, the first psalm that Chad had scheduled for us to preach this summer. Now, some will point out that Daniel 8 is technically the next scheduled text, and that is true. However, Daniel 8 is a very complex chapter, and though I never intended on giving up preaching altogether, I did think I might ease myself back into the task. I told Lili when I found out that the end of Daniel was on the preaching schedule for my return that coming back and preaching the end of Daniel after mostly a two-year absence from preaching would be like going to take your driver’s test and finding out you have to take it in a stretched limo. Therefore, to Psalm 18 we turn.
Were I to complete ignore the preaching schedule and look for a fitting text to begin with upon my return from a two-year sabbatical, Psalm 18 would actually make a good choice. The reason I say this is because this psalm is a great picture of what it looks like to have a relationship with God, a portrait of this basic element of the Christian life. To those who have not been believers that long, this is a helpful text to show you what walking with God looks like. And to those of us who have been believers a long time, this text is helpful in bringing to the forefront of our minds some basic realities that we never move past, and perhaps some basic realities that you, having neglected need to return to with repentance this morning.
The psalm itself is a psalm of David, noted in the superscription and in the last verse of the psalm. And it’s basically a psalm of praise and thanks as David declares his affection, praise, and thanksgiving to God for having delivered him from so much, especially from the hand of many enemies, including Saul. So, this morning, I want to highlight simply aspects of David’s relationship with God that come through in this psalm, seek to apply some principles to our own lives, and then consider the relationship of this psalm to Christ.
First, we see that David, begins in the first three verses by declaring that he has a deep love for God. David simply notes in verse 1, “I love you, O Lord, my strength.” He then list all that God is to him: his rock, fortress, deliverer, God, rock, in whom he takes refuge, shield, horn of his salvation, and stronghold. Finally, he writes in verse 3, “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
It’s not too hard to see that David is a man who knows God. He’s been through great struggles in his life – at times fearing for his life. Yet, in all these circumstances, he sought the Lord. As he mentioned, he called out to the Lord, and God had saved him again and again. He has trusted in the Lord and God has proven himself to be a refuge and deliverer for him repeatedly. David knows his God – not just facts about God. Knowledge about God is good to have. Theology is a good thing. But Psalm 18 represents more than a man who would be able to pass a test on the attributes of God. David knows God, and one of the clearest indicators that someone knows God is that an individual loves God. For, if you truly know God in experience, you will love him.
So, let me ask you this morning one of the most basic questions we can ask ourselves: “Do you love God?” Do you have deep affection for God? Does the mention of God move your heart as you consider someone whom you know and love? If not, or if you really do not value such a thing, then you need to consider that the greatest commandment according to our Lord is that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. Have you made this your greatest quest in life? If not, it may indicate that you’ve simply missed what is the greatest commandment from Christ.
This is the most foundational command for Christians – that we love God – that which we see pictured here with David. But let me just highlight the graciousness of God in making this the greatest commandment. Sometimes it’s easier to get caught up in thinking that that which makes us most spiritual or good Christians is that we demonstrate certain gifts or have certain talents. So, for example, we may take the greatest preacher or teacher we’ve ever heard and set them as the model for what it means to be a serious follower of Christ. Or, we could do the same thing with someone who is a clear theological thinker, demonstrating gifts that we simply do not have, and think that that is the model for what it means to follow Christ, and pursue that. But here’s the gracious thing. The Lord doesn’t command everyone to be able to teach as well as some of the great teachers. He does not command everyone to be able to comprehend as clearly as the greatest theologian. And it’s a good thing, because some of us simply are not as gifted as others. But he does command us to love him. The greatest commandment is that we love God. And the great thing is, there is nothing that keeps you from loving God as much as any Christian who has ever lived.
There is nothing lacking in you that hinders you from loving God as deeply as anyone who has ever lived. Just let that sink in. You can be someone who loves God as deeply as any other Christian who has ever lived. And that is the greatest commandment.
But are you pursuing that as your primary aim in life – to love God more? If not, let me encourage you to that end. Let me encourage you to take time to do what David does in this psalm. And as David does, contemplate what God has done in your life. Meditate on it, and see if your affection for him does not rise. One of the practices that has been a help for me here came while we were in Louisville. As Lili and I would be lying in bed, we would take time periodically to recount what God was doing in our lives. At times we would share how amazed we were at his provision. At others times we would speak of growth in our children’s life and how he had answered some prayers. And I remember numerous times one of us finally saying, “He’s just so good to us, isn’t he?” And as we did, I found my affection for God rising. Maybe you could do the same or develop another practice, but remember this morning that the most foundational aspect of our relationship with God is that we love him and pursue that as your primary aim in life.
Yet there is something that David shows us he is aware of as well that fuels his love for God. He shows us in verses 4-19 that he is fully aware that God has a deep love for and commitment to him.
In verses 4-19, David shows us that he was in trouble, as he describes, no doubt, many episodes in his life in this description. He says that death surrounded him (4-5). So he called to God, his God, for help (6a), and God heard him and came in awesome power. The earth reeled and rocked, the mountains trembled and quaked “because he was angry” (7). Why was God angry? It was driven by his care for David who was in trouble (we’ll see that at the end of verse 19).
Smoke went up from his nostrils, fire from his mouth, coals came from him. He came down from the heavens, rode on a cherub and flew, he came swiftly. He’s coming; he’s coming powerfully; he’s coming quickly. Hailstones and coals of fire broke through the clouds before him as he came (7-12). This is a terrifying scene as God is coming. God thundered and uttered his voice (hailstones and coals of fire) – it was clear who was coming – and it came forth as hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out arrows, lightnings, etc. The world was laid bare at his rebuke (13-15). It’s a picture of the most powerful one coming with a purpose, not able to be stopped, and charging forward. But why this awesome and terrifying scene?
All of this leads up to, ‘He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.’ They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me . . .” (16-19). The Lord was coming to rescue David. David had been overpowered by his enemies who were too mighty for him. The men were mightier than David, but the Lord was David’s support, and God came and demonstrated his own power as he came.
But why? What drove God to come and rescue David? The end of verse 19 tells us “. . . because he delighted in me.” God came to rescue David because he delighted in him, because he was committed to him, because he loved him. Don’t you think David’s love for David was fueled in part because David knew that God was committed to him, loved him, and delighted in him? Of course it was.
Thus, even as David reminded himself in this psalm of God’s love for him, so we must do the same. For us, God has demonstrated his love for us by sending his Son to die for us. And even as God rescued David from a situation where it looked like he might die, so he rescued his own Son from death by raising him from the dead. And, one driving force for God doing that is that he loved us. That’s what John 3:16 says. That’s what Romans 5:8 and following says. That’s what 1 John 4:10 says. That’s why week-by-week we remind ourselves of what God has done for us in Christ. It’s because remembering that is the foundation for our living unto him. Remembering that he deeply loves us and has demonstrated that through the death of his Son is what strengthens us to love him.
David reminds himself of this in verses 4-19, and we too should make this a continual practice in our walk with God. Yet, David shows us more. In verses 20-29 David shows us that he is committed to obeying God and experiencing his blessings.
In verses 20-24 David declares that God has dealt with him as he has (i.e., rescued him) because David is righteous, has kept the ways of the Lord, kept God’s commandments before him, and had clean hands. David says he has kept the ways of God and not acted wickedly.
Now, first we must see what David is saying and is not saying. David is not saying that he has been righteous in the sense that he has measured up to God’s demands and now merits his affection, reward, etc. That’s not the sense here for Scripture says that there is none righteous (Rom. 3). Therefore, one who would boast that he is righteous before God in this sense must boast of Christ alone. He must say that God has declared him righteous not because of his own righteous works but solely because of the righteousness of Christ. That is the good news that we celebrate week by week, especially as we come to the table.
What then is David saying? He is saying that whereas Saul, for example, was on a mission and directed against God, he was submitted to what God had directed him to do. That is, he’s not saying he’s been perfectly righteous. His adultery with Bathsheba proves he was not perfectly righteous. But he’s saying that his heart has been to please the Lord. He’s sought to please God, and repented when he sinned. David truly had a heart that wanted to follow and please God.
And David’s message to the reader in verses 25-29 is that to those who commit themselves to obeying the Lord, God shows himself merciful, saves them, and makes clear their path. That is, there is no fear that if we turn our hearts to walk in obedience to the Lord that somehow God is going to turn himself against us. No. David says to the reader, “Know that if you turn your heart to obey God, he’ll not be against you but will work for your good.”
For some of us, we want to please God, want to obey him, but have trouble believing that he’s somehow committed to us. I’ve been there before. In my pain I’ve said to God before, “I am just trying to obey you. Why have I ended up in this position?” And maybe you’re in the same boat. Maybe you want to say to God, “I’m just trying to obey you, so why do I feel like you’re against me?” Well, David is screaming at you in this psalm, “He’s not against you.” He’s for you. He’s working for your good. That’s what God does. And the reason God does this is because it’s just who he is. He is perfect, his ways are perfect, and his word is true (30).
Now, it doesn’t mean that you won’t end up in painful circumstances as you seek to follow God. You will. After all, in Psalm 18 David tells us that there had been multiple times when we felt like death encompassed him, like he was going to be killed. That’s probably a bit more extreme than some of the circumstances that we’re in. Yet David knew that God was committed to him. David knew that God his heart and was working for his good. And you can know the same. Right now, whatever position you’re in, God knows your heart to him. He knows that you want to please him. (He also knows if you don’t want to please him, and may be disciplining you in love to bring your heart to that position.) And if that’s your heart, God is not on the other side, working against you. He’s not punishing you. He’s committed to your good. In our walk with God, seek to obey him, and then trust at every point (no matter your circumstances) that he’s working for your good as he knows your heart for him.
Psalm 18 also shows us that David not only trusts God to work for his good, David trusts God to equip him to serve.
David begins the next section by saying that God is his God, and God is his rock. Then he describes God as “the God who equipped me with strength and made my ways blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze” (32-34).
You see, as David reflects on his deliverance from his enemies, he knows that often it came as David fought ferociously, outmaneuvered his enemies, skillfully shot the bow. But he also knows that it was God who had given him the strength and ability at every step to do that. In fact, this theme of God’s provision and David’s action go back and forth through this section. In verses 35-36, God is the one providing a shield, supporting, and giving David wide places for his feet. In verses 37-38, David pursues his enemies, overtakes them, and thrusts his enemies through. In 39-40a God equips David with strength, makes his enemies sink before him, made his enemies turn their backs to him. In 40b-42, David destroys his enemies and beats them. In 43 God delivers David and made him the head of nations. And, finally, in verses 44-45 news of David brings foreigners cringing before to serve him.
David recounts how God strengthened him at every point as he went out and served. This wasn’t David sitting in a recliner saying to God, “Do something.” Nor was it David going out to fight a battle in his own strength. David went out, trusting God to strengthen and equip him.
This is how we live life. Seek God, ask him to strengthen and equip you, and then serve. Ask God for wisdom on how to minister to others. Ask him to strengthen you with boldness, clear thinking, and sensitivity as you set out to witness to your neighbor. Simply, whatever you do, ask God for strength and then move forward in service, trusting God to provide for you.
Nathan Young has instructed me well here, praying often with me as we needed wisdom. I want to learn from that example and from this psalm. David pictures for us who we walk in service to God as we walk in relationship with him. Rely on him, trust him, and move forward in obedience.
Finally, Psalm 18 shows us that David is committed to praising God in the midst of others.
Why is David recounting all of this? It seems to be found in verses 46-50. Specifically in verse 46, David says, “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation.” Then, in verse 49, “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.” David recounts all of this because he wants to praise God and to praise him among all the nations.
David is committed to wanting others to know how great his God is. And this is the desire of someone’s heart who loves God, knows God loves him, knows God is committed to his good, and trusts God to equip and strengthen him for service. When you walk in that kind of a relationship with God, you want to praise him; you’re committed to praising him.
So, let me encourage you to follow David here as well. Be the kind of person who seeks to praise God for what he has done.
Psalm 18 is a picture, provided by David, of what it looks like to walk with God. It shows us the kind of heart that we must have toward God and the trusts we must have in him. But ultimately, David’s example pales in comparison to one of his descendants – Jesus. For Jesus loved his Father to the point that he obeyed him to the point of death. He trusted God so much that when he knew he was going to face paying the penalty for our sins, he prayed “If there be any other way, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, your will be done.” He committed himself to his Father, and his Father ultimately raised him from the dead. And Christ did everything ultimately to the glory of God the Father.
So, look to Christ this morning. Look to his example, and even more, remember that Christ obeyed God to the point of dying on a cross so that your sins might be forgiven and you might be declared righteous before him. Ultimately, the only way you’ll walk with God as David does in this psalm is if you truly believe the gospel. If you think you have to do a certain amount of good works to be righteous before God, not only will you not love him like David did, you’ll ultimately grow to despise him – knowing you can never measure up. But if you trust in what sounds too good to be true – that Christ died so that you’re sins are forgiven and lived perfectly righteous so that his righteousness might be credited to you so that you might be declared righteous before God – then you are in a position to walk with God as David describes in Psalm 18. Therefore, let us this morning remind ourselves of the gospel as we come to the table. Amen.