NBBC SS: 2 Samuel 22

Introduction: Brothers and sisters, we have an incredible passage before us that we’re going to consider today that it’s almost too wonderful to imagine.

There are two questions that I want for you to consider as we study this passage this morning.

First, what is the relationship between this reflection in this chapter and the content of the previous chapter? (Hint: the first verse help us to see that) Relatedly, how does that relationship then impact our perspective on David and what he shares, or recollects, in this chapter?

Additionally, what did David experience before the Lord’s intervention in this passage? This is going to be significant for us to consider as we make application to our lives.

Now, we’ve got 51 verses to get through so if you’ve got additional questions following our discussion today, let’s make some time together to sit down and talk about these things.

2 Samuel 22:1–3 “1 And David spoke the words of this song to the Lord in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. [The Lord Delivers David]

Brothers and sisters, you may have noticed a correlation between this passage and Psalm 18.

In fact, you may have a footnote in your Bible pointing you to that passage, just like I do.

What do you notice about the intentional wording of the Spirit here about David’s relationship to this song at this time?

He’s singing the song that he wrote earlier now!

I can just imagine David sitting down after the events of the previous chapter and “opening his Bible” and turning to this song.

This song that had meaning for him after the Lord delivered him from the hand of Saul.

This song that now finds relevance after what would turn out to be David’s final military engagement in 2 Sam 21.

Brothers and sisters, I’m forecasting here but this passage is very positive.

David is going to speaking of God’s deliverance.

But, not only is he going to speak about God’s deliverance but also God’s empowerment to receive the victory.

He’s going to say things like the Lord makes me to bend a bow of bronze (not an easy feat) that suggests incredible strength.

Yet, in the previous passage, the Spirit relates how David needed to be taken out of the battle prematurely on account of weakness.

How can David sing this song reflecting on the strength the Lord had given him and making a correlation with his most recent and final battle where he had to leave on account of weakness?

You see, brothers and sisters, David is going through the natural changes that we all do.

We all have had moments of strength.

We all will gradually become weaker.

And yet, rather than lamenting his weakness, David celebrates the Lord’s deliverance, victory and previous empowerment.

Brothers and sisters, I believe that we’re seeing David’s humility here.

The humility that says I don’t always have to be strongest.

But, I know that One that gives deliverance, victory, and strength.

David speaks here like nothing of his life has changed.

That’s because his perspective on the Lord hasn’t changed.

In other words, brothers and sisters, David has found the Lord to act consistently - He’s faithful.

So, what is it about the Lord’s faithfulness that David extols about the Lord in this passage? (let’s keep reading)

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.”

This is David’s introductory statement that gives us a summary of what David is going to share in the next 42 verses.

If you had to summarize what David is saying about the Lord here, how might you do so?

The Lord is David’s strong deliverer, capable of saving David from any harm.

The question before us then is, how does David know this to be true?

In short, through personal experience.

Let’s keep reading.

2 Samuel 22:4–20 “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 overwhelmed me; 6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears.

Brothers and sisters, what do you do when you have a need?

You seek the Lord.

Calling out to Him in your help.

And, brothers and sisters, is there any need too great for Him to respond?

No!

David relates that he was at the point of death and cried out to the Lord!

This is incredibly interesting because David is relating here that he had great problems, even life and death problems!

And, rather than sparing David from these problems, the Lord hears David in the midst of these problems.

Brothers and sisters, we are not guaranteed to be spared from trouble in this life.

In fact, what does Jesus promise us?

In this life, you will have difficulty/trouble (cf. John 16:33).

Following the Lord is not guaranteed to make your life easier.

But, as David could call to the Lord to sustain him through the difficulty, so too can we.

What are we told here that the Lord initially did when David cried out to the Lord for help?

He heard.

He heard David’s voice.

Even hearing David’s voice from His Heavenly Temple.

Brothers and sisters, what is there that the Lord can hear and see from His Heavenly Temple?

He can hear and see everything!

He has the advantage to know all that is going on.

And, brothers and sisters, how does the Lord use this advantage?

To hear the cry of His servant David.

No matter the circumstance, even in deadly difficulty, your Lord knows exactly what’s going on as you seek Him for He uses His advantage to see and hear all to listen to you.

However, does the Lord just “hear” David?

No.

Let’s keep reading to see what the Lord did next for David in this deadly circumstance.

8 “Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of heaven were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry. 9 “Smoke went up out of His nostrils, Fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it. 10 “He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet. 11 “And He rode on a cherub and flew; And He appeared on the wings of the wind. 12 “And He made darkness canopies around Him, A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky. 13 “From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. 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 appeared, The foundations of the world were laid bare By the rebuke of the Lord, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

When you combine all of the imagery here - fire, heavens, darkness, wind, waters, clouds, thunder, and lightning - what is David describing here?

A thunderstorm.

Brothers and sisters, the Lord use all the powers of the weather to deliver David.

If the Lord can command the weather so that even the lightning He controls like a skilled archer sending an arrow to hit its target, then what is it that the Lord can’t do?!

What is the result of the Lord’s miraculous control of the weather to visit David and his enemies in David’s trouble?

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

The Lord delivered David.

Notice, brothers and sisters, David’s enemy attempted to use every advantage against David by approaching David at his weakest (i.e. calamity).

Brothers and sisters, even when the enemy thinks that they have the upper hand, it’s no match for God’s power to deliver.

So far, our reflection has been over David’s physical circumstances to deliver him from death.

But, brothers and sisters, our fight is not with physical enemies.

Our fight, brothers and sisters, is for faithfulness.

We fight against those things that would be an obstacle to our faithfulness, even our own desires to sin.

And, brothers and sisters, the Apostle Paul reminds us that God is faithful to make a way of escape (cf. 1 Cor 10:13), just like the Lord delivered David here.

Notice how 2 Sam 22:20 gives us our transitional statement into David’s next reflection.

What does David posit as the reason that the Lord rescued David?

Because the Lord delighted in David.

This prompts us to ask, why would the Lord delight in David?

2 Samuel 22:21–28 “21 “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 22 “For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not acted wickedly against my God. 23 “For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24 “I was also blameless toward Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 25 “Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness before His eyes.

Brothers and sisters, the consistent emphasis of these verses concerns David’s efforts to faithfully live to please the Lord.

Importantly, David did not do these things as the basis of his relationship with the Lord.

In fact, what David reflects on here is that David sought to please the Lord and the Lord chose to act.

How does David refer to the Lord in 2 Samuel 22:22 that suggests a relationship between David and the Lord?

“my God.”

Notice the logic of David’s progression in reflecting on his efforts to please the Lord.

He talks about his righteousness.

And, here, as we approach the center of this reflection, David refers to the Lord as his God.

You see, brothers and sisters, David wanted to please the Lord because the Lord was his God.

Hence, David’s relationship to the Lord is the foundation for David’s wanting to please the Lord and so it is with us.

We don’t become God’s children through our own efforts.

Instead, once you’ve become God’s child by relating to Him by faith through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in His perfect life so that He could be the perfect and only sacrifice to forgive sins and His resurrection, then this change that He’s made through the Holy Spirit prompts you to want to live to please the Lord.

And, brothers and sisters, how did David know how to live to please the Lord?

He kept God’s ordinances and statutes before him.

In other words, David had a relationship with God’s Word!

David characterized this relationship as having put these things before him.

That is, David had an active relationship with God’s Word.

David couldn’t have learned these things on his own.

He needed the Lord’s Word and for the Lord to teach him these things.

And, brothers and sisters, if we’re going to live to please the Lord, we have got to have an active relationship with God’s Word - studying it for ourselves and coming together as His people in times like this and what follows so that we will know how to please the Lord.

Notice also, brothers and sisters, when was it that David was seeking to live to please the Lord?

It wasn’t just during easy times.

It was even when he was facing difficulty.

Brothers and sisters, when we’ve got pressures on us, it can make it super difficult to live to please the Lord.

However, we cannot let up living to please the Lord, even during difficulty.

Aggressively pursue faithfully pleasing the Lord, even through difficult circumstances.

Upon reading how the Lord treats David on account of David’s righteousness, we’re prompted to ask, why is it that the Lord acts this way? (let’s keep reading)

26 “With the kind You show Yourself kind, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless; 27 With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverted You show Yourself astute [shrewd/tortuous - twisted; what is deserved]. 28 “And You save an afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase.

The Lord consistently treats everyone fairly.

Brothers and sisters, no matter what the circumstance, you can always trust that the Lord will treat everyone fairly.

And, brothers and sisters, whether the blameless, the pure, the perverted, or the proud, the Lord knows exactly what they need and deserve so that He accurately and fairly treats them all.

What great discernment our Lord possesses and exercises faithfully and fairly.

Beginning with v. 29, David is going to shift from the Lord’s deliverance to something else that the Lord does for His people related to their personal faithfulness.

2 Samuel 22:29-46 29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord; And the Lord illumines my darkness. 30 “For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. 31 “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 32 “For who is God, besides the Lord? And who is a rock, besides our God? 33 “God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way. 34 “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me on my high places. 35 “He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze (strength). 36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help makes me great. 37 “You enlarge my steps under me (fast), And my feet have not slipped (ankle support). [The Lord Gives David Success]

Brothers and sisters, what is David describing here about the relationship between what he can do and the Lord?

The Lord is the One who empowers David!

And, brothers and sisters, there’s a NT equivalent that we read in Ephesians 3:16.

The Holy Spirit is the One Who empowers us to live to please the Lord!

And, notice next, what is the result of the Lord’s empowerment?

38 “I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed. 39 “And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; And they fell under my feet. 40 “For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. 41 “You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me. 42 “They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. 43 “Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and stamped them as the mire of the streets.

If you have one word to summarize what David describes here, what would it be?

Victory!

The Lord empowered David to gain the victory over his enemies.

Brothers and sisters, victory for the believer is living faithfully to the Lord according to His Word in all that He’s given us to do.

Is it possible to faithfully live to please the Lord and be victorious over temptation and sin?

It sure is!

But it’s available only though the Lord’s empowerment by His Spirit.

Notice, that the Lord not only provided David with victory as He empowered the latter.

44 “You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people; You have kept me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me. 45 “Foreigners pretend obedience to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. 46 “Foreigners lose heart, And come trembling out of their fortresses.

What is another way of summarizing what David is describing here in terms of his relationships to the nation of Israel and other nations?

Peace

Brothers and sisters, notice that this peace was not the result of David’s efforts.

This was all the Lord’s dealings.

In fact, it was in spite of the contentions of the Israelites!

Brothers and sisters, is it possible that the Lord can provide peace even in the unlikeliest of circumstances and in the midst of people that we did not expect?

Absolutely!

But, brothers and sisters, as David found peace in his circumstances through the Lord, so we also must look to the Lord and not our circumstances for peace.

So far, we’ve seen the Lord’s mighty power to deliver and now the Lord empowerment to provide victory and His presence to bring peace.

When we see these things, what’s our response? (let’s keep reading)

2 Samuel 22:47-51 47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation, 48 The God who executes vengeance for me, And brings down peoples under me, 49 Who also brings me out from my enemies; You even lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man.” [David Praises the Lord]

What does David do here?

He summarily recounts what he’s seen the Lord do.

As if it weren’t enough for David to detail what he saw the Lord do, he gives a quick summary in case we missed it.

And, in this summary, how is David prompted to respond?

50 “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name. 51 “He is a tower of deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his descendants forever.””

David responds with praise.

Where does David state that he will praise the Lord?

Among the nations.

In other words, David will tell everyone about the Lord’s faithfulness.

And, brothers and sisters, though we may not have seen the Lord’s faithfulness like David in being delivered from death, we do see it in the Lord’s empowerment through His Spirit to live to please Him, regardless of the difficulty.

Conclusion: Brothers and sisters, David’s testimony here reminds us that we can rely on our faithful Lord to faithfully live to please Him because He equips us to do so.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, similar to David, let us too raise our voices in praise to the Lord, even among those who haven’t heard of the Lord, for His faithfulness to us as seen in His empowerment to live faithful, regardless of the circumstances.