2 Samuel 22

“David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” 2 Samuel 22:1 (HCSB)

There is much that can be said about today’s chapter. Surely theologians have ripped apart and dissected this psalm and its companion, Psalm 18. Have fun with that. Today, I just want to point out some simple observations.

2 Samuel 22 is a psalm of Thanksgiving. Timely, don’t you think? Here, we have a reflective piece, looking back over a long dramatic saga of salvation: When the Lord rescued David “from all his enemies and from Saul.” This heading is the lens through which we are to view the whole psalm.

At this point in his life, David’s history could have been narrated as that of a great and powerful king. This chapter, however, corrects any misunderstanding that David’s life and kingdom should be understood as anything other than the result of God’s sovereign and powerful acts. David is not “King David” by any means other than God’s desire. Furthermore, David’s Kingdom is sustained by nothing other than God’s provision.

These are not the words of an observer. They are from David himself!

But why do we need a song to tell us that? Don’t we already know God has supported David, despite David’s apparent flaws? Yes, but songs and poetry convey emotions that we otherwise don’t assume.

For instance, when David eluded Saul’s spear, nothing really registered on my emotional Richter scale. Even when God held Saul in His own strait-jacket (having him incapacitated by prophesying while David escaped), I didn’t do much more than sigh. When David seemed doomed to commit political suicide and march out with the Philistines against Israel, there was not much emotion from me. One thing I definitely didn’t do was jump up and say, “God is awesome!!!”

By using poetic songwriting and explosive language, David provides the truth behind all these instances (and others): All these deliverances came from the Lord! He is the sky-splitting, world-shaking, enemy-bashing God!!

Does our worship represent such passion and remembrance as David’s? Is there intensity in our praise? Does our worship reflect our understanding of the importance of our personal righteousness? Does our worship celebrate the invincibility of God’s Kingdom, which we are a part of through David’s “Son,” Messiah Jesus? Most importantly, does our worship point exclusively to the One who calls, establishes, and sustains us?