2 Samuel 22:29 – 51 “29For You, O LORD, are my lamp; the LORD enlightens my darkness.
30For in You I can charge an army; with my God I can scale a wall.
31As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
33God is my strong fortress and He makes my way clear.
34He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
35He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36You have given me Your shield of salvation; and Your gentleness exalts me.
37You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
38I pursued my enemies and destroyed them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39I devoured and crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
40You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
41You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
42They looked, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
43I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.
44You have delivered me from the strife of my people; You have preserved me as the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.
45Foreigners cower before me; when they hear me, they obey me.
46Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
47The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted—
48the God who avenges me and brings down nations beneath me,
49who frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
50Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
51Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”
This is definitely a warrior’s psalm! The two main themes here are God’s training and provision for David and the victories David has notched as a result of God’s provision and training. David leaves little to the imagination as he graphically describes what God has allowed him to do to his enemies. “They looked, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer. I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.”
At first, we might be horrified; however, consider those whom David was fighting. Anyone who has witnessed full – bore evil can tell you that there can be no compromise. Evil that is not completely defeated will always resurface somewhere else, generally in a form worse than the original one. Jesus warned his disciples that if demons left a man and the Holy Spirit did not come in, the demons would multiply and return and that man’s final condition would be worse than it was originally.
(Matthew 12:43 – 45 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” David was fighting very evil people, people who worshiped demons of all kinds. In such situations, only complete victory will do.
APPLICATION: As I am writing this devotional, we are nearing the one – week anniversary of the school shootings in Uvalde, Texas. When interviewed, the mother of the 18 – year – old shooter could only say, “I’m sure he had his reasons.” My first reaction was disbelief! “Reasons?” What reasons could you possibly give that would justify the cold – blooded murder of even a single person, let alone so many children and their teachers? If the news media quoted this woman correctly, it suggests a long history of compromises and excuse – making with little regard for moral absolutes.
Perhaps this lady was a single mother who had struggled just to keep the family going; in such situations, there is little time left to teach children values. Fragmented families leave children increasingly at risk. While there has been a great deal of outcry regarding weapons, the press has been remarkably silent on the matter of excessively violent video games and movies that teach children how to kill and also teach that killing is just another form of keeping score. Evidently, the shooter even boasted on Instagram that he was going to kill kids.
Proverbs 4:23 advises us “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Even if we guard our own hearts, we must also guard our children’s hearts and teach them to guard theirs as well. In an age when even small children may have access to cell phones and the internet, such teachings have become critically important. Not long ago, there was a post on Facebook describing a mother’s horror when she learned that young boys were sharing pornographic videos by typing in the word “rape.” The parents of these kids had no idea what was happening.
Recently, I taught at one church in our small town in rural Ghana, and part of my message centered around the need for us to guard our hearts. Even in our area, smart phones are ubiquitous, and people share videos frequently.
David was right! Only God can rescue us from evil and make the paths of our hearts straight. Let us follow hard after God and also teach our children to do so as well!
“47The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted—
48the God who avenges me and brings down nations beneath me,
49who frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
50Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, You are the only One who can help us defeat evil! By ourselves, we are powerless. But You will rescue us from violent men. Help us to praise You and to worship You! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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