Psalm 18:1-3 THE BELIEVER'S SONG OF VICTORY I. THE PLAN OF THE PSALMIST V. 1 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, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. David's Plan Is To : - (a) Love The Lord First, he declares his love for the Lord. Second, he declares his leaning on the Lord 1. Love - The word translated "love" It carries the idea of hugging. (Ill. Mary Magdalene when she encountered the risen Christ, John 20:16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. and by the Disciples when they saw Him also, Matt. 28:9. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. (b) Lean On The Lord 2. Strength - 9 times in the first 2 verses, David uses the personal possessive pronoun "my". "my" is the first pronoun learned by most children? They say things like "my toys", "my house", "my room", etc. This is just their childish way of stating that they know what is theirs. What David is doing is expressing simple, childlike faith in his relationship with the Lord. He is telling us that he is totally dependent upon the Lord for everything. (c) Live For The Lord, to love the Lord and to depend upon the Lord for everything he needs, does and is in life. II. THE PRAISE OF THE PSALMIST V. 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. A. There Is Praise For A Personal God - The usage of "my" again. . Be sure, that you are saved by grace. B. There is Praise For A Powerful God - In God and in his relationship with Him, David finds all the strength that he needs to make it through life. Notice these 8 metaphors that David uses to describe God and His power in our lives.
1. God Is Our Stability - David describes God as a Rock. When everything else in the world is being tossed and twisted, God forever remains the same. He is always stable, Mal. 3:6; For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Heb. 13:8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 2. God Is Our Safety - David says that God is like a fortress. This surely has reference to the lofty mountain citadels to which he fled when he was running from Saul. David reminds us that the Lord us a place of safety to which the saint can flee in times of adversity and trial, Psa. 57:1. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 3. God Is Our Saviour - David refers to the Lord as his deliverer. This word refers to one who saves, one who rescues, one who delivers another from danger. You see, not has the Lord saved us when we received Him by faith, but He goes on saving us day by day, 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. and when this life is over, we will be ultimately saved when we arrive home in Heaven. 4. God Is Our Sovereign - David refers to Him as God. This is the word "El." It refers to God as the Almighty God. This word pictures God as One Who is over all things and as One Who is in control of all things. God is still on His throne, Isa. 45:7; I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Rom. 8:28; And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Job 23:10. But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 5. God Is Our Strength - David tells us that God is all we need. 2 Cor. 12:9-10; And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Isa. 43:2; When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Psa. 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 6. God Is Our Shield - David calls the Lord a "buckler". This simply means a shield. When trouble comes into your life and mine, sometimes the Lord will allow those things to come and He will give grace. However, there are times when the Lord steps between His children and their trials and acts as a shield to stand between His child and the storm that is coming. I like it when the Lord is my shield! Only in Heaven will we fully comprehend the times when God in His providence has stepped between us and something awful that was coming our way! 7. God Is Our Security - Here, the Lord is called a "horn of salvation." The horn is the symbol of strength and conquest. When David calls God the horn of salvation, he is saying that the Lord is the strength of salvation and that in His salvation, we have absolute security. 8. God Is Our Supply - David says that the Lord is our High Tower. This refers to the great towers that were built around the ancient cities. From these towers, soldiers could look down on their attackers and send volleys of arrows down on their heads. When the soldiers ran to the high tower, they were above the battle, they were in a place of rest, refreshment and ready supply. God is the same for the child of God. When the battle rages about us, we can run to Him and be lifted above our battles and find the rest and refreshment we need to be able to fight the battles and win! 1 Sam. 17:47. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands. III. THE PLEDGE OF THE PSALMIST V. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. A. David makes a pledge to call on God and to trust Him and Him alone for the victories of life. He pledges to walk by faith and not by sight! B. God is all these things that David said He was. He will protect you, He will provide for you, He will help you, He will refresh you, He will ever be there for you. Our duty, then, is to walk by faith and not by sight. Hab. 2:4. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Are you loving Him like you should? Are you living for Him like you should? Are you leaning on Him like you should?
