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Psalm 18
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.
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.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is
worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved
from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and
the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me
about: the snares of death prevented me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD,
and cried unto my God: he heard my voice
out of his temple, and my cry came before
him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the
foundations also of the hills moved and
were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his
nostrils, and fire out of his mouth
devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came
down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:
yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place;
his pavilion round about him were dark
waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him
his thick clouds passed, hail stones and
coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the
heavens, and the Highest gave his voice;
hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and
scattered them; and he shot out
lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen,
and the foundations of the world were
discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the
blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he
drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong
enemy, and from them which hated me:
for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my
calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large
place; he delivered me, because he
delighted in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according
to my righteousness; according to
the cleanness of my hands hath he
recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the
LORD, and have not wickedly departed
from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before
me, and I did not put away his statutes
from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I
kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed
me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in
his eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt show
thyself merciful; with an upright man thou
wilt show thyself upright;
26 With the pure thou wilt show thyself
pure; and with the froward thou wilt show
thyself froward.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people;
but wilt bring down high looks.
28 For thou wilt light my candle: the
LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I have run through a troop;
and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word
of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all
those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who
is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength,
and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and
setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a
bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of
thy salvation: and thy right hand hath
holden me up, and thy gentleness hath
made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,
that my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and
overtaken them: neither did I turn again
till they were consumed.
38 I have wounded them that they were not
able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength
unto the battle: thou hast subdued under
me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of
mine enemies; that I might destroy them
that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to
save them: even unto the LORD, but he
answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust
before the wind: I did cast them out as the
dirt in the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the
strivings of the people; and thou hast
made me the head of the heathen: a people
whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall
obey me: the strangers shall submit
themselves unto me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be
afraid out of their close places.
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my
rock; and let the God of my salvation
be exalted.
47 It is God that avengeth me, and
subdueth the people under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies:
yea, thou liftest me up above those that
rise up against me: thou hast delivered me
from the violent man.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee,
O LORD, among the heathen, and sing
praises unto thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king;
and showeth mercy to his anointed, to
David, and to his seed for evermore.
Psalm 18 is really one of
those EXTRA-SPECIAL
psalms. Not to say any of
the psalms are inferior, but it is
notable that this psalm is THE
ONLY ONE that is recorded as
a crowning example out of all of
David's psalms when the scribe
was cataloging the summary of
King David's life in II Samuel.
One should naturally ask why he
would have chosen this psalm
above all the others David wrote.
After all, we westerners would
tend to rate the 23rd Psalm as
his crowning achievement. Actually,
from the way 18 reads in
the King James Bible, we might
look down on Psalm 18 as of lesser
value. From its past tense, we
tend to read it as if it was written
from the perspective of someone
with little compassion and tending
to a self-righteous attitude.
The truth of the matter is, this
psalm is nothing at all like that!
To begin to see why this was
chosen as the chief example in II
Samuel 22, one must first come
from the memory that David
was also a prophet. You might
remember that David gave the
future King Solomon the "blueprints"
for building the temple.
He drew them up through the
working of the Spirit of God
upon him (I Chronicles 28:19).
So many of David's psalms are
prophecies. Coming to Psalm 18,
we find an incredible prophecy of
the final coming in judgment of
the Almighty from heaven! When
we see that future view, the whole
mystery of this psalm begins to
unravel. In fact, it's downright
exciting, if you ask me.
The following study of Psalm 18
will be following the Hebrew numbering
with a literal translation of
the psalm with a parallel of a literal
translation of the same psalm
found in II Samuel 22. In the Hebrew
the book of Psalms is known
as Tehillim, which beautifully
enough means "praises". So we will
be looking over Tehillim 18.
I have included a detailed Hebrew
interlinear and the parallel
English of the psalm, as found
in both places in the scripture,
as additional appendixes at the
end of this article. For those desiring
to confirm the accuracy of
the literal translation I provide,
I would welcome you to take the
additional time to carefully go
over the interlinear and the parallel
that follows. The significant
difference you will find in my
translation to the reading found
in the King James reading, is in
regards to the verb tenses. The
King James translated as "perfect"
or "past tense" the readings
which are "imperfect", or in English
would translate predominantly
as "future tense". This results
in a significant difference in
meaning. So much so, that I perceive
it ends in a totally different
view in which one would see and
understand Psalm 18.
After carefully comparing Psalm
18 and II Samuel 22, it is my conclusion
the Psalm 18 edition was
the fi nal form, while the copy the
scribe used was the preliminary
edition. There are slight variants
between the copy, which I have
made easily comparable in my
parallel translation. Psalm 18 is
defi nitely more refi ned. It doesn't
indicate any less accuracy in the
prophecies they detail, rather the
one helps to verify the understanding
of the other. I believe
the differences are due to David
going over his composition and
improving it for predominantly
musical reasons. After all his finalizing
work, he presented it to the
"chief musician" for temple use.
One characteristic relatively easy
to perceive is the combined use of
both "God" and "Yahowah" in the
verses. In the original in II Samuel
22, a number of the differences
don't follow that "paired" usage.
In the Psalm 18 version, we see
that "paired" usage brought into
more consistency. It would make
more sense to develop and fi nalize
a pattern in a musical composition
than to break it out and remove it.
One final note, in my
translation process I decided
to translate the holy name of
God in a direct transliteration
of the Hebrew as it sits on the
page. I tend to believe that is
not the proper pronunciation,
but for translation purposes
in identifying the actual word
used, I used the letters as vowel
pointed. In reading the Hebrew
this is a disputed point.
Part I
Preliminary Setting
Verse 1:
Introductory Background
1 To the chief musician to the servant of Yahowah -------------------------- to David who spoke to Yahowah these
And will speak --- David --------------- to Yahowah these
words of the song this in the day to rescue Yahowah him from the hand (palm) of all his enemies and from the
words of the song this in the day to rescue Yahowah him from the hand (palm) of all his enemies and from the
hand (fist) of Saul.
hand (PALM) of Saul.
The black copy is Psalm
18, red copy the II Samuel
22 passage. The verse breaks
are for the Hebrew Psalm 18
passage only. In my translation
I have followed the King
James method of italicizing
words not found in the original,
but inserted to help in
reading. Also, I have placed
in ALL CAPS words that are
different in the two passages.
Again, for best comparison I
recommend using Appendix
II at the end of this booklet.
This opening verse gives the
background for the song. It should
be noted the II Samuel rendition
is future. An important groundwork
established in this verse,
is the mental framework we approach
the song with. We go into
it with the perception David is
singing the song in "recollection"
format only. Such is not the case.
It is obviously inspired over incidents
David has gone through but
it enters the Spirit in being prophetic.
Even this opening verse
brings this out.
It is also of note, the II Samuel
reading was future, while Psalm 18,
being the final version, delivered
to Yahowah in the temple through
the "chief musician" was "spoke".
This having been completed after
the original of II Samuel.
Another important point, is
the change of "palm" to "fist"
of Saul. Allow me to hazard this
supposition for the reason. In
II Samuel, we are seeing an incomplete
action at the time of
its initial composition. Saul's
persecution may not have been
completed, therefore the hand
of persecution was still open
from Saul. At the time of submission
to the chief musician in
Psalm 18, Saul's persecution had
been finalized. He was dead. The
"palm" of "all his enemies" was
not only still going on in David's
life, but included those enemies
of Israel unto the end of days - Armageddon.
That open hand had
not, and still is not closed and
finished in dealing out its wrath
and hatred. We will see more of
this as we cover the whole of this
song. As I said, such can only be
a deductive guess, but I felt it
significant enough to warrant
consideration.
Verses 2-3:
God of my Salvation (Praise)
2 And said
And said
I will love you tenderly Yahowah my strength.
--------------------------------------------------------------
3 Yahowah my rock (cliff) and my stronghold and my deliverer -------
Yahowah my rock (cliff) and my stronghold and my deliverer to me
It is easy to note the significant
addition to the Psalm 18 rendition
in verse 2. David adds the
one thing above all, the love of
God, to preface the entire song.
What I suspect is in rearranging
its structure to work in the music
more efficiently, David had to
sacrifice something in that first
section to balance when he added
the "love for God" line. He chose
to cut the final line. That final
line was important. The gist of
its thought is covered in the preceding
three lines. It was safe to
leave off, BUT God did want us to
see it. It was part of an important
detail in the whole of the prophecy
detailed in this song. We will
see the Hebrew word used for
"violence" pop up again in verse
49 in the singular form, as seen
in the Psalm 18 rendition only.
In II Samuel, it repeats the word
as well, but in the plural. Because
of its prophecy, God wanted it in
the singular in verse 49. We will
cover that more when we get to
verse 49.
These verses are an introduction
of praise. They focus on
God's salvation in particular.
There are many other points of
praise of God, such as His power
and glory, but the theme of this
whole song rests on the bedrock
of His salvation.
As I have said, pay attention to
the pattern David starts using of
both the title of deity, in the use of
the term for "God", and the holy
name of "God" in "Yahowah".
In the salvation praise, we
should note the foundation of
military defence David alludes
to. All the items relate back to
military strongholds and protection.
We must realize for such to
mean anything, there must be
an enemy from whom we are being
saved. Our battle is not only
against a sinful nature, it is also
against an intelligent foe who is
actively seeking to wipe us out.
The "horn of my salvation"
gives a reference to the sacrificial
aspect. The horns were on
the corners of the altar and the
sacrifice was tied to these horns.
In this reference, David also recognizes
the aspect of a substitutionary
sacrifice being given as
necessary for his salvation.
One last point to consider on
this passage, is the change in
"rocks" David uses. At least in
one aspect, it serves the purpose
of Hebrew poetry. It forms the
standard poetic style of parallelism
in thought with similar
words. That is why it couples with
the name of God and His title.
my God my rock (boulder) I flee for protection in him
my God my rock (boulder) I flee for protection in him
my shield and horn of my salvation my stronghold.
my shield and horn of my salvation my stronghold
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
and my refuge to save me from violence will save me.
Verse 4:
Two ‘From' Positions
4 From to be praised I will proclaim Yahowah and from my enemies I will be saved.
From to be praised I will proclaim Yahowah and from my enemies I will be saved.
Though the Hebrew word structure
is naturally different to English,
it doesn't take too much extra
effort to figure out the thoughts
being conveyed.
We all have our enemies and
battles, if we serve God or are precious
to Him. The enemy wants to
do anything that will grieve God.
David helps us to see the ground
upon which we must stand in order
to see God's deliverance.
First, notice that this time
David uses "Yahowah" only.
The position of true worship in
praise and salvation can only
come from the personal relationship
with God, not the more
distant title of deity expressed
in the title of "God".
Next, notice the ground for
salvation from the enemies is
found in the position of praising
Yahowah. You may remember
the victorious battle of Jehosophat
when they went into
war praising God. When they
began to praise the LORD, God
gave them the victory (II Chronicles
20:20-26)!
Verses 5-6:
Suffering
5 ----------- Surround me PANGS OF TRAVAIL of death
Because surround me WAVES OF --- death
and torrent valley of Belial overtook me in sudden terror.
----- torrent valley of Belial overtook me in sudden terror.
6 Pangs of travail of Sheol round about me
Pangs of travail of Sheol round about me
come in front of me snare of death.
come in front of me snare of death.
Verses 5 and 6 take us into the
details of David's personal sufferings.
The preceding verses
gave us a short synapsis of how
God provided for his need. Here
we get a glimpse of the depth of
the suffering that came upon David,
as well as the prophetic suffering
to come upon his kingdom
throughout the ages.
The jump from "waves of
death" to "pangs of travail of
death" takes us to a view of both
the suffering as well as their overwhelming
nature.
The "torrent valley" brings a
graphic description of the suffering.
A torrent valley is like an
old dry river-bed. You are standing
in it, when suddenly you see
a wall of branches and junk being
pushed at you swiftly by a wall of
water. You will be swept to destruction
before you can get out
of the way!
"Belial" is a name for the devil.
Next we see "Sheol". Sheol is the
place one went to when one died. The
righteous went to a portion, called
Abraham's Bosom, where there was
safety and comfort. The wicked went
into the flames of torment. Those in
the one section could see the other,
but were protected from the flames.
This was God's arrangement until
Christ arose. Jesus Christ took all
those in Abraham's Bosom to heaven,
and the flames of hell are all that is in
Sheol today. For David to refer to the
"pangs of travail of Sheol" is to refer
to the sufferings that follow death for
the wicked. David's suffering, though
still alive, was compared to the suffering
of the wicked after death. When
you consider all that Israel has had befall
it, the death camps of Germany for
instance, you can perceive the "travail
of Sheol" while still in the flesh.
Verse 7:
Response to Suffering
7 In distress to me I will call out Yahowah
In distress to me I will call out Yahowah
and to my God I WILL CRY FOR HELP
and to my God I WILL CALL OUT
----- will hear from your sanctuary my voice
and will hear from your sanctuary my voice
and my crying out to his face shall enter in his ears.
and my crying out ----------------------------- in his ears.
Joyfully we can move on from
the suffering to the prayer for
help. In Psalm 18, David changed
the word for "I will call out" to a
more passionate word of "I will
cry for help".
We can see the third line is directly
addressing God, but the
fourth line turns to a testimony
of faith to those listening. David
was distressed, but he didn't loose
faith in that distress. David's response
to trial was to cry to the
Lord with FAITH! Simply crying
in despair is not the same.
Verse 8:
God Arises to Answer in Vengeance
1. God's Response Shows First in the Creation
8 And she will push (quake) and she will shake the land
And she will push (quake) and she will shake the land
and the foundations of the MOUNTAINS they will tremble
and the foundations of THE HEAVENS they will tremble
and they will be pushed for to become angry to him.
and they will be pushed for to become angry to him.
At verse eight we see God arise
to answer in vengeance upon
the enemies of David. The "she"
of eight is not referring to God,
for He is ALWAYS referred to in
the masculine. The "she" is referring
to what is being pushed,
shaken and trembling. The third
line gives the reason for this incredible
shaking. It is because of
God's great anger when He arises
in answer to the cry of David!
When God arises in judgment,
we are shown the first effects are
upon all of creation in the shaking
of his might. Notice the important
change of the second
line. David wrote both versions
under inspiration of the Spirit
of God. Both are accurate. When
God returns for his final answer
in glory, both the heavens and
the earth will be shaken:
4 And all the host of heaven
shall be dissolved, and the heavens
shall be rolled together as a
scroll: and all their host shall
fall down, as the leaf falleth off
from the vine, and as a falling
fig from the fig tree.
Isaiah 34:4
12 And I beheld when he had
opened the sixth seal, and, lo,
there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon
became as blood; 13 And the
stars of heaven fell unto the
earth, even as a fig tree casteth
her untimely figs, when she is
shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And
the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and
every mountain and island were
moved out of their places. 15
And the kings of the earth, and
the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the
mighty men, and every bondman,
and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the
rocks of the mountains; 16 And
said to the mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath of
the Lamb: 17 For the great day
of his wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?
Revelation 6:12-17
Verse 9:
God Arises to Answer in Vengeance
2. View of God as He Arises
9 Ascended smoke in his nostrils
Ascended smoke in his nostrils
and fire (shining) from his face (mouth) she will consume
and fire (shining) from his face (mouth) she will consume
coals he kindled from before him.
coals he kindled from before him.
As the old saying goes, "Where
there's smoke, there's fire." So is
the imagery of the smoke from
His nostrils. It illustrates the rage
and judgment that is coming. The
smoke also tells of the smoldering
rage that He is coming with.
The phrasing of the second line
is noticeable. I can't help but be
reminded of the Shekinah glory of
God. The reflection of that same
Shekinah that radiated from the
face of Moses. When God comes
in glory and wrath, that shining
will consume in judgment.
The word used for "facemouth"
could be understood for
a match of the following found in
the Revelation:
11 And I saw heaven opened,
and behold a white horse; and
he that sat upon him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness
he doth judge and
make war. 12 His eyes were as
a flame of fire, and on his head
were many crowns; and he had
a name written, that no man
knew, but he himself.
Revelation 19:11,12
In Revelation we see His eyes
as a flame of fire as He comes
in judgment. As He comes, the
coals that are to be kindled before
him will be those objects of
his wrath.
Verses 10-16:
God Arises to Answer in Vengeance
3. His Coming
10 And stretch out heavens and will come down
And stretch out heavens and will come down
and dark cloud beneath his feet.
and dark cloud beneath his feet.
11 And he will ride upon cherub and will fly
And he will ride upon cherub and will fly
and WILL FLY FAST upon the wings of the wind.
and TO BE SEEN (APPEAR) upon the wings of the wind.
12 ------To set darkness his covering round about his his succoths
And to set darkness his covering round about ----- his succoths
DARKNESSES waters dark clouds of fine dust.
COLLECTION OF WATERS waters dark clouds of fine dust.
13 From brightness over against him HIS DARK CLOUD CROSS OVER HIS
From brightness over against him CONSUME HIM
hail and coals of fire.
---------- coals of fire.
14 And will make sound of thunder IN the heavens Yahowah
----- Will make sound of thunder FROM the heavens Yahowah
and the most high will give his voice
and the most high will give his voice.
hail and coals of fire.
----------------------------
15 And will send forth his arrows and will disperse them
And will send forth ---- arrows and will disperse them
and LIGHTENINGS MANY and will put them in motion.
and SEND FORTH LIGHTNING and will put them in motion.
16 And they to be seen channels of WATERS
And they to be seen channels of SEA
and he will uncover the foundations of the world
----- he will uncover the foundations of the world
FROM YOUR rebukes Yahowah from breaths wind YOUR nostrils.
IN rebukes Yahowah from breaths wind HIS nostrils.
David turns to the details of
God's coming. In stretching out
the heavens, one might imagine
the honor before an earthly king
of rolling out the red carpet.
David moves on to the details
of the dark clouds beneath His
feet, coming with angels, etc.
At this point, I believe it's of
great advantage to read some
other scriptures that bring out
these details over the presence
and coming of God:
11 And ye came near and
stood under the mountain; and
the mountain burned with fire
unto the midst of heaven, with
darkness, clouds, and thick
darkness. Deuteronomy 4:11
4 Sing unto God, sing praises
to his name: extol him that rideth
upon the heavens by his name
JAH, and rejoice before him.
Psalm 68:4
17 The chariots of God are twenty
thousand, even thousands of
angels: the Lord is among them,
as in Sinai, in the holy place.
Psalm 68:17
3 Who layeth the beams of his
chambers in the waters: who
maketh the clouds his chariot:
who walketh upon the wings of
the wind: Psalm 104:3
13 I saw in the night visions,
and, behold, one like the Son of
man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient
of days, and they brought him
near before him. 14 And there
was given him dominion, and
glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion
is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and
his kingdom that which shall not
be destroyed. Daniel 7:13,14
29 Immediately after the tribulation
of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the
stars shall fall from heaven, and
the powers of the heavens shall
be shaken: 30 And then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man
in heaven: and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory. 31
And he shall send his angels with
a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31
7 Behold, he cometh with
clouds; and every eye shall see
him, and they also which pierced
him: and all kindreds of the
earth shall wail because of him.
Even so, Amen. Revelation 1:7
We see the "chariots of God" and
the angels are joined together, so
we see this similar connection in
Psalm 18:11. In verse 11, we see the
parallel of the "cherub" to the "ride
upon". If you look at the Hebrew
interlinear, in Appendix I, you will
notice that the Hebrew words are
a combination of the same letters.
That is a characteristic of Hebrew,
showing the words are part of the
same class of meanings. In Hebrew
thought, the two have almost the
same meaning at their base. The
root word that "cherub" is based
upon is the meaning, "to be near".
The very name of "cherub" defines
their ministry.
In verse 11, the "will fly fast"
and the parallel in II Samuel of
"to be seen (appear)" provide
a lesson in God's providential
preservation of His Word. The
difference of the actual letters
used, is the one uses a "resh" and
the other a "daleth". Visually, the
resh looks like the daleth except
the little "tail" that hangs off the
top to the right. The resh lacks
this. That little "overhang" is
what Jesus mentions in:
18 For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass, one
jot or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Matthew 5:18
Such is called the "tittle". Such
a minor difference changes the
whole meaning of the word,
as we see in this passage. Both
meanings are intended, just like
all the other revisions we find
throughout the song. Both readings
together expound for our
understanding of what is going
to happen. They help define exactly
what David is referring to.
As we see in a broader view of the
scriptures on this subject, we see
God will return with both speed
and be seen by all.
In verse four, it is significant
it refers to God's "succoths". The
"Feast of Tabernacles (Succoths)"
is prophetic of the Lord's setting
His kingdom up on this earth.
That is why the apostle Peter
talked about building succoths
when he saw the Lord glorified
with Moses and Elijah upon the
mount. In addition to this, it is of
note that David did not call God's
dwelling "heaven" or "house" or
"temple". Such are fixed places.
Succoths are mobile dwellings
which is the prime characteristic
of God's return.
In addition to all the other judgments
that will befall at Armageddon,
we see "hail and coals of
fire" included. Such has been seen
before in Egypt and at Sodom.
The voice of God and the sound
of thunder will be heard "in" the
heavens and "from" the heavens.
The display of the lightenings,
the roar of thunder and God's
voice, the hail and coals of fire
and on top of this, the arrows of
God's artillery. Oh glorious day!
There is one additional detail I
want to look at in the 16th verse.
When we read that verse in the
King James Bible, we read it visualizing
what happened in history
at the time of the deluge
with Noah and the ark. Such did
happen then, but this verse is
future! Such exposure of these
great subterranean water sources
will be done again. When God
returns, there will be such turmoil
upon the earth, such as the
mountains being brought low
and the islands disappearing,
now we can add one other item
to the list. What remains of the
great vaults of subterranean water
will be brought out.
I doubt we can even begin to really
comprehend the power that
will be manifest the Day the Lord
returns! When He returns, there
will be no mistaking the point of
what has taken place. Nothing in
all of history has matched it, no
nor shall match it again.
Part II
Man's Relationship With God
Verses 17-20:
The Sudden Catching Away
17 Will send forth from height and will take hold of me
Will send forth from height and will take hold of me
will draw me out from waters many.
will draw me out from waters many.
18 Will rescue me from my enemies strong
Will rescue me from my enemies strong
and from those who hate me for they were stronger who from me.
----- from those who hate me for they were stronger who from me.
19 Will go before me in day my distress
Will go before me in day my distress
and will be Yahowah to support to me.
and will be Yahowah --- support to me.
20 And will cause me to go out to large roomy expanse ------------ will deliver me
And will cause me to go out to large roomy expanse with (by) will deliver me
for delights in me.
for delights in me.
I have summarized this section
as dealing with man's relationship
with God. It encompasses verses
17-37. It is a continuation of God's
return, but takes its turn in instructing
us. It shows what happens
to the God-fearing man in
the Day of the Lord's wrath at his
return. These words are exciting.
When God returns in his vengeance,
He will actively "send
forth" for his own. Verse 17 tells
us He will send for his own from
the height (ie. in the clouds of
His return). He will take hold of
his own on earth. He will draw
me out from many waters. The
scriptures repeatedly show the
nations referred to as many waters.
God's own will be drawn out
of the nations and snatched up to
be with Him in the "height".
No matter where His own will
be found, God will snatch them
away. No strong enemy, not even
the grave, can keep hold of His
beloved! Such will be the case of
the dead rising up to be with the
Lord at such a time.
Verse 19 serves as a poetic
parallel to 18, but brings in the
name of the One with whom we
must have a relationship. Simply
knowing He is God, is no more
than the great waters of the nations
know. When we know Him,
on the "right side" as it were, we
know Him as Yahowah!
When God gives that great
call for His own, He indeed "will
cause" us to be brought into the
"large roomy expanse" found in
the "height" in His holy presence
overlooking the battle of all time
- Armageddon!
Verses 21-25:
Why He is to be Taken Away
21 Will carry me Yahowah AS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS
Will carry me Yahowah AS MY RIGHTEOUSNESSES
as cleanness of my hand (working) will return to me.
as cleanness of my hand (working) will return to me.
22 For I kept path of Yahowah
For I kept path of Yahowah
and not I wickedly from my God.
and not I wickedly from my God.
23 For all his judgments to be before me
For all his judgments to be before me
and his statutes not depart from me.
and his statutes not depart from me.
24 And I to be upright WITH HIM and I will take heed from my iniquity.
And I to be upright TO HIM and I will take heed from my iniquity.
25 And will return Yahowah to me AS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS
And will return Yahowah to me AS MY RIGHTEOUSNESSES
as ---- cleaness my hands to go before his eyes.
as my cleaness ------------- to go before his eyes.
There are many Christians who
rejoice in the message of the preceding
verses of God's coming
and His glory manifest upon this
wicked world. The following verses,
though, seem alien to many of
them. So much so, ah, can I really
call them "Christian"? I fear not!
The following verses tell us critical
information as to who God
will bring up to be with Him.
Verse 21 is troublesome for
many to accept. They find it offensive
in David's confident confession
of having walked in righteousness
with clean hands. The Psalm
and the Samuel account help us
see the full scope of what David is
saying. One has the singular form
of "righteousness", the other the
plural form of "righteousnesses".
What is the difference? In Christ
Jesus we are given the righteousness
of God in Christ:
30 But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto
us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is
written, He that glorieth, let him
glory in the Lord.
I Corinthians 1:30,31
The "righteousness" - singular
of Christ is applied to those who
stand by faith in Him.
The "righteousnesses" are the
fruit that flows from abiding
in Christ. You might notice the
bringing forth fruit of righteousness
until that coming day of
God's vengeance in the following:
10 That ye may approve things
that are excellent; that ye may be
sincere and without offence till
the day of Christ; 11 Being filled
with the fruits of righteousness,
which are by Jesus Christ, unto
the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:10,11
David clearly expresses the
necessary position of standing
in God's righteousness as well as
walking according to it.
No way would David condone
the flimsy statement, "I'm no different
to the rest of the world, I'm
just a sinner like the next guy,
just saved by grace." Nor would
David condone a statement like,
"I'm a servant of God now, but I
disobey Him all the time. He tells
me to do this or that and I just
can't help myself. All His servants
disobey Him all the time and how
dare you say otherwise!" Sorry,
David knows the correct position
and "world-view". Instead of correcting
David, why don't we let
him correct us?
There will be those thinking David
also was a sinner. Remember
Bathsheba and Uriah? Look at the
words of David himself:
5 O God, thou knowest my
foolishness; and my sins are not
hid from thee. Psalm 69:5
David didn't deny being a sinner
and he didn't claim to be
"self" righteous. I believe verses
24 and 25 give the answer to this
difficulty.
In the parallel with II Samuel,
we see David accounted his righteousness
to be "with him" and
"to him". That is the only way it
can be. "With him" in God's provided
righteousness, that being
in Christ. "To him" being found in
answer via Philippians 1:10,11.
David continued verse 24 with
another important admission.
With that ending, he was declaring
(in that very same Psalm in
which he had declared his righteousness)
that he had the root
of iniquity within him. The issue
wasn't that he was without sin,
it was that he abode in God, and
he kept a distrusting eye upon
his own fallen nature. He knew
he could not turn his back on it
for a moment. He had made that
error before!
In verse 25, we find both the
singular and plural of "righteousness".
In short, verse 25 tells us
he is righteous in God as well
as follows God's provided righteousness
in bearing fruit. Upon
this, he can confidently affirm
his hands are clean.
After looking at this complex
confession of David, we need to
remember its context. God will
"snatch" him away when He returns
for vengeance because
he has taken upon himself the
righteousness God provided and
walked accordingly. His salvation
was not by works, nor maintained
by works, but he did bring
forth fruit meet for repentance.
He stood by both faith and repentance.
Upon that ground, he was
bringing forth fruits of obedience
and walking with clean hands.
Verses 26-28:
The Law of God's Dealing with Mankind
26 With merciful to show yourself merciful
With merciful to show yourself merciful
with man of strength upright will show yourself upright.
with man of strength upright will show yourself upright.
27 With pure will show yourself pure
With pure will show yourself pure
and with perverse (twisted) will show yourself false.
and with perverse (twisted) will show yourself false.
28 FOR YOU people afflicted (poor) you will deliver
AND (SPECIFIC) people afflicted (poor) you will deliver
AND EYES TO BE LOFTY you will make low.
AND YOUR EYES UPON TO BE HIGH you will make low.
David outlines a principal upon
which God will deal with all men
when He returns in His wrath.
As you can see, the principal of
"grace" is not unconditionally
dished out. There are conditions
for receiving grace from God. We
see God will show mercy to the
merciful, but realize that unrighteous
mercy is sheer mockery of
justice. The righteous Judge will
not overlook this wickedness
that's to be punished as well.
Consider the following illustration
of the kind of twisting some
teach on Divine justice:
You are talking about eternal
things with a thief. He has said
"the prayer" so feels assured God
will show him mercy. You ask
him how he justifies his thieving
lifestyle. His answer is that he
doesn't judge anybody. He knows
that in the same way he judges,
he will be judged. He doesn't
condemn people so he won't be
condemned. He actually shows
you his great biblical knowledge
by quoting the words of Christ:
37 Judge not, and ye shall not
be judged: condemn not, and ye
shall not be condemned: forgive,
and ye shall be forgiven:
Luke 6:37
Let me ask you, what is your response?
Is he correct? My answer:
21 Thou therefore which
teachest another, teachest thou
not thyself? thou that preachest
a man should not steal, dost
thou steal? 22 Thou that sayest
a man should not commit adultery,
dost thou commit adultery?
thou that abhorrest idols, dost
thou commit sacrilege? 23 Thou
that makest thy boast of the
law, through breaking the law
dishonourest thou God? 24 For
the name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles through you,
as it is written. 25 For circumcision
verily profiteth, if thou keep
the law: but if thou be a breaker
of the law, thy circumcision is
made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore
if the uncircumcision keep
the righteousness of the law,
shall not his uncircumcision be
counted for circumcision? 27
And shall not uncircumcision
which is by nature, if it fulfil the
law, judge thee, who by the letter
and circumcision dost transgress
the law? 28 For he is not
a Jew, which is one outwardly;
neither is that circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh: 29
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly;
and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the spirit, and not
in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God.
Romans 2:21-29
What God is looking for is the
one who is circumcised in the
heart. The hardness has been
removed and replaced with humility.
The one who remembers
righteous justice, but also
is ready for dispensing mercy.
Mercy trumps retribution, but
this can only be in the face of repentant
humility.
The second line of verse 26,
shows God is looking for the person
who is mighty to stand for
what is right. Not just the one
who will do what is right because
that is the way the crowd is going.
God is looking for the one who
stands for right when no-one is
going that direction. The man or
woman who is accounted a fool
and wicked because of resistance
to current "politically approved"
views and behaviors.
David makes it clear in verse
27 that God takes note of true
purity. Following some manmade
taboo, such as "don't drink
coffee", doesn't make one pure.
Such taboos further the devil's
agenda. Such followers actually
play into the devil's trap. They
usually become twice the stench
in God's nostrils than they were
before. They move towards the
"holier than thou" position while
they commit impurity in heart.
Just look at the filthy lyrics of
songs they choose to listen to.
They fool themselves, believing
they are pure because they don't
break the "purity taboo" some
false prophet laid upon them.
Consider this frightening passage
from Isaiah:
2 I have spread out my hands
all the day unto a rebellious
people, which walketh in a way
that was not good, after their
own thoughts; 3 A people that
provoketh me to anger continually
to my face; that sacrificeth
in gardens, and burneth incense
upon altars of brick; 4 Which
remain among the graves, and
lodge in the monuments, which
eat swine's flesh, and broth of
abominable things is in their
vessels; 5 Which say, Stand by
thyself, come not near to me; for
I am holier than thou. These are
a smoke in my nose, a fire that
burneth all the day. 6 Behold,
it is written before me: I will
not keep silence, but will recompense,
even recompense into
their bosom, Isaiah 65:2-6
The second line of verse 27
needs some explanation. The
showing of God as "false" is in
reference to how He will be in
the eyes of the perverse. They are
like that confident thief I mentioned.
He had peace of mind
that all would be well. Woe unto
him! In the day of God's wrath,
he will find his hope and expectation
proved false. His hope was
false. It was not that God was
false, but he falsely hoped upon
God in an unrepentant heart.
As we have seen at this coming
of God, it will be in response
to coming in judgment due to
the prayer for help of the afflicted.
The wicked inevitably afflict
the poor. God is a holy and just
judge. (For a sample of a righteous
judge on such issues see
Psalm 72.)
The differences between the
second lines of verse 28, give
two lessons. Read the differences
carefully. Psalm 18 shows
God will bring down those "with
haughty eyes". II Samuel shows
us God "is looking upon" those
who are seeking to be high. This
teaches there are always two sets
of eyes, ours and Gods.
Finally, there is another passage
found in the last chapter of Revelation,
the last book of the Bible:
11 He that is unjust, let him
be unjust still: and he which is
13
filthy, let him be filthy still: and
he that is righteous, let him be
righteous still: and he that is
holy, let him be holy still. 12 And,
behold, I come quickly; and my
reward is with me, to give every
man according as his work shall
be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, the first
and the last. 14 Blessed are they
that do his commandments, that
they may have right to the tree
of life, and may enter in through
the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:11-14
Verses 29-31:
Victory and Strength to Those Who Flee to Him
29 For you will shine my lamp ------------
For you ------------- my lamp Yahowah
----- Yahowah my God to illuminate my darkness.
and Yahowah ----------- to illuminate my darkness.
30 For in you I will run a troop
For in you I will run a troop
and in my God I will leap over a wall.
and in my God I will leap over a wall.
31 The God upright his way
The God upright his way
words of Yahowah to test
words of Yahowah to test
shield he to all who flee for protection in him.
shield he to all who flee for protection in him.
In verses 29-31, David shows
what God does, and will do, with
those who walk in the way he has
previously described in the song.
In verse 29, we see a two-fold
lesson in the first line comparison.
The Psalm 18 version tells us
David has a lamp that God will be
the light of. The II Samuel version
tells us that Yahowah Himself is
that lamp. From this, we see David's
light is none of himself. If we
have any righteousness and light,
it must be all of God and none of
ourself. In line with this compare:
9 For with thee is the fountain
of life: in thy light shall we see
light. Psalm 36:9
We see the dual "upgrade" in
using both the name of "Yahowah"
and the title of "God" in the
Psalm 18 version.
Verse 30 is an interesting jump
from 29. Before we are ready for
battle, we must have the light.
When we have the light, we are
prepared to be the mighty warrior
and will be able to route all
the forces of the enemies. In line
with this, reflecting on what will
happen when God returns in vengeance,
there is an enlightening
verse addressing this battle ability
and David:
8 In that day shall the LORD
defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and he that is feeble
among them at that day shall be
as David; and the house of David
shall be as God, as the angel
of the LORD before them.
Zechariah 12:8
The Zechariah passage is in
reference to the day of the Lord's
vengeance.
In verse 31 we see the combination
of "God" and "Yahowah".
Consider the following verses in
regards to verse 31:
38 Whosoever therefore shall be
ashamed of me and of my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation;
of him also shall the Son
of man be ashamed, when he cometh
in the glory of his Father
with the holy angels. Mark 8:38
31 Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, If
ye continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed; 32
And ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31,32
47 And if any man hear my
words, and believe not, I judge
him not: for I came not to judge
14
the world, but to save the world.
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth
not my words, hath one
that judgeth him: the word that I
have spoken, the same shall judge
him in the last day. 49 For I have
not spoken of myself; but the Father
which sent me, he gave me
a commandment, what I should
say, and what I should speak. 50
And I know that his commandment
is life everlasting: whatsoever
I speak therefore, even as the
Father said unto me, so I speak.
John 12:47-50
From such passages, we see
the words of Jesus test us. We
must all answer to what did HE
say, not what did someone who
claimed to be a "Christian" say or
do. There have been multitudes
who have adorned His name
upon themselves, who have never
been his disciples at all. Such
are those who have murdered a
multitude of victims.
Those who pass the testing nature
of the words of Yahowah are
those who enter under the shield
of His protection. Note the distinct
use of the word "in" used in
the last line of verse 31. The Hebrew
could have used a word for
"to", but didn't. That difference
is important. We don't just flee
"to" Christ, we flee "into" Him. A
true Christian is one who enters
into the body of Christ by the supernatural
working of the Spirit
of God upon him. When one truly
is "born again", one enters the
body of Christ, so is clothed in
the righteousness of Christ and
receives the light and radiates
the light from God.
Verse 32:
Who God Is
32 For who is GOD (ELOHA) from beside Yahowah
For who THESE from beside Yahowah
and who rock (boulder) WITH THE EXCEPTION OF our God?
and who rock (boulder) BESIDES our God?
After all the important ground
covered through verse 31, we step
on a final grand plateau. I suspect
most readers of the Psalm
read the next verse lightly, not
seeing its great significance. Actually,
it is a crux of the matter.
If one does not come from this
position, all the rest is misplaced
in one's life.
Why is it so important? It defines
what deity it is we must be
looking to. If we fail this, we will
be looking to a false deity, which
is idolatry.
The first line draws a greater
distinction, so we will have no
question as to what David is talking
about. He changed the "these"
into "God".
Two distinctions to note:
Psalm 18 did not use the most
common term for God of "Elohim".
That is a singular plural
word using a specific vowel configuration
telling us the plurality
is not like one would use of
a multitude of people like, "who
are these people?". The plural is
distinctly that used for a plural
as of pairs, like a pair of socks.
In Psalm 18, the term is "Eloha".
This is a difference with a reason.
The "God", let there be no
confusion, is "Yahowah". The
original rendition from II Samuel
brings us back to the plurality
of the being called "Eloha"
in Psalm 18. You see, David is
pointing at the same God of
verse 31. The God whose way is
upright and the Yahowah whose
words test us. This God "Eloha"
are "these" of II Samuel. "Who
are THESE other than Yahowah!"
These both are one God.
In essence, he poses the question,
"Who is God other than the
one who has presented Himself
under the name of Yahowah?"
The implied answer is that there
is no other God beside Him. Further,
it tells us something we
might tend to overlook. Simple,
but important. If we should point
and say, "Look, there is Yahowah",
we are also saying, "Look,
there is God, the ONLY God".
Conversely, if we say, "Look,
there is God", we are also saying,
"Look, there is Yahowah".
The word used for "rock" in
the second line, is the same as
that used for "rock" in the second
line of verse 3. We saw in verse
3, that David fled for protection
"in" Him (not to Him) who
is both "God" and the salvation
"rock". This salvation "rock" David
flees "into" is both God and
Yahowah. The full of verse 32
lays out a mathematical equation
that locks down the facts.
The salvation rock we must flee
"into" is both Yahowah and God.
Jesus is that rock which defines
Him as both God and Yahowah.
Here are some important verses
about that "rock":
15 But Jeshurun waxed fat,
and kicked: thou art waxen fat,
thou art grown thick, thou art
covered with fatness; then he forsook
God which made him, and
lightly esteemed the Rock of his
salvation. 16 They provoked him
to jealousy with strange gods,
with abominations provoked
they him to anger. 17 They sacrificed
unto devils, not to God;
to gods whom they knew not, to
new gods that came newly up,
whom your fathers feared not.
18 Of the Rock that begat thee
thou art unmindful, and hast
forgotten God that formed thee.
Deuteronomy 32:15-18
13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts
himself; and let him be your
fear, and let him be your dread.
14 And he shall be for a sanctuary;
but for a stone of stumbling
and for a rock of offence
to both the houses of Israel, for
a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem. 15 And
many among them shall stumble,
and fall, and be broken,
and be snared, and be taken. 16
Bind up the testimony, seal the
law among my disciples. 17 And
I will wait upon the LORD, that
hideth his face from the house of
Jacob, and I will look for him.
18 Behold, I and the children
whom the LORD hath given me
are for signs and for wonders in
Israel from the LORD of hosts,
which dwelleth in mount Zion.
19 And when they shall say unto
you, Seek unto them that have
familiar spirits, and unto wizards
that peep, and that mutter:
should not a people seek
unto their God? for the living to
the dead? 20 To the law and to
the testimony: if they speak not
according to this word, it is because
there is no light in them.
Isaiah 8:13-20
The mystery of the rejection
of most of Israel of the Messiah
Yeshua (Jesus), is seen in this
passage from Isaiah. Modern Judaism
does not speak according
to the law or to the testimony,
it speaks according to such as
the traditions of the "oral law"
recorded in the Mishnah and
Talmud. I beg of you, who are
physical descendents of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, go back to
the law and to the testimony, for
they tell the truth of the Messiah.
Forsake the "oral traditions".
One last quote from the New
Testament about that Rock who
is the Messiah:
1 Moreover, brethren, I would
not that ye should be ignorant,
how that all our fathers were
under the cloud, and all passed
through the sea; 2 And were all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud
and in the sea; 3 And did all eat
the same spiritual meat; 4 And
did all drink the same spiritual
drink: for they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed
them: and that Rock was Christ.
I Corinthians 10:1-4
Verses 33-37:
His Salvation - What He is to Me
33 The God who is THE GIRDER OF MY strength
The God who is MY FORTRESS strength
AND GIVES upright MY way.
AND WILL CAUSE TO LET LOOSE upright HIS way.
34 Places my feet as hinds
Places HIS feet as hinds
and upon my high places he will make me to stand.
and upon my high places he will make me to stand.
35 Taught my hand to war
Taught my hand to war
and press down bows of brass my strengths.
and press down bows of brass my strengths.
36 And give to me a shield your salvation
And give to me a shield your salvation
and your right hand to support me and your meekness will increase me.
----------------------------------------------- and your meekness will increase me.
37 To enlarge my step (stride) under me
To enlarge my step (stride) under me
and not he has slipped my ankles.
and not he has slipped my ankles.
From verse 33 through 37, we
see David focus on what God
does for, or with, him. David expounds
upon how it is his hands
that work righteousness. Look at
33 and its parallel in II Samuel.
"The girder of my strength" and
"my fortress strength" are different
things. The one, backbone of
the strength by which he wars.
The other, the impenetrable defensive
wall that protects him.
David accredits God to being
both these to him.
Further, "and gives upright
my way" as opposed to "and
will cause to let loose upright
his way" teaches a lot. For God
to give "upright my way" declares
loudly that one walks in
an upright way, as an act of God
doing it through us. This is not
will-power to do right. It necessitates
our being in the right relationship
with God. We are able
to walk uprightly, because He is
free to pour out His righteousness
through us.
The parallel makes a significant
change from "my" to "his".
This shows our ability to walk
uprightly is via God's releasing
His ability through an appropriate
vessel.
Verse 34 continues this "my"
and "his" again telling us our doing
is because He is doing.
David's "high places" are not
referring to some idolatrous place
of worship. It refers to the place
the "hinds" are upon in the rocky
mountain heights. If you've ever
seen mountain goats on the sides
of mountains, you will get the
idea of what David is picturing.
He stands safely in those "easy to
fall to one's death" heights, because
God Himself is secure in
such a place. So then is David, as
he stands by God's ability.
Verse 35 takes us into past
tense. We see why from its content.
David's position comes
from having been trained by
God. He became strong for the
battle and for standing in the
high places, because God had
been training him.
The King James Bible has the
bow being broken (v.34 KJV -
v.35 Hebrew numbering). The
word used indicates the bow is
simply pressed down as in use or
for stringing. I did some research
to find if David would have actually
used a brass bow. The earliest
record I found of a brass bow was
a legendary one that was made as
a gift for one of the Huns. It was
apparently light weight and very
efficient, but ‘one of a kind' and
not made until centuries after
Christ. I found further information
on one of the ancient Egyptian
Pharaohs. He hired artisans
to make bows for his army. To
find out if the potential artisan
really knew his stuff or was just
some poor workman he would
test the bow. The document told
how they made targets of brass
about the thickness of the palm
of the hand. There were several
targets made and waiting. He
rode up and took the bow. As he
rode in his chariot, he shot as he
passed. The report said the arrow
actually broke the brass targets
in two, the one after the other.
Such was the demonstration of
the strength of such a bow. Now,
if one wonders how such could
even be possible, read the following.
I believe it may also hold the
answer as to what David meant
by the "trained" hands for war
and the "brass" in connection
with the bow. Read on:
"The Chevalier Cliardin, in his
travels, which were performed in
the 17th century says, "The young
Persians learn to shoot the bow;
the art of which consists in holding
it firm, drawing and letting
go the string smoothly. At first
they practice with a weak bow;
and afterwards, by degrees, with
those which are stronger. The
persons who give instructions in
this art, direct the young pupils
to shoot with ease and agility, in
every direction, before them, behind,
on either side, elevated in
the air, or low on the ground; in
short, in every different posture.
Some of their bows are exceedingly
strong; and the method
they make use of to know their
power, is by fastening them to a
support driven into the wall, and
suspending weights to the string
at the point where the arrow is
placed, when going to shoot. The
strongest require 500 pounds
weight, to draw them up to the
arrow's point.
"When the pupils can manage
the common bow, they then have
another given them, which they
make heavier and heavier, by
means of large iron rings which
are placed on the string; some
of these bows are an hundredweight.
The pupils draw, string
and unstring their bows, while
they leap and move about; sometimes
while they stand on one
leg, sometimes on their knees, or
while running about."
Source: The Archer's Guide:
Containing Full Instructions For
The Use Of That Ancient & Noble
Instrument The Bow, 1833,
Chapter 1.
Verse 36 brings us that famous
metaphor of God's salvation
pictured as a shield. Indeed, its
purpose is to stop the weapons
of destruction assailed our way.
Again, these weapons are clear
demonstration of an active enemy
who is seeking to destroy
us. A hard hat does help protect
from accidents, but you never
see construction workers carrying
shields! (Except in Nehemiah
and Ezra, but that's another
story.)
The second line of verse 36,
has an important expansion
in the Psalm 18 rendition. The
mention of God's "right hand"
is more than indicating support
from the generally stronger of
ones two arms. It specifically refers
to the Messiah! God's support,
He has provided, is told of
throughout scripture:
10 Fear thou not; for I am with
thee: be not dismayed; for I am
thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10
5 My righteousness is near; my
salvation is gone forth, and mine
arms shall judge the people; the
isles shall wait upon me, and on
mine arm shall they trust. 6 Lift
up your eyes to the heavens, and
look upon the earth beneath: for
the heavens shall vanish away
like smoke, and the earth shall
wax old like a garment, and
they that dwell therein shall die
in like manner: but my salvation
shall be for ever, and my righteousness
shall not be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know
righteousness, the people in
whose heart is my law; fear ye
not the reproach of men, neither
be ye afraid of their revilings. 8
For the moth shall eat them up
like a garment, and the worm
shall eat them like wool: but my
righteousness shall be for ever,
and my salvation from generation
to generation. 9 Awake,
awake, put on strength, O arm
of the LORD; awake, as in the
ancient days, in the generations
of old. Art thou not it that hath
cut Rahab, and wounded the
dragon? 10 Art thou not it which
hath dried the sea, the waters of
the great deep; that hath made
the depths of the sea a way for
the ransomed to pass over?
Isaiah 51:-5-10
1 Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the arm
of the LORD revealed? 2 For he
shall grow up before him as a
tender plant, and as a root out of
a dry ground: he hath no form
nor comeliness; and when we
shall see him, there is no beauty
that we should desire him. 3 He
is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief: and we hid as it
were our faces from him; he was
despised, and we esteemed him
not. 4 Surely he hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon
him; and with his stripes we are
healed. 6 All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every
one to his own way; and the
LORD hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all. Isaiah 53:1-6
One can see how God pleads
with Israel in the face of all its
sufferings. The call found in
them is pertinent to the fearful
situation Israel is facing today.
It is like reading a letter straight
from heaven, addressed to Israel
in the 21st century. The arm, who
was given for our salvation, is the
Messiah, the arm of Yahowah.
Isaiah 53 goes into great detail
describing just how He would
work his salvation. The sufferings
of the Messiah are precisely
laid out as they befell Him almost
2,000 years ago.
From the right hand, look to
the "and your meekness will increase
me" at the end of verse 36.
The Messiah humbled Himself to
take on the form of a man. It was
His meekness in coming in such a
manner that "increases" all who
look to Him. Let me ask you, how
else could God's meekness increase
us? What possible meekness
could it be talking about?
Remember, meekness is for men.
We are imperfect and weak. God is
perfect and all-powerful, so there
is no place for meekness... unless
He put on the form of a servant for
the sake of man to bring His salvation.
Glory be to God, He became
meek so we may be "increased"!
Verse 37 shows the final
mighty warrior that results
from God's work with David. A
soldier who has a strong stride
into battle and whose feet are fit
for the task. His life depended
upon the reliability of his ankles
when undergoing greater stress
than they would normally be put
through, but in God, he is another
"mighty man".
Part III
Armageddon Arrives
Verses 38-43:
The Battle and Conquest
38 I will pursue my enemies AND I WILL OVERTAKE THEM
I will pursue my enemies AND I WILL DESTROY THEM
and not return until they are finished.
and not return until they are finished.
39 ------------------------------- I will severely wound them and not they will be able to STAND
And I will destroy them I will severely wound them and not ------------------------- THEY TO STAND
----- they will fall beneath my feet.
and they will fall beneath my feet.
40 And you will gird me with strength to war
And you will gird me with strength to war
you will cause to bow down those who rise up against me they beneath me.
you will cause to bow down those who rise up against me they beneath me.
41 And my enemies you give to me neck
And my enemies you give to me neck
and those who hate me ----- I will destroy them.
----- those who hate me and I will destroy them.
42 They cry for help and not to save
They cry for help and not to save
UPON Yahowah and no answer.
TO Yahowah and no answer.
43 And I will reduce them to dust as dust UPON FACE OF WIND
And I will reduce them to dust as dust LAND
as dirt streets ------------------------------------ I WILL POUR THEM OUT.
as dirt streets I will break them in pieces I WILL TREAD THEM DOWN.
Verses 38-43 takes us to the
continuation from the position of
what will happen for the God-fearing
man after he is snatched from
his enemies. Strangely enough he
returns after his enemies!
Notice the important time element.
We keep reading "I will"
not "I did". Remember the opening
verse on this Psalm. It seems
to be yet another reason it was
included in II Samuel 22. It is a
song that gives tribute to God for
His having kept David throughout
life. In the final reading though,
we see it is still presented in the
"imperfect" tense. It is still "future".
In David's later years, he
was physically unable to go out
to war anymore. Age had naturally
weakened him, yet we see
David "looking forward" to being
the mighty warrior still in some
future time.
The variation of verse 38 is important.
Consider that in today's
popular system of "justice", many
murderers are "overtaken" in
that they are captured, but once
having been caught, they are not
"destroyed".
Example: In news out of Canada,
a woman was tried for having
strangled her 13 year old daughter
to death. She was tried and
found guilty, but was sentenced
to 1 and half years probation and
to mandatory counseling. She
did not even serve time.
David
not only talks of "overtaking", he
talks of "destroying". We can see
the importance in the differences
in the combined reading.
The second half of verse 38 is
a wonderful addition. When God
returns with His armies, we know
it is for a complete and glorious
victory over the nations who have
scoffed in His face. They will not
escape!
I see the variations of verse
39 due to a musical or poetical
style improvement. The message
seems identical.
Verses 39 and 40 show the
glorious victory of that wonderful
war that is to come. You wonder,
"Did he just say ‘wonderful
war'?" Yes, "wonderful"! Ah
yes, it is even a holy war! When
Christians dutifully call to God,
"Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!",
such is the desire. If it isn't, one
really doesn't desire for the return
of Jesus Christ.
To "give to me neck" is an expression
denoting the position
of a conqueror who stands above
his conquered enemy with his
foot on his neck. Here is an example
seen in Joshua:
24 And it came to pass, when
they brought out those kings
unto Joshua, that Joshua called
for all the men of Israel, and said
unto the captains of the men of
war which went with him, Come
near, put your feet upon the
necks of these kings. And they
came near, and put their feet
upon the necks of them. 25 And
Joshua said unto them, Fear not,
nor be dismayed, be strong and
of good courage: for thus shall
the LORD do to all your enemies
against whom ye fight. 26 And
afterward Joshua smote them,
and slew them, and hanged them
on five trees: and they were
hanging upon the trees until the
evening. Joshua 10:24-26
Note David says he will destroy
"those who hate him". He doesn't
say, "those I hate". The whole issue
has always been such. Just
like Cain hated Abel and murdered
him. It was not the other
way around. It also shows us that
the enemies are not neutral ‘Switzerlands'.
Ultimately, such is never
possible. You either love God
and His people, or you hate Him
and His people. Like Jesus said:
30 He that is not with me is
against me; and he that gathereth
not with me scattereth
abroad. Matthew 12:30
I suspect a lot of people would
find verse 42 offensive. It says
they call upon Yahowah and He
refuses to hear. Yes, there is a
time when God will not listen to
prayers for mercy. Isn't this more
of a reason for one to turn to God
now while there's still time? This
is the fear of the Lord.
The following passage from Isaiah
is a word of prophecy directly
in a conversation between the
Messiah, who is named as "Holy
One", and another who is clearly
named "Yahowah". Whether you
be of the seed of Abraham or one
of the Gentiles, hear the following
and the glorious hope that we
still have. It is not too late to be
one of those who will not suffer
"hunger nor thirst" in the eternity
to come:
5 And now, saith the LORD
that formed me from the womb
to be his servant, to bring Jacob
again to him, Though Israel be
not gathered, yet shall I be glorious
in the eyes of the LORD, and
my God shall be my strength. 6
And he said, It is a light thing
that thou shouldest be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the preserved
of Israel: I will also give thee for
a light to the Gentiles, that thou
mayest be my salvation unto the
end of the earth. 7 Thus saith the
LORD, the Redeemer of Israel,
and his Holy One, to him whom
man despiseth, to him whom the
nation abhorreth, to a servant of
rulers, Kings shall see and arise,
princes also shall worship, because
of the LORD that is faithful,
and the Holy One of Israel, and
he shall choose thee. 8 Thus saith
the LORD, In an acceptable time
have I heard thee, and in a day
of salvation have I helped thee:
and I will preserve thee, and give
thee for a covenant of the people,
to establish the earth, to cause to
inherit the desolate heritages; 9
That thou mayest say to the prisoners,
Go forth; to them that are
in darkness, Show yourselves.
They shall feed in the ways, and
their pastures shall be in all high
places. 10 They shall not hunger
nor thirst; neither shall the heat
nor sun smite them: for he that
hath mercy on them shall lead
them, even by the springs of water
shall he guide them.
Isaiah 49:5-10
Verse 42, of Psalm 18, shows
the ones being destroyed are
calling intensely upon Yahowah.
They are really eager for Him to
hear, but it will be too late.
Notice the difference of the
word "upon" and "to". We can
address someone in the less dependent
"to" easily enough. Such
doesn't necessarily indicate true
humility in addressing God. Such could easily enough be a simple call for a "truce". A settlement of
peace in the face of defeat in battle.
In the upgrade of Psalm 18 to
"upon", no doubt can be had as to
a more humbling position of ‘falling
upon'. As they see their destiny
written in stone, they might
change to a desperate position
of humility, but none-the-less, it
will be too late on that day.
Verse 43 is breath-taking; especially
as we compare the Psalm
18 and II Samuel 22 version.
Those who are too late, having
taken the position of the enemies
of God and of his beloved, will be
trodden underfoot by the armies
of God. So obliterated and broken
down that they will be as
dust upon the face of the street.
The wind will easily enough blow
what remains of them away.
David is saying he will be the
doer of such. David knows it will
not only be God, but the armies
of God, of which he will be an active
participant. For those who
truly know the fear of the Lord
and bear the testimony of His
son Jesus Christ, this will also be
a day for us to take part in. Pay
careful attention to the words
in the following Psalm. They are
a few more of the rejoicing the
righteous will be doing on this
very day of wrath:
9 Before your pots can feel the
thorns, he shall take them away
as with a whirlwind, both living,
and in his wrath. 10 The righteous
shall rejoice when he seeth the
vengeance: he shall wash his feet
in the blood of the wicked. 11 So
that a man shall say, Verily there
is a reward for the righteous:
verily he is a God that judgeth in
the earth. Psalm 58:9-11
Verses 44-46:
David to Reign as
Chief of Nations
44 ------You will deliver me from strife of ---- people
And you will deliver me from strife of my people
YOU WILL MARK ME to chief of the nations
YOU WILL KEEP ME to chief of the nations
people not have known me they will serve me.
people not have known me they will serve me.
45 To hear ear they will hear to me
Sons of stranger they will deny to me
sons of stranger they will deny to me.
to hear ear they will hear to me.
46 Sons of stranger they will wither AND THEY WILL TREMBLE from their borders.
Sons of stranger they will wither AND THEY WILL BE STRAITENED from their borders.
To understand verses 44-46, it
is important to understand the
prophecies of the following:
8 For it shall come to pass
in that day, saith the LORD of
hosts, that I will break his yoke
from off thy neck, and will burst
thy bonds, and strangers shall
no more serve themselves of him:
9 But they shall serve the LORD
their God, and David their king,
whom I will raise up unto them.
Jeremiah 30:8,9
22 Therefore will I save my
flock, and they shall no more be
a prey; and I will judge between
cattle and cattle. 23 And I will set
up one shepherd over them, and
he shall feed them, even my servant
David; he shall feed them,
and he shall be their shepherd.
24 And I the LORD will be their
God, and my servant David a
prince among them; I the LORD
have spoken it.
Ezekiel 34:22-24
24 And David my servant shall be
king over them; and they all shall
have one shepherd: they shall also
walk in my judgments, and observe
my statutes, and do them. 25 And
they shall dwell in the land that I
have given unto Jacob my servant,
wherein your fathers have dwelt;
and they shall dwell therein, even
they, and their children, and their
children's children for ever: and my
servant David shall be their prince
for ever. Ezekiel 37:24,25
Only by knowing David will
reign over Israel once again, can
we understand how clearly the
words of Psalm 18 are referring
to that return of God.
It is an interesting change David
made in verse 44 in deleting
"my" from the song. "My" is
a limiting factor that opened a
broader scope by simply removing
it. It also makes it clear that
the strifes David knew to inevitably
rise up, are always both internal
and external. Such is the history
of the Church and of Israel
as a nation.
The second line of verse 44
shows appointment as well as
preservation. The starting and
the continuing. It tells us, under
the new order, all nations will be
in subservience to Israel. There
will be a global system, but the
nations will still be individual.
If such were not the case, David
could not be appointed and maintained
as "chief of the nations".
An interesting thing took place
in verse 45. The words of the two
lines did not change, but they did
get switched. For some reason,
David must have felt the ‘listening
to his commands' was best
before the foreign nations ‘denying
themselves' in order to obey.
Possibly the rhythm in the song
worked better with that switch.
Verse 46 itemizes the fact nations
will be maintained as separate
entities and not set up as a
single government. Though they
will remain separate entities,
they will be under rule of God
through such as David and the
Messiah Jesus. Remember the
subjection to God's Son shown
in Psalm 2:
6 Yet have I set my king upon
my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare
the decree: the LORD hath
said unto me, Thou art my Son;
this day have I begotten thee. 8
Ask of me, and I shall give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance,
and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron; thou shalt dash them
in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye
kings: be instructed, ye judges
of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD
with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be
angry, and ye perish from the
way, when his wrath is kindled
but a little. Blessed are all they
that put their trust in him.
Psalm 2:6-12
Verse 47:
Praise
47 Alive Yahowah and bless my rock (boulder)
Alive Yahowah and bless my rock (boulder)
and let be lifted up God of -------------------------------------- my salvation.
and let be lifted up God of rock (pebble; cutting stone) my salvation.
Verse 47 follows the victory
section with a verse of praise. We
hear "the LORD liveth" and perceive
it as a simple praise statement.
It is clear that Yahowah is
the true and living God, but we
must also remember that as the
Messiah was crucified and raised
from the dead, so Yahowah is not
defeated in death. Truly the rock
of my salvation is alive!
We see Psalm 18 left out the
word for "rock (pebble; cutting
stone)" from its form. The
term that was used is not the
same for a rock that is a "cliff
or fortification", neither that
for a "boulder". It is that which
is turned into a cutting stone.
Such is a rock that works for
my salvation.
Verses 48-49:
God Will Give Victory
Over Enemies
48 The God to be delivered up vengeances to me
The God to be delivered up vengeances to me
AND WILL DECLARE peoples they beneath me.
AND WILL CAUSE TO GO DOWN peoples they beneath me
49 ------ I WAS DELIVERED from my enemies but also ---- from those who rise up against me you will raise me up
And TO CAUSE ME TO GO FORTH from my enemies --------- and from those who rise up against me you will raise me up
from man VIOLENCE (INJUSTICE) you will rescue me.
from man VIOLENCES (INJUSTICES) you will rescue me.
In a simple view, verses 48
and 49 almost seem to be a restatement
of those preceding the
verse of praise, verse 47.
If you are at all aware of what is
going on in Israel today, and the
great amount of anti-semitism
spreading, you will gain a greater
perception of the significance of
verses 48 and 49. Today there are
many enemies of Israel. They are
literally surrounded by them. Iran
is on the verge of finishing a nuclear
bomb they would love to use to
annihilate Israel. Daily, the Jews
in Israel live in fear of terrorists
strapping bombs to themselves
and walking into public places to
murder innocent victims, or some
such heinous crime. In the longterm
prophecy of David, he sang
of the day this will be stopped. I
believe we are looking at one of the
great and wonderful prophecies
hidden so long. Before I present
the following, consider that for a
king, as was David, to attack Israel
was to attack him. To attack any of
his people was to attack him.
At verse 3, we found the statement
of God delivering David
from the violent man in the II
Samuel 22 rendition. It is here
we see it retained in Psalm 18.
It pops up at the conclusion of
God's returning in wrath and establishing
the people under David.
It is here we see a wonderful
promise for the people of Israel.
The Hebrew word translated as
"violence" is the word "hamas".
If you know anything about
those people, who have been going
around with bombs strapped
upon them, you will recognize
that very word, "hamas". Hamas
is an acronym for "Islamic Resistance
Movement", in Arabic of
course. The acronym in Arabic
means "zeal". In those Muslim
terrorist eyes, they are zealous
for their religion. In Hebrew the
word "hamas" means "violence,
wrong, cruelty, injustice". Again,
look at the last part of verse 49.
"From man Hamas You will rescue
me." This is more than a coincidence.
It is prophecy. God will
return in His wrathful vengeance
and will deal with Hamas!
Part IV
Happily Ever After
Verses 50-51:
Conclusion: From David Reigning Again
In Israel Unto Eternity
50 Upon this I will thank you in the nations Yahowah
Upon this I will thank you Yahowah in the nations
and to your name I will melody you.
and to your name I will melody you.
51 To make great salvations his king
To make great salvations his king
and does mercy to his anointed
and does mercy to his anointed
to David and to his seed
to David and to his seed
until eternity.
until eternity.
I see the final two verses as the
concluding section to the psalm.
This is the "happily ever after"
ending to a wonderful song.
In the Hebrew of the Psalm 18
version, we find the initial letter
enlarged. I tried to illustrate this
in the English with the large "U".
There isn't an explanation given
along with it. It is not enlarged
in the II Samuel 22 edition. Its
reason is only a hazarded guess,
but for those who like guessing,
the Hebrew letter enlarged is the
letter "ayin" which also means
"eye". Have at it!
Another difference between the
two editions is the transposition of
"in the nations" and "Yahowah".
The one might be taken to emphasize
the aspect of God's thanks
being publicized for His glory
amongst all the nations, while the
other emphasizes the heart-felt
"thank you" to Yahowah.
The second line of verse 50
is actually a little bit of a code.
The Hebrew musical system has
two key notes that "melody"
to the actual name of "Yahowah".
The two symbols used in
the temple were tuned to these
two notes. Such is a subject of
greater depth for which I would
recommend reading Dennis McCorkle's book on the musical instruments
of the Bible. He has a
chapter in it on this very point of
"melodying" to the name of Yah.
You can also find it online at
www.musicofthebible.com.
In these two final verses we see
David's two "I wills" of verse 50.
I will thank You and I will melody
to You.
In 51 David switches to two
things God does for him. "Great
salvations" and "mercy". From
these David moves to the final
set of two being "David" and "his
seed" to be sealed with the final
capstone "until eternity".
With these final two verses,
we see a clear orderly procession
of praise. As to why it uses "his
seed" instead of the first person
of "my seed", I believe that was
because this was for use in public
song. It would have sounded
rather strange if the singing Levites
sang out "my seed". By using
the third person of "his", it
safeguarded against the misunderstanding
of whose seed it was
referring to.
We have covered a lot of
ground as we went through
this Psalm. It is, after all, 51 verses
long. We have had a privileged
look at when God does return
in His wrath. We have the opportunity
to consider where that
places us in relation to God. Are
we ready and eagerly awaiting
that Day, or are we totally unprepared?
Maybe we are looking
forward to the Day truly ignorant
that we have been closely approaching
that Day unprepared.
Resting in a false sense of security,
only to find out when it is
too late, we were simply believing
a lie as to our true state before
God. With that, ponder the
significance of Amos' words:
18 Woe unto you that desire the
day of the LORD! to what end is
it for you? the day of the LORD
is darkness, and not light. 19 As
if a man did flee from a lion, and
a bear met him; or went into the
house, and leaned his hand on
the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Shall not the day of the LORD
be darkness, and not light? even
very dark, and no brightness in
it? 21 I hate, I despise your feast
days, and I will not smell in your
solemn assemblies. 22 Though
ye offer me burnt offerings and
your meat offerings, I will not
accept them: neither will I regard
the peace offerings of your
fat beasts. 23 Take thou away
from me the noise of thy songs;
for I will not hear the melody of
thy viols. 24 But let judgment
run down as waters, and righteousness
as a mighty stream.
Amos 5:18-24
God is not fooled by religion
and song. He is looking for repentance.
Turning from walking
in wickedness and trusting to his
mercy provided in His Son. As
Psalm 2 said:
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling. 12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,
and ye perish from the way,
when his wrath is kindled but
a little. Blessed are all they that
put their trust in him.
Put your trust in Him, kiss
the Son and serve Yahowah with
fear, then you will be able to "rejoice
with trembling". Until then,
all you will have is trembling.
Please see the .pdf for the appendix.
Free to copy under CC-BY-NC-ND3.0 Copyright 2010 by Darrell Farkas
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