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: I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The 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. (Psalm 18:1-2)
This psalm has the distinction of being the only chapter in Scripture that is recorded twice: here and in 2 Samuel 22. The original version was composed when David was still young and in the midst of all the turmoil that marked his life, especially when he was being pursued by Saul. Jewish commentators believe that his slightly different version was revised when he was much older and nearing the end of his life. It is, consequently, a reflection of a long and event-filled existence with one ever present and constant component — God!
If we are to view this psalm as our Jewish friends do, this reveals that David was moved to revisit a time in his life when it seemed as if the whole world was against him — even those who were considered family. Yet through it all, God showed Himself to be mighty — a rock, a fortress and a deliverer. When no one else could be trusted, God was always trustworthy and ready to protect His chosen from the oppression of their adversaries. In short, these sentiments David felt for the Almighty in his youth had not waned over the years — they had been reinforced.
Among the psalms, this one is highly esteemed by Jewish commentators because it was deemed to be prized by David himself — not because he wrote it but because of the message it conveyed to future generations. That message is, from our youth to our final days, God is faithful to us and to all generations. There is a song of our day that says, “All my life You have been faithful; all my life You have been so so good.” So with every breath that we have left to us, as David did, let us declare the goodness of our God; let us proclaim that He is our Strength, our Rock, our Fortress, our Shield and Deliverer.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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