And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. (Psalm 18:10-11)
More and more as the psalm proceeds, it sounds as if David was alluding to events surrounding Israel’s flight from Egypt to Sinai and connecting certain aspects of it to his own life in terms of God’s deliverance. For starters, David likens God’s movement on his behalf to one who mounts a horse (or in this case a cherub) to come swiftly riding to the rescue of someone deeply cherished. He follows with words that have God flying (literally “soaring”) upon the wind as He comes to deliver His beloved.
Where enslaved Israel was concerned, God referred to the nation as His firstborn son (Exodus 4:22) and demanded that Pharaoh release them. When Pharaoh refused, God began to overturn the gods of Egypt and to shake the nation into submission. Later, when Israel was encamped at the foot of Sinai He reminded them of their deliverance saying, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself” (Exodus 19:4). It seems likely that David was calling upon these concepts when writing this psalm.
Consider this as well: when God appeared on top of the mountain, He was not seen but concealed in a thick dark cloud. When the people awoke to behold this great sight, the Presence of God caused the whole mountain to quake greatly causing the people to tremble in fear. They were so frightened that they decided to stand afar off — “but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:21). The point is, once again, this imagery is very similar to what David describes in this part of the psalm. David said, “He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” And so what are we to make of this?
At Passover, those who observe this very special time are instructed by rabbinical tradition to partake of the ceremonial meal as if we were reliving our own experience. In other words, the events surrounding Israel’s redemption is not to be viewed solely as ancient history but as a demonstration of God’s power to redeem here and now. In short, if God performed miracles for our ancestors, He is well able to perform them for us today. David carried it one step further — not only is He able to do it, He will do it! And so, let us all embrace the same kind of confidence that David exhibited and believe without doubt that God will deliver us from the grasp of our enemies. It may not be today or tomorrow but at the appointed time He will come swiftly riding to rescue His beloved.
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Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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