Bible Reading: Psalms 18

I'm sorry its been such a long time since our last study, both my wife and I have been having problems with our computers which has severely limited my internet access. I hope to be able to come back to this on the daily/semi-daily basis as before, but life keeps interfering. Anyway, back to the bible study.

 Psalms 18 HCSB

Praise for Deliverance

For the choir director. Of the servant of the Lord David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love You, Lord, my strength.

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

my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  

3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies.

4 The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. 

5 The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

6 I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help.

From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.

7 Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled; 

they shook because He burned with anger.  

8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire [came] from His mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it. 

9 He parted the heavens and came down, a dark cloud beneath His feet. 

10 He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.  

11 He made darkness His hiding place, dark storm clouds His canopy around Him.  

12 From the radiance of His presence, His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.  

13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the Most High projected His voice. 

14 He shot His arrows and scattered them; He hurled lightning bolts and routed them.  

15 The depths of the sea became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed, 

at Your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. 

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters.  

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, 

for they were too strong for me.  

18 They confronted me in the day of my distress, but the Lord was my support.  

19 He brought me out to a wide-open place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.  

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;

He repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. 

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not turned from my God to wickedness. 

22 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind and have not disregarded His statutes. 

23 I was blameless toward Him and kept myself from sinning.  

24 So the Lord repaid me according to my righteousness, 

according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.  

25 With the faithful You prove Yourself faithful; 
with the blameless man You prove Yourself blameless; 

26 with the pure You prove Yourself pure, but with the crooked You prove Yourself shrewd.  

27 For You rescue an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.  

28 Lord, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.

29 With You I can attack a barrier, and with my God I can leap over a wall.  

30 God-His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. 
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.  

31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God. 

 32 God-He clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me securely on the heights.  

34 He trains my hands for war; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  

35 You have given me the shield of Your salvation; 

Your right hand upholds me, and Your humility exalts me.  

36 You widen [a place] beneath me for my steps, and my ankles do not give way.

37 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. 

38 I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet. 

39 You have clothed me with strength for battle; You subdue my adversaries beneath me. 

40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I annihilate those who hate me.

41 They cry for help, but there is no one to save [them]- 

[they cry]to the Lord, but He does not answer them.  

42 I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.

43 You have freed me from the feuds among the people; 

You have appointed me the head of nations; a people I had not known serve me. 

44 Foreigners submit to me grudgingly; as soon as they hear, they obey me.  

45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their fortifications.  

46 The Lord lives-may my rock be praised! The God of my salvation is exalted. 

47 God-He gives me vengeance and subdues peoples under me. 

48 He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; 

You rescue me from violent men.  

49 Therefore I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing about Your name.

50 He gives great victories to His king; He shows loyalty to His anointed,

to David and his descendants forever. 

      This Psalm appears twice in the bible, it is also recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 22. David wrote this psalm after the death of Saul and David defeating the philistines during the beginning of his reign. The psalm breaks into 6 parts reflecting Davids life and walk with God to this point. Part 1(verses 1-3) David praises God and relies on him. Part 2(verses 4-6) David asks God for help in his troubles. Part 3(verses 7-19) is Gods response and delivery of David from his enemies. Part 4(verses 20-27)David praises the lord for his deliverance. Part 5(verses 28-42) David recounts how God has blessed him. Part 6(verses 43-50) God makes David King. David went through some very dark times at this point in his life, as he was on the run and constantly under threat of death from the king. The Philistines had a personal hatred for David after his defeat of Goliath, and did their best to use the time of transition from Saul to David to destroy Israel and David Himself. 2 Samuel chapter 21 recounts several extremely difficult battles, some with giants even more powerful than Goliath that David and his warriors encountered at this time. Now that David has come through this dark and difficult journey to victory he can look back and see how the Lord protected him, provided for him, and kept his promises through it all.

Bible Reading: Psalms 17

Psalms 17 HCSB

A Prayer for Protection

A Davidic prayer.

1 Lord, hear a just cause; pay attention to my cry;
listen to my prayer- from lips free of deceit. 
2 Let my vindication come from You,
[for] You see what is right.  
3 You have tested my heart; You have visited by night; 
You have tried me and found nothing [evil]; 
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.  
4 Concerning what people do:
by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps are on Your paths; my feet have not slipped.  
6 I call on You, God, because You will answer me;
listen closely to me; hear what I say. 
7 Display the wonders of Your faithful love,
Savior of all who seek refuge 
from those who rebel against Your right hand.  
8 Guard me as the apple of Your eye; 
hide me in the shadow of Your wings 
9 from the wicked who treat me violently,
my deadly enemies who surround me.  
10 They have become hardened; their mouths speak arrogantly.  
11 They advance against me; now they surround me. 
They are determined to throw [me] to the ground.  
12 They are like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush. 
13 Rise up, Lord! Confront him; bring him down.
With Your sword, save me from the wicked.  
14 With Your hand, Lord, [save me] from men, 
from men of the world, whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what You have in store,
their sons are satisfied, and they leave their surplus to their children.  
15 But I will see Your face in righteousness; 
when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.

    
      This psalm is traditionally believed to have been written by David while he was on the run from Saul before he became king, most likely at the time of 1Samuel 23:25-26. That time was very difficult in Davids life, as he was constantly fleeing from Saul's army and did not know that he would live to see another day other than the fact that God had promised him thing would get better. Sometimes in our own daily lives it can be difficult to see the hand of Gods protection and guidance even though we know the promises that he has made, and that he works on our behalf. It is usually only after the storm has passed that we can see how He guided us through it.