Psalm 18 — David’s Victory Psalm

For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke 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. And he said,

“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,
And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.
5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried to my God for help;
He heard my voice out of His temple,
And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

7 Then the earth shook and quaked;
And the foundations of the mountains were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.
8 Smoke went up out of His nostrils,
And fire from His mouth devoured;
Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With thick darkness under His feet.
10 He rode upon a cherub and flew;
And He sped upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him,
Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out His arrows, and scattered them,
And lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.
15 Then the channels of water appeared,
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 delivered 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 stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

20 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His ordinances were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23 I was also blameless with Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

25 With the kind You show Yourself kind;
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
26 With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
27 For You save an afflicted people,
But haughty eyes You abase.
28 For You light my lamp;
The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
29 For by You I can run upon a troop;
And by my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God,
32 The God who girds me with strength
And makes my way blameless?
33 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
And sets me upon my high places.
34 He trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your right hand upholds me;
And Your gentleness makes me great.
36 You enlarge my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise;
They fell under my feet.
39 For You have girded me with strength for battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save,
Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind;
I emptied them out as the mire of the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the contentions of the people;
You have placed me as head of the nations;
A people whom I have not known serve me.
44 As soon as they hear, they obey me;
Foreigners submit to me.
45 Foreigners fade away,
And come 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 executes vengeance for me,
And subdues peoples under me.
48 He delivers me from my enemies;
Surely You lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord,
And I will sing praises to Your name.
50 He gives great deliverance to His king,
And shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forever.

The opposition David endured from Saul and his household had passed. The slander, the lies, the threats, the hunts in the wilderness, and the political intrigue were now history. His ruling in relative exile at Hebron for seven years was over. After years of estrangement and persecution, David moved his government to Jerusalem in 1003 B.C.

Few moments in the history of Israel came with such profound celebration. The song of the sea (Ex. 15) and the song of Deborah and Barak (Judges 5) serve as precursors to David’s victory psalm over his oppressors. David’s song appeared first in 2 Samuel 22, and with minor adjustments was added to the Psalter as the eighteenth psalm. It is foremost a thanksgiving psalm with elements of lament and subtle hints of royalty and messianic hope. It is the third longest psalm and displays a variety of literary devices. Despite carrying similar themes to Psalm 2, there is miniscule reference to it in the New Testament (c/f Rom. 15:9).

The title is extensive in comparison to the majority of psalms. “For the choir director” suggests its use in liturgy. David receives an exalted title most closely attributed to Moses, “servant of the Lord.” The title itself provides the historical setting ascribed to the psalm, “…David…who spoke 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…”

David opened his victory song with a litany of praise given to YHWH, the God of Israel (18:1–3). The ultimate expression of affection, “I love you,” is followed by the Psalter’s longest list of characteristics attributed to YHWH’s covenant care. The poetry here displays a complex arrangement of divine attributes: rock — rock; fortress — shield; refuge — stronghold; deliverer — horn of salvation culminating in the introductory formula for David’s victory: crisis — call upon the Lord — saved from my enemies — praise to YHWH. We must follow David’s example with unwavering trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith, like David’s, is displayed in calling upon the name of the Lord and waiting for Him to deliver, resulting in worship.

David recounted the magnitude of the crises he suffered, resulting in his pleas for deliverance (18:4–6). The song almost sounds Jonah-like in his song from under the sea. The imagery used by the psalmist neatly summates the magnitude. He was at death’s door because of his opponents. The practical remedy is repeated in the exercise of faith by calling upon the name of the Lord. God hears the cry of the faithful. Many psalms present this combination of crying and hearing, but Psalm 18 transitions here to a vivid depiction of YHWH’s actual response to the psalmist’s enemies (a.k.a YHWH’s enemies).

David described YHWH’s deliverance in terms of the awful features of nature (18:7–19). He opened with the earthquake, a clear sign of God’s anger. YHWH is portrayed as a dragon poised to strike with fiery vengeance. His condescension is terrifying in a swift theophany, incorporating an angelic escort. Dark clouds provide ominous cover, but His fury produces a meteoric shower of debris. His presence is not only felt, but it is heard with His thundering voice of disapproval. Lightning serves as His fiery darts pointed at the wicked. The deluge of His entrance dominates the entirety of nature’s elements. The divine warrior motif is prevalent in Scripture but void in most pulpits. The fear of God is forsaken by an unbelieving population. Because God is slow to anger and slow to wrath does not mean He is negligent of divine justice. His people can strangely take comfort in the fearful portraiture of YHWH. As He comes to destroy the strong enemy, filled with hatred for God and His covenant community, His simultaneous deliverance is marked with power.

David explained the reasons for YHWH’s deliverance, and then described God’s character attributes of faithfulness to His covenant community (18:20–29). The claim to righteousness is not all-encompassing. David is not claiming sinlessness; but rather, his faithful trust in YHWH. Saul and his household demonized David to sway the people of Israel from aligning with God’s anointed. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Despite the ongoing struggle with sin, temptations from the world, and allure from him who poses as an angel of light, God tests His peoples’ allegiance to Him. The mark of the covenant community is God’s loyal love producing an irresistible grace in His people to worship Him. God has provided right standing for His people by sending the faithful covenant partner to represent us. Jesus Christ pleased His Heavenly Father with perfect obedience and perfect faithfulness. God highly exalted Him to His right hand and gave all authority in heaven and earth to Him. He sits on the throne of God because He is God’s eternal Son.

David revealed the source of his prowess in overcoming his enemies to secure victory (18:30–42). All glory and honor and power are attributed to God. David’s ultimate offspring could be heard uttering these profound words ascribing all glory to God. “Why do you call me good?” comes with our reply, “Because You are good as only God is good.” Jesus is the Messiah of God, the Divine Warrior. He has all power to put His enemies under His footstool (Psalm 110). We must not forget the promises of God’s Word in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Revelation 19 sketches the victorious King coming from heaven to pummel His opponents. This is the Jesus we never knew because the preacher would not preach Him. Fear of man and political correctness has removed the sting of Christian salt in the wicked wounds of this world. The Word of God is tried and proves the coming perils for the persecutors. Their end will be in fear and flight from the Deliverer, who is their Destroyer.

David marveled at the results of His deliverance and exaltation (18:43–45). God’s personal deliverance from the “contentions of the people,” exalted His servant king over nations. Although David’s political prominence was extensive, the wording points to one of his descendants who would gather the Gentiles to follow Him. The foreigners’ allegiance is in marked contrast to the allure of previous kings of Israel, although a remnant of YHWH-fearing Gentiles is seen throughout Scripture. At the prospect of YHWH’s treatment of His enemies, the unlikely from every nation, tribe, and tongue repent with fear and trembling. Their frightful fear is turned to reverence for the God of their salvation, by His mercy and grace toward them.

David concluded with worship and praise to YHWH, who delivered and subsequently lifted him to the place of royalty and rule (18:46–50). Faithful to the covenant and faithful to His chosen people, YHWH is worshipped with praise and thanksgiving for His mighty work in deliverance. The proclamation of His mighty deeds is global. The final verse of Psalm 18 is subtle with royal and messianic tones. “His king” and “His anointed” have the covenant promise, forever. This is shared by the nation under Him.

The victory song of David is a song of victory for those who have joined him in the salvation provided by YHWH. Our Messiah and King, Jesus, has delivered His people with His defeat of sin, death, and the devil at the cross of Calvary. He has become our all in all, and this is our victory song!

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

June 7, 2021