God My Savior

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Scripture: Psalm 18:2-6, 20-24, 50 (NIV)

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield  and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the Lord;

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears.

Devotion:

            This psalm is one of several “Royal Psalms” located in the Bible. This psalm appears almost word for word in 2 Samuel 22. It was apparently written by King David after he was delivered by God from the hand of King Saul. David goes into detail about how wonderfully God has delivered him from death at the hands of his enemies. The psalm uses graphic allusions and other illustrations of how and why God determined David was worthy of being saved.

20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;

I am not guilty of turning from my God.

22 All his laws are before me;

I have not turned away from his decrees.

23 I have been blameless before him

and have kept myself from sin.

24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

 

            Today if someone were to write something like this about themselves, we might call them self-righteous. However, David seems right at home using this language about himself. Does he not know that all people are guilty sinners before God? All we can say is based on results David has found favor with God. David is God’s anointed servant and receives God’s unmerited favor. Even if David thinks of himself in terms that seem grandiose to us. David concludes this psalm by stating the bare fact that God loves him.

 

50 He gives his king great victories;

he shows unfailing love to his anointed,

to David and to his descendants forever.

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