Psalm 18 Part 2 David Knew The LORD Was His Strong Tower

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. 

This beautiful Psalm of King David flows out from his response to the all encompassing love and mercy God showed toward him.

Psalm 18:2-3  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. 

David said "The Lord is my rock" because He is the one to whom the saints have recourse for shelter and safety. 

The LORD our rock provides shelter for us and supplies our needs. 

In that place, we find divine refreshment knowing that we are secure  and safe in Christ, our Rock.

In Christ we receive eternal life and hope for a future home in heaven, in a city made by God for us.

Thus, David pictures his faith resting in Jehovah where he knew he was safe from all enemies and all danger.

Matthew 11:28-30  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

We also will find the same blessings of rest, safety, security and sustenance from our LORD when we run to Christ. 

Jesus invites all who hear the gospel to lay down their burdens, cares and troubles at His feet, for He will give us rest.

Jesus wants us to learn the gospels so that we know Him more intimately and so that He can prepare us for kingdom work

But His calling upon our lives and His commandments are not grievous. 

Indeed, we want to obey our LORD because He suffered and died and rose from the grave in order to secure our salvation!

Only our mighty God can deliver us from Satan's fiery darts. 

Only He can help us in our hour of need or time of crisis.

God will strengthen us when we are weak, gird us up when we are weary and give us grace to help us along life's winding path.

God is our buckler or shield of protection and His horn metaphorically brushes aside our attackers by disrupting or destroying their evil plots against us.

Proverbs 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. 

The name of the LORD is our strong tower an unassailable fortress where believers are nourished and protected.

Psalm 18:3  I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 

Because all these things about the LORD are true, David said that he will always call upon the LORD.

The LORD is worthy of all our praise and honor and worship.

Salvation is of the LORD and all who trust Him will never be ashamed or disappointed.

Psalm 18:4-5  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. 

Before the LORD delivered David from the hot pursuit of evil King Saul, he feared for his life. 

Saul constantly had spies watching for David and his men. 

He had soldiers stationed in key places waiting to capture or kill David if he came by.

Many snares and traps were laid to catch David which is why he felt surrounded by the sorrows of death.

His enemies were ungodly men who made the king afraid.

This text is also Messianic in that it captured the thoughts of Jesus during His sufferings on the cross. 

On the cross, Jesus carried the full weight of every single sin committed by every single person in history.

Little wonder then, that He sensed the sorrows of death and Hell around Him. 

Christ was forsaken by the Father in our place, so that when He rose from the dead, all who repent and trust Him, receive full pardon and eternal life.

He was surrounded by ungodly priests, scribes and Pharisees who hurled vile insults at Jesus. 

Their hatred of Christ was palpable, but Jesus set His mind like hard flint to go to the cross and die in our place.

Isaiah 53:3-5  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. 

Isaiah also prophesied about Jesus the Messiah, saying that when He came He would be despised and rejected by men like Jesus was.

He would know human grief and suffering more than anyone could know them.

Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows on the cross of Calvary. 

Yet, the prophet makes it clear, that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions of God's law. 

He was bruised because He carried our iniquities and the wrath of God fell upon Christ, to secure our peace.

Psalm 18:6  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. 

David cried out to Jehovah in the moment of his greatest distress and deepest fears. The LORD heard his cries and moved to help the king.

In like manner, Jesus cried out to His Father on the cross and His Father heard the Son, and secured His soul at the moment Jesus laid His life down for us.

Psalm 18:7  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. 

The earth shook quickly after Christ called upon the Lord, and cried to his God upon the cross (See Matthew 27:50).  

When the church was birthed and God's people prayed together, the place where they were assembled was shaken, as a token of God's presence being with them (See Acts 4:31). 

Exodus 19:16-18  And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

Shaking and trembling of the earth is often used as a symbol of the presence of God, and of the greatness of His majesty. 

The shaking of Mount Sinai when Jehovah came down to give Moses His law, is the most vivid example of the earth trembling in the presence of God.

Psalm 104:31-32  The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. 32  He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. 

God will judge the wicked.

God will offer salvation to all who repent of their sins and trust Him.

God will comfort us when no one else can.

God will care for us like no one else can.

God is is place of refuge, protection, sustenance and provision.

Let us trust the LORD as David di.

Bob