Our God Is Alive and Well

44 “You delivered me from strife with my people;
    you kept me as the head of the nations;
    people whom I had not known served me.
45 Foreigners came cringing to me;
    as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
46 Foreigners lost heart
    and came trembling out of their fortresses.

47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
48 the God who gave me vengeance
    and brought down peoples under me,
49 who brought me out from my enemies;
    you exalted me above those who rose against me;
    you delivered me from men of violence.

50 “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
    and sing praises to your name.
51 Great salvation he brings to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
    to David and his offspring forever.” – 2 Samuel 22:44-51 ESV

David knew that his life was inextricably linked to God. Nothing he did was outside the influence and direct impact of God. His victories were due to God and his position and power were attributable to God. His physical strength was a gift from God. Even his sins were lovingly disciplined by God. No area of David’s life escaped the notice of God, because his God was living, active, and intimately involved in his life.

When David stated, “The Lord lives” he used the Hebrew word ḥay (pronounced khah'-ee). It can be translated as “alive” and refers to flowing water or a green plant. It was an expression used to convey the evidence of life. A stagnant pond would not have been “alive.” A brown plant would have displayed no evidence of life. For David, the proof of God’s “life” was in God’s constant activity and non-stop involvement in his own life. He could “see” God and didn’t have to wonder if God existed. He was convinced of God’s presence by the evidence of his power made visible through His actions and activities.

It is easy to overlook God’s actions or to attribute them to someone or something else. We often refer to luck or good fortune. When something fortuitous happens, we might say, “I was just in the right place at the right time.” If we encounter an unexpected and unpleasant outcome, we might respond, “I guess I had that coming.” We jokingly refer to karma and kismet. We talk about fate as if it exists and holds an irresistible mastery over our future. Even Christians can end up believing that the outcome of their lives is completely up to them or at the mercy of unseen forces.

But David would argue that God is the invisible, unstoppable agent of influence in the life of the believer. He is alive and active, and the evidence of His life is all around us. But seeing and believing it is a matter of perspective. When difficulties come into our lives, we tend to ask, “Where is God?” In other words, we assume that the presence of trouble signals the absence of God. But David would argue that God is there, even in those dark moments.

He is the God who pays back those who harm me;
    he brings down the nations under me
    and delivers me from my enemies. – 2 Samuel 22:48-49 NLT

David sensed God’s presence, even in the most difficult of situations. This awareness of God’s immanence allowed David to live with a sense of expectation and eager anticipation that God was going to act on his behalf. There’s little doubt that much of David’s firm assurance in God’s presence was the result of hindsight. He could look back on his life and recognize the evidence of God’s handiwork. That is why he was so willing to confidently attribute his current success to God’s past actions in his life.

You gave me victory… – vs 44

You preserved me… – vs 44

You hold me safe… – vs 49

You save me… – vs 49

You give great victories… – vs 51

You show unfailing love… – vs 51

David had learned that God reveals Himself through the grace, peace, and mercy that He pours out in times of difficulty. These displays of God’s love aren’t always recognizable and readily attributable to Him. Sometimes it comes disguised in the form of a friend who encourages and comforts us. He sends His children to act as His representatives, expressing His love and providing tangible evidence of His existence.

Seeing God requires that we look for Him. God told the Israelites, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT). But we have to make the effort to seek evidence of His presence. We have to assume He is there, even when the circumstances tell a starkly different story. When David sat in the damp, dark recesses of a cave in the Judean wilderness, attempting to hide from King Saul, it would have been easy to doubt the presence of God. He could have easily assumed that he had been abandoned by God.

When facing difficulty, our first impression is to assume that God has left the building; He has turned His back on us. But He is there. He is always there. And He is always active because He is the living God. He is not a lifeless idol sitting on a shelf. He is not a dead deity whose story is bound up in an old, out-of-touch book written thousands of years ago. He is the living God of the Bible, which itself is a living, active document that reveals His divine nature and tells the incredible story of His plan for redeeming and restoring humanity.

The author of Hebrews describes the Bible as “alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). Everything about God is alive, from His Word to His Spirit who lives within each and every believer. Unlike the false gods of this world, our God is a living, breathing, active, and all-powerful God. He has no equal. There are no other gods who can compete with or compare to Him. All other gods are man-made, powerless, and poor substitutes for the one true God. The prophet Jeremiah pulled no punches when describing the futility of worshiping false gods.

Their ways are futile and foolish.
    They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
They decorate it with gold and silver
    and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
    so it won’t fall over.
Their gods are like
    helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
    and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
    for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” – Jeremiah 10:3-5 NLT

But Jeremiah goes on to differentiate the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.

But the Lord is the true God;
    he is the living God and the everlasting King. – Jeremiah 10:10 ESV

He is the living God. In other words, there was no point in time when God was made or manufactured by someone else. It is not just that He has life or existence, but that He is the preexistent one. He was not made. God is not the result of man’s creative capabilities. In fact, God is the Creator of all things. He doesn’t have to be carried about and propped up on a shelf. He isn’t restricted to a specific location or limited in any way. God is not isolated and insulated from His creation. He is not stuck in heaven and dependent upon our efforts to call Him down. As followers of Christ, the living God lives within us; we are His temple. Paul reminded the Corinthians of this fact in his second letter to them.

For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16 NLT

He lives within us and the proof of His presence should be evident all around us. Paul told the Galatians exactly how to spot the evidence of God’s life within us:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… – Galatians 5:22 ESV

That is all the proof we need that our God is alive. He reveals Himself in us and through us. But He also shows up all around us, in the daily affairs of life. We can see Him in the many blessings we enjoy. We can sense Him even in the difficulties that show up in life, as He comforts, corrects, encourages, and perfects us. God is always there. We just have to learn to look for Him.

David had become adept at looking for and seeing God in the everyday affairs of life. He had trained himself to seek God and to expect to find Him. David wasn’t surprised when God showed up; it was his expectation. And his response to the presence of God was to praise Him.

For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;
    I will sing praises to your name. – 2 Samuel 22:50 NLT

David’s awareness of God’s active involvement in his life flowed out in praise. He couldn’t help but brag about God. Rather than boast about his own accomplishments, he gave God the credit. He literally sang God’s praises. But David didn’t operate in a vacuum. His words of acclimation and adoration weren’t relegated to his personal quiet time or some secluded spot in his palace. While he directed his praise to God, he wasn’t afraid for others to hear what he had to say. He wanted his people to know and experience the power and presence of God as well. He wanted the nations to hear about the glory of Yahweh.

For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;
    I will sing praises to your name. – 2 Samuel 22:50 NLT

David’s God was alive and powerful. His God was worthy of praise, glory, and honor. Unlike the false gods worshiped by the enemies of Israel, Yahweh wasn’t sitting on a shelf somewhere; He was actively involved in the lives of His people and working out His sovereign will among the nations. He was powerful, present, and providentially carrying out His perfect will according to His predetermined plan.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Unfailing Faithfulness of God

17 “He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
    from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

21 “The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his rules were before me,
    and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from guilt.
25 And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to my cleanness in his sight.

26 “With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27 with the purified you deal purely,
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28 You save a humble people,
    but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 For you are my lamp, O Lord,
    and my God lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—his way is perfect;
    the word of the Lord proves true;
    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. – 2 Samuel 22:17-31 ESV

This section of David’s psalm contains an interesting contrast. In it, David continues to exalt his God, while at the same time seemingly praising himself for his own blamelessness, guiltlessness, and righteousness. At first glance, David appears to have an overinflated and inaccurate view of himself, boasting about things he has no right to claim. Even if this psalm was written in the early days of his reign, immediately after the fall of Saul, David was far from a sinless man. Yet he claims, “The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence” (2 Samuel 22:21 NLT).

He boldly claims to have kept himself from sin. Not only that, he insists that God has rewarded him for his right and righteous behavior. It all sounds as if David is either delusional or disingenuous. He can’t really believe what he is saying, can he? However, David’s bold assertions are far too many to be dismissed as mere rhetoric or hyperbole. But how can he justly defend the following statement?

For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
    I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
I have followed all his regulations;
    I have never abandoned his decrees. – 2 Samuel 22:22-23 NLT

What about his affair with Bathsheba? Was that not a violation of God's regulation against adultery? Was his complicity in the death of Uriah not in direct violation of God’s laws concerning murder? Did his failure to prosecute and punish Amnon for the rape of Tamar not qualify as wickedness in God’s eyes? Was his decision to allow his son Absalom to get away with murder without having to face the consequences not an abandonment of God’s decrees?

The list could go on. So how do we explain David’s dishonesty or apparent lack of self-awareness? Is David simply delusional or suffering from an overactive sense of self-worth? One of the things we have to remember is that this passage is virtually identical to Psalm 22, written in the early days of David’s reign. This chapter opened with the descriptor: “David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul” (2 Samuel 22:1 ESV).

So David’s eloquent statement of praise to God that features a rather flattering portrayal of himself was written in the early stages of his career as king. So, context is critical to understanding the content of David’s words. It would seem that this psalm was written well before David committed many of the sins outlined above. Yet, even if those transgressions are eliminated, it would seem inappropriate for David to refer to himself as “blameless.” His glowing self-assessment comes across as far from honest and bordering on shamelessness.

Part of the problem is how we interpret the word “blameless.” We tend to insert the word “sinless” and assume that David is claiming himself to be fully righteous and free from sin. But the Hebrew word David used is tāmîm and it carries the idea of having integrity of heart or wholeness of character. It is the same word God used when He spoke to Abraham centuries earlier.

“…walk before me, and be blameless.” – Genesis 17:1 ESV

God was not expecting Abraham to live a sinless life; He was calling His servant to live a fully committed and wholly transparent life. God was calling Abraham to live a completely sold-out and non-compartmentalized life, solely dedicated to Him.

David’s claim of blamelessness was not a braggadocious declaration of sinlessness. He wasn’t boasting about his own righteousness; he was confessing that he had nothing to hide from God and no reason to fear being punished by God. You might say that he was “confessed up” and in good standing with God.

At this early stage of his career as king, David had a desire to live in accordance with God’s will. He wanted to do the right thing. In Psalm 101, he states his intentions to live and rule with integrity and blamelessness.

1 I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
    I will praise you with songs.
2 I will be careful to live a blameless life—
    when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
    in my own home.
3 I will refuse to look at
    anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
    I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will reject perverse ideas
    and stay away from every evil.
5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
    I will not endure conceit and pride.

6 I will search for faithful people
    to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
    will be allowed to serve me.
7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
    and liars will not stay in my presence.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
    and free the city of the Lord from their grip. – Psalm 101:1-8 NLT

David knew that he didn’t deserve to be the king of Israel. He suffered no delusions of grandeur and harbored no thoughts of being a self-made man. God had placed him on the throne. The Almighty had graciously rewarded him with the highest position in the land. But David could remember the years he spent running from King Saul. He could vividly recall the many nights he slept in caves and lived as a fugitive in the Judean wilderness. But God had rescued and redeemed him.

He rescued me from my powerful enemies,
    from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,
    but the Lord supported me.
He led me to a place of safety;
    he rescued me because he delights in me. – 2 Samuel 22:18-20 NLT

David recognized that his years of suffering had not been because of something he had done. He was not being punished by God for any wickedness he had committed. That is why he could state that he had been rescued by God because he had done nothing to deserve God’s displeasure or punishment. David’s suffering under the hand of Saul had not been due to his own sinfulness. He had been the innocent victim of Saul’s anger and jealousy against him.

When this psalm was originally written, David had been living under constant threat of losing his life because of Saul’s hatred for him. When David writes, “The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence” (2 Samuel 22:25 NLT), he acknowledges that he had done nothing to deserve his suffering. On two separate occasions, he had the opportunity to take Saul’s life and refused to do so. He could have eliminated the threat to his life and fast-tracked his ascension to the throne but, instead, he showed respect for the Lord’s anointed. He feared God more than he despised his own circumstances. This left David with a clear conscience before God.

But this psalm is less about David than it is about God. It is David’s acknowledgment that God had been fully aware of the circumstances surrounding his life. David had come to understand that his suffering had not been the result of his own sin but was the divine will of a sovereign, all-powerful God. God had seen David’s plight, heard his cries, and responded by rescuing His anointed one from his trials. God had shown Himself faithful to David because David had remained faithful to Him. He responded to David with integrity because David had shown himself to be a man of integrity. This wouldn’t always be true of David’s life. As we have seen, there were moments when David failed to live blamelessly and with integrity. But at the time at which this psalm was written, David could confidently state, “The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil” (2 Samuel 22:21-22 NLT).

What makes this psalm so interesting is its placement at the close of Second Samuel which records the closing days of David’s reign and life. This psalm was originally penned decades earlier but reappears as David’s reign is coming to an end. It reflects a reality that David experienced throughout his life but that did not mark every phase of his life. We know of his sin with Bathsheba. We are well aware of the murder of Uriah. We have read about his many faults and failings. David was not always a man of integrity. He didn’t always do the right thing or react appropriately. Oftentimes, he failed to seek God and rely on Him for help. He had a habit of taking matters into his own hands. But in principle, David knew that God rescues the humble, rewards the righteous, and restores the innocent.

In this eloquently worded psalm, David is attempting to exalt God, not himself. He is simply stating an indisputable reality when it comes to God’s relationship with men: He doesn’t reward the wicked or pour out His blessings on the prideful. He refuses to forgive the sins of those who remain unrepentant and self-reliant. David states, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection” (2 Samuel 22:31 NLT).

That had been David’s personal experience with God and he had seen it proven true time and time again. At no point in his life could David point his finger at God and accuse Him of dealing falsely or faithlessly with him. God’s way was perfect, even when David’s way was not. God had always dealt faithfully with David. Even when David sinned, God responded lovingly and faithfully. God repeatedly rescued and restored David, despite his many indiscretions and lapses of integrity. Yes, David suffered for his sins. He was forced to endure the consequences of his disobedience to God. But nowhere along the way did God prove unfaithful, unloving, or unwilling to keep His promises to David.

The ways of God are perfect. All His promises prove true. He is there when we seek for Him. But He is also there when we fail to recognize or rely upon Him. There had been many times when David abandoned God, but he had learned the reassuring truth that at no point had God ever abandoned him.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Awe-Struck By God’s Glory

1 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said,

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3     my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
    my stronghold and my refuge,
    my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.

5 “For the waves of death encompassed me,
    the torrents of destruction assailed me;
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry came to his ears.

8 “Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations of the heavens trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
10 He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness around him his canopy,
    thick clouds, a gathering of water.
13 Out of the brightness before him
    coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven,
    and the Most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them;
    lightning, and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;
    the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. – 2 Samuel 22:1-16 ESV

It was A. W. Tozer who wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God” (A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy).

When studying any man's life, we can easily become obsessed with his accomplishments, failures, actions, and apparent attitudes about everything from life to leadership and family to financial success. David is no exception. In fact, when looking into David’s life, we are provided with so many painfully transparent details that we can assume to know him all too well. But the one thing we can never really know about any man is the true state of his heart. God had to remind the prophet Samuel of this fact when he was searching for the man to replace Saul as the next king of Israel. Seeing that the prophet was using external criteria as a means to determine the right man for the position, God told him: “The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT).

We can’t see into a man’s heart, but in the case of David, we are given a glimpse into his thoughts and feelings at different points in his tumultuous life. The closing chapters of 2 Samuel contain a literary gem from the pen of David that reads like a personal and very private journal. The words it contains are almost a verbatim recounting of Psalm 18, a psalm that bears the following description:

A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

It is important to keep in mind that the closing chapters of 2 Samuel serve as a kind of appendix to the entire book. They are not in chronological order, but function as a summation of David’s life, providing the reader with a more holistic image of David as a man, leader, father, husband, and servant of God.

Based on the description that accompanies Psalm 18, it can be assumed that this particular psalm was written early in David’s life. It clearly states that it was written after David had been delivered from the hand of Saul. So it is not a late-in-life exposé written as David lay on his deathbed, looking back in regret or in a fit of nostalgia. These are the words of a young man who found himself in the early days of his God-ordained role as the king of Israel. In those inaugural days of his reign, David faced a litany of difficult circumstances that seemed to contradict both God’s call and the promises He had made to David. And yet, these words, which prefaced the rest of his long and storied life were not negative or filled with complaints and fist-shaking diatribes against God. Yes, they are blunt and highly transparent because David was not one to mince words or attempt to hide his true feelings from God. He is open and transparent but also respectful and reverent in the way he talks with God. He was willing to tell God how he felt, but he didn’t let his feelings influence his thoughts about God. Notice how he starts out:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.
He is my refuge, my savior,
    the one who saves me from violence. – 2 Samuel 22:2-3 NLT

All throughout this psalm, he speaks to and about God with reverential awe and honor. He sees God for who He really is: His rock, fortress, deliverer, savior, shield, refuge, and the all-powerful, praise-worthy, transcendent God of the universe. David knew from personal experience that his God was almighty and yet all-loving. He was an ever-present God who was fully aware of David’s plights and heard his cries for help. His God was not distant and disinterested in the trials that David faced. His God was not unresponsive or unapproachable, even though His dwelling place was in heaven. David knew he could call out to God and not only be heard but receive help in his time of need. His God rescued and redeemed, and not in some passive way that left him wondering if it had really been Him at all.

David describes God’s actions in terms that appeal to the senses and leave little doubt as to His power and majesty:

…the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger… – vs 8

Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him. – vs 9

The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. – vs 14

David’s descriptions of God are figurative and not meant to be taken literally. They are meant to convey an image of the Almighty that conveys His transcendence and incomparable power. David describes God in otherworldly, supernatural terms that evoke the one-of-a-kind aspect of His divine nature. His God is not only active and alive, but He is also awe-inspiring and fear-inducing. David’s verbal portrait of God is intended to inspire a sense of reverential respect and humble submission in all who read it. God is not to be taken lightly and His gracious involvement in the affairs of daily life should not be dismissed or treated carelessly.

David had never seen God face-to-face or witnessed His providential power firsthand. Yet, he knew that the Almighty's fingerprints could be found on every aspect of his life. God had delivered Goliath into David’s hands and had repeatedly rescued David from the threats of King Saul. God had orchestrated all of David’s victories over his enemies. David viewed these miraculous and inexplicable acts of salvation as the work of an all-powerful, fire-breathing, earth-shattering, voice-like-thunder God.

In a sense, David is attempting to describe the indescribable. Encumbered with the limits of human language to describe the invisible and incomprehensible God, David turned to the natural world for help. He uses creation to convey the greatness of the Creator. For David, using natural phenomena like thunder, lightning, wind, earthquakes, and fire was the best way to put God’s majesty and might into words. His attempt to somehow make the indescribable God visible and relatable was virtually impossible but he did the best he could do within the limits of human language.

A. W. Tozer describes the challenge faced by all the authors of the Holy Scripture when they attempted to make God known.

“The effort of inspired me to express the ineffable has placed a great strain upon both thought and language in the Holy Scriptures. These being often a revelation of a world above nature, and the minds for which they were written being a part of nature, the writers are compelled to use a great many ‘like’ words to make themselves understood.” - A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

David had never witnessed the parting of the Red Sea or the divine manifestation of God’s presence on Mount Sinai in the form of smoke, fire, thunder, and lightning. But he had heard the stories and he believed that God was still fully capable of revealing Himself in supernatural and inexplicable ways. For David, the lack of visible manifestations of God’s power was not a disappointment or a setback to his faith. He fully believed that his God could still shake mountains, divide the seas, rain down fire from heaven, and deliver His people through unprecedented acts of power and providence.

David had a high regard for God and it was this unique, personal relationship with God Almighty that set David apart from so many of his contemporaries. In reading this passage and so many of the psalms that bear his name, we are left with the inarguable conclusion that David really was a man after God’s own heart. As we work our way through the remainder of chapter 22 of 2 Samuel, we will see that David not only knew and understood who God was, but he was comfortable with who he was in his relationship with God. David had no delusions about his own sinfulness and God’s holiness, but he could say, “he rescued me because he delights in me” (2 Samuel 22:20 NLT).

David was a man at peace with his God but he never took his relationship with the Almighty lightly or treated it flippantly. He remained awe-struck by God’s glory but equally amazed by God’s goodness. David was confident, guiltless, content, joyful, grateful, free from fear, and happy to praise his God for who He was and all that He had done.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.