Year One, September 15

This God—His Way is Perfect1

We will now return to Psalm 18 and read from verse 30 to the end.

  

Psalm 18:30-50

30 This God--his way is perfect;

The experience of all his people bears witness to this. Perfect wisdom, perfect truth, and perfect love, are to be seen in all that he does. Blessed be his name.

the word of the LORD proves true;

The word of the Lord has been tried, proven and tested, but it has never failed. Our soul knows this is true.

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

This is true for us too, even though our faith has often been weak.

31 For who is God, but the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?--

32 the God who equipped me with strength

and made my way blameless.

Believers have been equipped with complete armor, of which the belt of truth is a most important part.

33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

The apostle Paul refers to a believer’s spiritual shoes as “given by the gospel of peace.”2 They are from God, permitting the believer to walk safely where others fall.

34 He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

In spiritual conflict, the believer’s hands are made strong so they can break the enemy’s weapons by the power of truth.

35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.

Above all, we are to take the shield of faith, which is made in heaven, and extinguishes all the enemy’s flaming darts.3

36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

Never let us forget that unless the Lord protected us, we would have fallen as others have done, to our shame and ruin.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.

39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

and those who hated me I destroyed.

41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;

they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;

I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

David gives God the credit for all his victories. Notice how often he repeats the word “you.” “You have given.” “You equipped.” “You made.” You, oh Lord, have done it all.

43 You delivered me from strife with the people;

you made me the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

The neighboring nations submitted to David’s authority. When God is with us, “he makes even his enemies to be at peace with” us,4 or else they are powerless to harm us.

44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

foreigners came cringing to me.

45 Foreigners lost heart

and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation--

47 the God who gave me vengeance

and subdued peoples under me,

48 who rescued me from my enemies;

yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;

you delivered me from the man of violence.

49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,

and sing to your name.

50 Great salvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his anointed

to David and his offspring forever.

As we read this psalm we should try to apply these expressions of praise to ourselves and personally bless the Lord for all the benefits that our own lives have witnessed. Has not the Lord done great things for us also? Shall we not also give thanks to his name? Yes, certainly. We will!

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¹ Psalm 18:30

² Ephesians 6:15

³ An allusion to Ephesians 6:16

⁴ Proverbs 16:7

Year One, September 14

I Love You, O LORD, My Strength1

After David had sent his enemies retreating and his kingdom was firmly established, he sang this sacred song to the Lord.

  

Psalm 18:1-24

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

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

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

3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

Oh! the power of prayer. It can move heaven and earth. It can climb to heaven and bring the Lord down to earth to help his people. Traps are broken, sorrows are removed, death is defeated, and Satan is frustrated. Who would not pray?

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

This is an Oriental way of expressing fierce wrath. God came to help his servant, burning with displeasure against his enemies. The following verses describe the Lord as using storm and wind to help his suffering servant.

9 He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

God helps his people quickly. He will come in time, because the winds carry him.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,

thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him

hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

Who can stand against this frightful God? Who can injure those he protects?

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, O LORD,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

17 He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

David’s enemies were very strong, but God was more than capable of helping him.

19 He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Happy is the one who can bless God from their heart because they have been kept pure and true. They will discover, like David, that the Lord would sooner destroy the heavens and dry up the seas, than leave the godly to their enemies.

This psalm is so long, we must wait until our next worship time to finish it.

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¹ Psalm 18:1

Year One, September 13

Fight the Good Fight of the Faith1

David soon found that being the king gave him not only advantages, but hard work and wars as well. As it was true of David, it is of all believers. Victory over this wicked world involves struggle.

  

2 Samuel 5:17-25

17When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

Their success against Saul made them bold to attack David. They did not consider the important difference between the two men. Saul had been abandoned by God and was defeated easily. But David was approved and strengthened by the Lord of Hosts. He was a very different opponent. It is hopeless to fight against someone who has God for their friend.

19And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”

David’s path seemed obvious, but he wanted God to lead in every step he took. No one ever lost their way by asking for directions too many times. Asking the Lord to direct us is never unnecessary. Every member of our family should follow David’s example. If we do, we will walk in the way of peace all our days.

20And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The LORD has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood.” (David did the fighting, but he gave all the glory to the Lord. Grace is active and fights, but it is also humble and gives praise to him who gives the victory.) Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. (Or, “the lord who breaks through,” because the Lord had broken the ranks of the enemy, and made a way for David to scatter them.) 21And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. 

As the Philistines had once captured the ark, so now the Israelites seized their idols. We read in First Chronicles 14:12 that the idols “were burned.” They destroyed them to show their intense hatred of them and to prevent their becoming a snare to Israel.

22And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” (When the wind rustled among the leaves of the trees, David was to regard it as a sign for battle. As we wait for God to direct us, he will give us hints to know when to become active. Surely, whenever we hear that the Spirit of God is moving like the wind through the churches, it should move us to sevenfold activity.) 25And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

If we do as the Lord commands us, he will command success to be with us.

By successfully defeating the invading foe, David was firmly established as king. In Psalm 101, he tells us how he is determined to act in his exalted position.

  

Psalm 101

1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice;

to you, O LORD, I will make music.

2 I will ponder the way that is blameless.

Oh when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity of heart

within my house;

3 I will not set before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

I hate the work of those who fall away;

it shall not cling to me.

4 A perverse heart shall be far from me;

I will know nothing of evil.

5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly

I will destroy.

Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart

I will not endure.

6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,

that they may dwell with me;

he who walks in the way that is blameless

shall minister to me.

7 No one who practices deceit

shall dwell in my house;

no one who utters lies

shall continue before my eyes.

8 Morning by morning I will destroy

all the wicked in the land,

cutting off all the evildoers

from the city of the LORD.

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¹ 1 Timothy 6:12

Year One, September 12

Wait for the LORD1

David waited seven years and more before he came to the throne of Israel. However, during that time he reigned with great wisdom and fairness over that part of the land over which he did have influence. His conduct earned him the general respect of the people. It was far better to be preparing for the crown than to be plotting to take it by force.

  

2 Samuel 5:1-3

1Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” 3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

The crown came to David by the popular consent of the Israelites. He never stooped to a violent takeover attempt. When the Lord has ripened a blessing for us, it will drop into our lap like an apple from the tree. We must not reach out an unholy hand to take it before the proper time. David’s exemplary past and the fact that he was chosen by the Lord could not be overlooked forever. People have bad memories, but in due time they must and will remember the credit deserved by those who have acted heroically. All the tribes of Israel were pleased to place the crown on the man who had proven himself so worthy to wear it.

  

1 Chronicles 12:39-40

39And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them. 40And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel. (Those who lived closest to Hebron provided the feast, because they did not have the cost of the long journey others took. Those who can best afford it should do the most for the honor of our Lord’s kingdom.)

  

2 Samuel 5:4-9

4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David had already been anointed king. He was now eager to prove he really was a king by getting rid of his country’s enemies who still remained in Israel. Therefore he decided to remove the Jebusites from their fortress on Mount Zion.

6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”-- thinking, “David cannot come in here.” (Most likely, this means that David had called their gods both blind and lame, and now they responded by saying that their blind and lame gods were more than enough to keep him out of their stronghold.) 7Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” (Joab led the troops in this horrific fight. Fort after fort was captured and the gigantic fortifications were attacked. Israel’s warriors climbed over the walls and defeated their enemies in hand-to-hand combat.) Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

That is to say, it became a proverb that Israel would not depend on lame and blind gods or set them up in their houses as protection, because they had proven to be worthless defenders.

 9And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. (In this way the sacred mount of Zion was taken out of the hands of enemies and became the site of King David’s palace. Likewise, the church has been saved from all her enemies and is the place her King, Jesus, calls home.)

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¹ Psalm 27:14

Year One, September 11

Tell It Not in Gath1

2 Samuel 1:17-27

17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The Book of Jashar was probably a collection of national songs and records of heroic acts. It is now lost. It was not inspired and therefore no special act of God protected it. David not only mourned over Saul and Jonathan personally, but he composed a funeral song to be sung by the whole nation, and especially by his own tribe. He called it “The Song of the Bow,”2 referring to the skill in archery for which Jonathan was famous and which is mentioned in verse 22. David lamenting over the rejected house of Saul, reminds us of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, which was destroyed because it did not know the time of its visitation.3

He said:

19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

20 Tell it not in Gath,

publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,

lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

21 “You mountains of Gilboa,

let there be no dew or rain upon you,

nor fields of offerings!

For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,

the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

22 “From the blood of the slain,

from the fat of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan turned not back,

and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!

In life and in death they were not divided;

they were swifter than eagles;

they were stronger than lions.

24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,

who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

25 “How the mighty have fallen

in the midst of the battle!

“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.

26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

very pleasant have you been to me;

your love to me was extraordinary,

surpassing the love of women.

27 “How the mighty have fallen,

and the weapons of war perished!”

Dr. Krummacher, in his “David, the King of Israel,” has the following excellent passage, “David did not, in his lamentation, speak too highly in praise of the king. Was not Saul truly a valiant hero? Did not also that which was gentle and tender often find an echo in his soul? Did not Jonathan and his other sons show themselves true and faithful brothers toward David even unto death? All these things hovered before the mind of David at this time. With memories such as these came a deep, sorrowful compassion for the sad fate of the king. And thus it was David’s genuine feeling and sentiment to which he gave full honest expression in his lamentations for the dead. These words of the song-- ‘Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon.’ have, since that time, become a proverb in the circles of the faithful. It is frequently heard when one of their community has failed to take heed to his ways, and, therefore, has given rise to a scandal. Would that the call were more faithfully observed than is usually the case! Would that the honor of the spiritual Zion was always as close to the heart of the children of the kingdom as the earthly Zion was to the heart of David. But how often does it happen that they even try hard to expose the weakness of their brothers before the world? By doing so, they repeat the wickedness of Ham and become traitors to the Church which Christ has purchased with his own blood. They make themselves guilty of bringing dishonor on the gospel, by showing their disapproval to the world through their talebearing, and to their own great injury they disown the love which ‘believes all things’ and ‘hopes all things.’”

  

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¹ 2 Samuel 1:20

² The “it” in verse 18 is “the bow” or “the song of the bow” in some translations. The ESV uses the Greek Septuagint, “it”, but includes a footnote “Hebrew the bow”

³ Luke 19:41-44