Psalm 20 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 ¹May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

²May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen you out of Zion;

³May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

⁴May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,

And fulfill all your purpose.

⁵We will rejoice in your salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

⁶Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand.

⁷Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

⁸They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright.

⁹Save, Lord!

May the King answer us when we call.

Preamble: This Psalm is much like the priestly prayer that God gave to Moses in the wilderness that Aaron and his sons were to pray over the people (see Num. 6:22-27), it has then that most noble air about it.  

Commentary

Vs. 1 “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you”

It is then a prayer that one certainly could pray over the congregation, or anyone in their time of need. Now as to it, it must be the Lord whom we seek in day of our trouble; for truly the help of man is useless apart from Him (Psalm 60:11; 108:12). Therefore, it is by God’s Name, His Name first given and known to Jacob (i.e., Israel the nation) and now known to us all through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ that we are to call upon in the day of our trouble. Therefore, praying in the Lord Jesus Christ’s Name is foundational to having the God of Jacob hear and defend us.

 Vs. 2 “May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen you out of Zion”

The help that we seek then is not mans, but the Lord’s Divine Intervention. Therefore, we pray that He may send help to us from His Heavenly Sanctuary, and that He may strengthen us out of Zion (i.e., His dwelling place here amongst us on earth). Thus, by His Divine Intervention and Power we seek only His Help and Deliverance!

Vs. 3 “May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah”

Truly Lord we pray that You will accept all of our offerings, all of our offerings of worship and praise and thanksgivings, as well as all of our monetary offerings given freely and joyfully to You!

Vs. 4 “May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,

And fulfill all your purpose.”

In concluding our prayer, we ask Lord that You grant us according to our hearts desires and that You fulfill all of our purposes in us when these align with Yours, so that You may fulfill all our purpose. For You have done all our works in us (Isaiah 26:2).

Vs. 5 “We will rejoice in your salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!”

Having made our prayer and supplications to the Lord we will rejoice forever in His Salvation which He has so freely and graciously given us! Therefore, in the Name of our God, (and not in any other nation, any other name), we will set up our banners!

Vs. 6 “Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand.”

Having then received His salvation I know that the Lord saves His anointed; that he will answer us from His holy heaven, and that by the saving strength of His right hand He will deliver us from the wrath to come (Luke 3:7; 1 Thess. 1:10).

Vs. 7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

Truly some trust in chariots, and some in horses (in their military might), but we will remember the name of the Lord our God, for it is by His Name that we are saved!

Vs. 8 “They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright.”

Indeed, at the consummation of all things, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and makes war with His enemies, they will all bow down and fall, never to rise again, (Rev. 19:11-20:15), but we who believe in Him will rise and stand upright with Him forever (Rev. 21:1-22:5)!

Vs. 9 “Save, Lord!

May the King answer us when we call.”

Therefore, in full assurance of our future we can all pray to the Lord to save us, to answer us when we call to Him! 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 19 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 ¹The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

²Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

³There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

⁴Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

⁵Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

⁶Its rising is from one end of heaven,

And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

⁷The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

⁸The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

⁹The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse me from secret faults.

¹³Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Commentary

Vs. 1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

God’s Glory is clearly seen in the heavens: by all the planets, stars, galaxies, universes and beyond, for all of these bear witness to the Awesome Glory of God! For who has not looked up into the night sky and been mesmerized by it all. These all then give testimony to the glory of God, give testimony to His awesome handiwork in the heavens, for He alone created and creates them all, and He alone guides and sustains them all, all according to His own Perfect Knowledge, Will, and Power. Believing in the One true God then is near impossible for those who have eyes to see, and hearts to believe, for His Magnificence is seen everywhere!

 Vs. 2-3 ²Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

³There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

Every day then God’s Person is revealed to us all in His heavenly creation, and every night there is knowledge of Him to beheld. And though the heavens do not audibly speak to us, there is no language here on earth where their “voice” is not heard. For God speaks to all of mankind through them, to our hearts and souls’ deepest desires to want to know Him by awaking this desire in us through them.

Vs. 4-6 ⁴Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

⁵Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

⁶Its rising is from one end of heaven,

And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

 How impressive then is our galaxy in which God has placed us? For in it He has created a tabernacle for the sun which rises every morning in the east, captivating us in the morning with its bright and gloriously shinning light, which here is likened to a bridegroom coming out of his chamber to meet his bride with a shining radiance on his face, or like a strong man whose heart rejoices when it is time to run his race. Thus so does the sun every morning begin its day, as it moves from one end of heaven to the other end before gloriously settling down under the horizon so that its glory may give way to the night skies glory, giving us all then just a forestate of the Awesome Glory of God who directs it all! And even if the sun cannot be seen by some, yet truly its heat is felt by all. God’s revelation of His Person then can be perceived by all.

Vs. 7-9 ⁷The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

⁸The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

⁹The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

Moving then from the revelation of God in the heavens where His Power and Majesty is clearly seen and known by all, to awakening our souls to rightly knowing and understanding Him through His Law, For it is only by His Word that we come to a true and right understanding of Him. For His Word teaches us everything that is right and just and holy about Him, but also wrong with us. We see then that the law of the Lord is perfect in converting the soul, by first bearing its own true witness to God and our origins, and then through its statutes and decrees reveal to us just what we should be and just what we are not, and so through it God brings about a conviction of our own sin, but also through the law He provides the only solution for it, which is only found in sacrificial death, (i.e., the shedding of blood), specifically the Crucifixion death of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, by which all our sins are atoned for, and by which our reconciliation and restoration with God can be attained by anyone who believes in Him. Therefore by Him God has opened the door of His grace to us all when we believe in Him! Therefore, by the law we see just how serious sin is, that wages of sin is death, and that God’s righteousness, holiness and justice will never allow it to go unpunished, which again is why God sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of our sin, because only His Sinless Person could provide a sufficient sacrifice for us all! Therefore through the law we also soon learn that we ourselves could never fulfill all the righteous requirements of the law to save ourselves by it (Acts 15:6-11; Gal. 5:1, 4-5), and thus by the law we see our need for Him, to not only atone for all our sins, (and thus save us), but also for Him to transform us, and restore us back to God Himself (Gal. 3:19-25; Titus 3:4-7). This then is the primary purpose of the law to show us our sin (by teaching us what sin is and just what is morally right and morally wrong and just how far we have fallen short of the glory of God revealed in His law) so as to bring us back to God again through the Gospel. Therefore, the testimony of the Lord then is sure making wise the simple, for by the Lord’s testimony He opens our eyes to Him and our need for Him, for God and His Son is clearly seen not only in the Gospel, but also in His law.

“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;”

Truly then when one comes to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and they receive God's grace through Him alone they become captivated by God’s Word. By the profoundness of it, yes, but also the truth, justice, mercy and grace found in it. For God’s Word always speaks and reveals the truth, unadulterated and uncorrupted truth, therefore His statutes make righteous men and women rejoice, because by His Word all that is sound and true of God and His way is revealed and declared, and all that is wicked, evil, crooked, unjust, unfair, or misleading is exposed and rebuked. And on His Day it will all be forever ended and repaid. God’s commandments then are pure (being completely free from the sinful desires of mankind who always alter their own laws and decrees to suit their own evil desires). Therefore by these one is made wise, wise to know and understand good and evil (Psalm 119:97-104).

Vs. 10-11 ¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

Therefore, the Word of the Lord is exceedingly desirable, much more so than mere gold and riches which have a “shelf life”, which is our own lives (Mark 8:36), and which cannot direct a life out of sin nor save a soul from troubles, wrath, and judgment. Whereas the Word of the Lord one may keep forever, and be forever rewarded for believing it and keeping it! Therefore, by the Word of the Lord all of God’s servants are warned, warned to stay on the narrow road and steer clear of the very wide road that those of this world are following to their own eternal damnation. 

Vs. 12-13 “Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse me from secret faults.

¹³Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

 A true and humble servant of the Lord knows that they have blind spots, that we have many faults and failings ourselves, that we have not yet arrived nor attained to Christlikeness. Therefore, we are dependent upon Him to help us see these things and to help us change, to make the changes in our person and life that will better reflect His Person in us. For left to ourselves our sin nature can better us, in our own self sufficiency, presumptuous sins can take hold in us, (for pride and arrogance is always ones undoing), therefore we must always ask the Lord to search our hearts and to keep us back from our own presumptuous sins that will only trouble us, from our own self-willed desires, that can so easily take hold of us. (Consider king David in numbering the people, 2 Samuel 24:1-25; 1 Chr. 21:22:19).

 Vs. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Therefore the finial verse of this Psalm is more a prayer than a declaration, and as such it is most good and wise if we keep it in our hearts and minds as our own meditation.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 18

 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David The Servant of the Lord, Who Spoke to the Lord The Words of This Song on the Day that the Lord Delivered Him from the Hand of All His Enemies and from the Hand of Saul. And He Said:

¹I will love You, O Lord, my strength.

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

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

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

³I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁴The pangs of death surrounded me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

⁶In my distress I called upon the Lord,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

⁸Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring fire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down

With darkness under His feet.

¹⁰And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

He flew upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness His secret place;

His canopy around Him was dark waters

And thick clouds of the skies.

¹²From the brightness before Him,

His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³The Lord thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe,

Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

¹⁵Then the channels of the sea were seen,

The foundations of the world were uncovered

At Your rebuke, O Lord,

At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from above, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me.

¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the Lord was my support.

¹⁹He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

²⁰The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all His judgments were before me,

And I did not put away His statutes from me.

²³I was also blameless before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

²⁵With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

²⁶With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

²⁷For You will save the humble people,

But will bring down haughty looks.

²⁸For You will light my lamp;

The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

²⁹For by You I can run against a troop,

By my God I can leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the Lord is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

³¹For who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

³²It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.

³³He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

And sets me on my high places.

³⁴He teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your right hand has held me up,

Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁶You enlarged my path under me,

So my feet did not slip.

³⁷I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;

Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

³⁸I have wounded them,

So that they could not rise;

They have fallen under my feet.

³⁹For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰You have also given me the necks of my enemies,

So that I destroyed those who hated me.

⁴¹They cried out, but there was none to save;

Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.

⁴²Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;

I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

⁴³You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;

You have made me the head of the nations;

A people I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they obey me;

The foreigners submit to me.

⁴⁵The foreigners fade away,

And come frightened from their hideouts.

⁴⁶The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

⁴⁷It is God who avenges me,

And subdues the peoples under me;

 ⁴⁸He delivers me from my enemies.

You also lift me up above those who rise against me;

You have delivered me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to You,

O Lord, among the Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance He gives to His king,

And shows mercy to His anointed,

To David and his descendants forevermore.

Preamble: Having experienced the Wonderful, All Powerful and Absolute Sovereign Deliverance of the Lord from of all of his enemies, David’s worship here not only expresses his own heart, but through it he foretells of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s own Absolute Trust in and Praise of God the Father. This understanding was first realized for me in BBC commentary on Psalm 18, where they clearly see Christ’s Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Second Coming all foretold in these passages, to which I must agree. Therefore with that understanding already given, I think I will try to comment on these passages in such a way so as to try to give some inspiration or bring some encouragement or  offer some hope to everyone who is seeking Him, to everyone who believes in Him.

Vs. 1-2 ¹I will love You, O Lord, my strength.

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

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

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

Is it not then when the clouds breakaway and dawning of the day appears that we rediscover our great passion and love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? For how many great Christian sermons and literary works have been written only after our having first gone down through the lowest and deepest states of despair. And how many Christian ministries and various kinds of other good works that have saved and nourished countless peoples down through the ages been born out of our own tragedies and misfortunes? This Psalm then is a celebration of those victories, of our own victories, that the Lord Jesus Christ in His perfect timing always works out for us all. For truly all things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). For if God did not spare His Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things (Rom. 8:32). Therefore, when David experienced his own deliverance from certain ruin and death at the hands of wicked men, He knew that the Lord alone had done it for him. Therefore, he now exudes with thanksgiving and praise to the only One who could save him, who can and will save us too. Therefore, he rejoicefully recalls that his deliverance, his salvation, only came by the strength of the Lord’s Hand, that when he was beyond able to save himself, and completely overwhelmed within himself, then the Lord saved him! Therefore, he now boldly declares that the Lord alone is my rock (the One upon whom I stand firm, for He alone makes me stand and able to withstand, all the storms even the violent storms of this life). For He alone is my fortress, (that He is the high wall of my defense that no enemy can scale or pull down), that He alone is my deliver, for He is the only One who can and does come to my rescue. For Jesus Christ is my God and my strength, the One in whom I trust! For He is my shield and He is the strength behind my salvation, who not only enables me to do mighty deeds, but He is by His Spirit transforming me into His perfect likeness! Therefore, He is my stronghold, the only One I go to and hide in from all the plots and schemes of the enemy.

Vs. 3 “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.”

Thus, I also will call upon the Lord who alone is worthy to be praised, because my (our) confidence only grows in the Lord Jesus Christ as we continually experience His deliverance of our person, something which we do not always see, nor perceive, until He has accomplished it!

 Vs. 4-6 ⁴The pangs of death surrounded me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

⁶In my distress I called upon the Lord,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

Pangs of death, sorrows of the grave, snares of death, all these most dreadful things came upon David, and yet in his darkest hour David did not lose hope, nor his faith, but he entreated the Lord in great fear and despair of what may happen to him, and the Lord heard him, heard him from His holy temple. Here then is also a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ’s own suffering and death at the hands of ungodly and wicked men, His suffering then which is clearly portrayed here through David’s own fears and faith, are then a solid basis for our own faith and confidence, that our prayers are being heard by the Lord Jesus Christ, who having conquered death forever for us is now sitting in all Victory at the right hand of God always making intercession for us.

Vs. 7-15 ⁷Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

⁸Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring fire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down

With darkness under His feet.

¹⁰And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

He flew upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness His secret place;

His canopy around Him was dark waters

And thick clouds of the skies.

¹²From the brightness before Him,

His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³The Lord thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe,

Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

¹⁵Then the channels of the sea were seen,

The foundations of the world were uncovered

At Your rebuke, O Lord,

At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from above, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

When the Lord heard his cry there was but one response to come down on the foe with overwhelming force and power. That is the beautiful imagery David is using to describe not only his own deliverance, but also of our own deliverance, whether individually or collectively. For God is above all, all the power and the might of the enemy. And so, when He moves in the defense, or in deliverance us collectively, or individually, He shakes heaven and earth to their very foundations! 

Vs. 17-19

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me.

¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the Lord was my support.

¹⁹He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

Again and again, we read of the Lord delivering His people, of His coming to our defense when we are overwhelmed and think we are about to be overcome by our enemy. Therefore David having experienced the Lord’s own deliverance from king Saul and all of his mighty forces now recalls it, recalling how the Lord delivered him from all of those who were to strong for him, from those who hated him without a just cause, for they were to strong for him, (thus so called “self made men” do not experience His deliverance, at least not until they see their own need for Him), Is it not then also a fact only when we are weakest and most vulnerable then they are emboldened to attack, to confront us in the day of our calamity, just as they confronted the Lord Jesus Christ outside the Garden at Gethsemane. Nonetheless when these things have appointed for us the Lord Himself will also uphold us, just as He has always done. Indeed, not only did He preserve David, but He brought him out from them into a broad place because He delighted in him, delighted in his person and quite possibly his Godly response to their ongoing aggression towards him (consider 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 26:1-25 etc., also remember Matt. 5:44).

Vs. 20-24 ²⁰The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all His judgments were before me,

And I did not put away His statutes from me.

²³I was also blameless before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

Therefore, David exudes with confidence in the Lord’s Most Just and True dealings with him and with all men. nature, for He indeed rewards people for living righteously, just as He also recompenses (repays) everyone who departs from their sinful ways. For David wasn’t sinless, he wasn’t completely blameless, he was however faithful in always wanting to do and seeking to do the will of the Lord, seeking to keep His commandments and to keep himself from his own iniquity, which the Lord had showed him. Therefore, he didn’t wickedly depart from my God when he stumbled, or failed Him, instead he turned to the Lord seeking His tender mercies and recommitted himself to Him, to do His will. And so, he now boldly acknowledges all this saying, “Therefore, the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.” For again the Lord fully repays everyone according to their works and according to their ways, and in this context, this is most positive.

Vs. 25-27 ²⁵With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

²⁶With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

²⁷For You will save the humble people,

But will bring down haughty looks.

David now lays forth just how God deals with all men, by first acknowledging that it is of our Most Just Lord and Savior to be merciful with everyone who likewise shows mercy to others. For the Lord loves mercy, (not the cruel application of so-called justice), therefore, He will show Himself merciful to everyone who also embraces and extends this most noble quality to others in their time of need, (which is not to enable someone to continue on in their sin, but to enable them to escape it and change, consider John 8:1-11); just as the Lord Jesus Christ has Promised when He said, “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” ^{Matt. 5:7}

Having understood how God has worked mercy towards him David also came to understand how God also responds to people who seek to conduct themselves blamelessly before Him, saying that, “With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; and with the pure You will show Yourself pure” (vs. 25-26). Here though the idea is not of sinless perfection; for that quality belongs to God alone; but of one walking without causing willful offenses, of having a pure conscience, pure motives, of always taking the high road as it were. Thus, no willful sins, duplicity, dishonesty, or false fronts. For honesty and integrity are what guides and keeps the righteous well-guarded and surrounded by the Omnipresent Lord, who Himself is alone Perfect in the same. In contrast to them then are those who are devious, who like to skirt or distort the lines of truth and justice for their own gain, who are players and masters in the manipulation of others, and so with these the Lord will show them all that He Himself is shrewd; that He fully understands all their secret works and ways, and that He is fully capable of taking them down from their high places in a time and in a way that they cannot even begin to imagine or foresee. For the Lord’s eyes are always on the humble people, for His heart is always directed towards saving them. But He will bring down haughty looks, therefore the arrogance and self sufficiency of the rich and proud and powerful will be their own undoing on the Day of His wrath.

Vs. 28 “For You will light my lamp;

The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”

Having then ever-increasing confidence in the Lord our God, for His Just and True dealings with all men, David now declares that He will give him light, that He will enlighten his darkness. Therefore, the enemy will never overcome him (or us), for whatever defeat or despair we experience in this life is just a temporary state and never our permanent residence. Therefore, everyone who believes may apply this verse as God’s Promise of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior by His Holy Spirit also bringing us out of our own darkness and into God’s Glorious and Everlasting light!

Vs. 29 For by You I can run against a troop,  

By my God I can leap over a wall.

There is then nothing then that we cannot overcome, no hurdle is too high, no obstacle is too great, (remember Phil. 4:13), for in Christ Jesus whatever our Lord God and Savior has assigned for us to do that He will also enable us to do! Therefore, put your faith in Him and get to work!

Vs. 30 As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the Lord is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

God ways are perfect, therefore when He brings forth His truth or lays down His foundation for us it needs no correction nor adjustment from any of us! For the Word of the Lord is proven; in every generation it is proven time and again; therefore, it needs no correction nor alteration from us! For the Lord is a shield to all who trust in Him, who trust in Him through His Word! Therefore, put your trust in Him (keep your deepest trust in Him) not in someone or something less!

Vs. 31 “For who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?”

Here the Unity an Equality of the Father and Son is clearly declared. That our Foundation is One, founded by God the Father and set upon His Son. Therefore, to know the Lord Jesus Christ is to know God the Father, for you cannot have One without having all! Build your faith then upon the Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will have God the Father (1 John 2:23)!

Vs. 32-34 ³²It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.

³³He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

And sets me on my high places.

³⁴He teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Truly God enables us to fight all battles, especially the spiritual battles in our own lives. Now in ancient times Israelites were chosen by God to be His people and commanded by Him to be His army, to establish His nation on earth in the land He gave to Abraham and His descendants forever. And that is why He brought them out of Egypt to destroy the Amorite races that then occupied the land of Canaan, to give them His land which He had promised to Abraham. Therefore, David being chosen by God for this very purpose to lead the nation, now acknowledges just how he became a mighty man of war and valour, which was not by his own means, but by the Lord our God. And so, this verse clearly applies to us as God our Father also enables us to fight the good fight of faith in every aspect of our lives. That said we must always remember that our own “warfare” is not fought by carnal or fleshly means, for we do not now fight against flesh and blood; but against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places, against all the forces of lies and wickedness who do Satan’s bidding through the same. Therefore, our war is not fought by physical might and power, but by God’s Word and by God’s Spirit (consider Zech. 4:6; 2 Cor. 6:7; 10:3-4; Eph. 6:10-18; 1 Tim. 1:18 etc.).

Vs. 35 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your right hand has held me up,

Your gentleness has made me great.”

In a closing crescendo of grace David also humbly delights in the shield of the Lord God’s salvation, which is His Promise of keeping and preserving us. Now in the New Covenant era, which the Lord Jesus Christ ushered in, this Promise is fully realized in all of us who believe in Him, that we have not only remission of all of our sins, but we also have His Spirit sealing and sanctifying us for the Day of Redemption (Eph. 1:13-14). For He has set us apart from those of this world for Himself, so we now are far away from His wrath, which will come upon all who do not believe and obey the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:8-10). Therefore, because God is with David, he himself knows that it is He who by His gentleness has made him great, not only in stature, but also in eyes of men.

Vs. 36 You enlarged my path under me,

So my feet did not slip.

Such then is the Goodness of God, of His watching over us, that He always makes sure that we who believe in Him will always have a way and a means to continue to follow Him. David then in experiencing this felt very secure in walking straight on with the Lord, just as you and I should.

Vs. 37-50 ³⁷I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;

Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

³⁸I have wounded them,

So that they could not rise;

They have fallen under my feet.

³⁹For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰You have also given me the necks of my enemies,

So that I destroyed those who hated me.

⁴¹They cried out, but there was none to save;

Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.

⁴²Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;

I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

⁴³You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;

You have made me the head of the nations;

A people I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they obey me;

The foreigners submit to me.

⁴⁵The foreigners fade away,

And come frightened from their hideouts.

Exuding with confidence David now describes his triumphing over all of his enemies, which in may ways also foretells the Lord Jesus Christ’s own future triumph and reign over His enemies! Therefore, because the Lord was with him, David clearly saw the Lord’s hand working mightily on his behalf, defeating and subduing all his enemies before him. Indeed, in every battle he fought, he saw the Lord’s Sovereign Hand giving him the victories. His long-awaited prayers for help and for justice had now then been fully realized! And so even when his enemies tried to cry out to the Lord, the Lord would not help them, for the Lord already knew their hearts, knew that they were not coming to Him in truth (vs. 37-42).

With the Lord beside him and his enemies now behind him, David now established by the Lord went on to even greater things as he says in verses 43-45 declaring how the Lord has delivered him from the strivings of the peoples, from all of those who did not want to see him reign, how He made him the head of the nations so that all people now willfully submit themselves to him, even the threat of foreign incursion or invasion no longer existed, since the Lord had subdued even these so that they were to frightened to even try to make war with him anymore, indeed they were all surrendering to him! Therefore, David’s own Words here are perfectly suited to describe the Lord Jesus Christ’s own Future Glorious Reign!

Vs. 46-50 “The Lord lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted.”

⁴⁷It is God who avenges me,

And subdues the peoples under me;

⁴⁸He delivers me from my enemies.

You also lift me up above those who rise against me;

You have delivered me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to You,

O Lord, among the Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance He gives to His king,

And shows mercy to His anointed,

To David and his descendants forevermore.

Truly the Lord Lives! For He alone decides the beginning and the end for us all, His people, for everyone who puts their faith and trust in Him! Therefore, He is to be exalted down here on earth by us  who believe in Him, just as He already is in heaven! For it is God who delivers us, who lifts us up, and who will avenge us (consider Rev. 6:11, 12:11, 17:6, 18:24, 19:1-5, 11-21) for He will cause all peoples to submit themselves to Him and bow before His Son (Phil. 2:9-11).

“Therefore I will give thanks to You,

O Lord, among the Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your name.”

Because just as His mercies are towards his Anointed, to his Servant King, so they are forever towards us, amen. 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.