January 25, 2017
YOU CAN'T "AFORT" TO RELY ON YOURSELF
Psalm 18:1–24
Sylvia Bateman
Central Truth
Trying to be, or create, our own fortress or foundation will never hold. God alone is worthy of reliance. If you identify with Christ and accept the free gift of grace by faith, then Jesus’ righteousness is your righteousness and we are children of God. God DELIGHTS in you!
Key Verse | Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
(Psalm 18:2)
Psalm 18:1–24
The LORD Is My Rock and My Fortress
To the choirmaster. 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. He said:
1
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4
The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
1
18:4
Or terrified me
5
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6
In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7
Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
2
18:8
Or in his wrath
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13
The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14
And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16
He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
19
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
20
The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21
For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22
For all his rules
3
18:22
Or just decrees
were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23
I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24
So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 18:1–24
Anyone else build forts when they were younger? There’s nothing quite like getting out all the blankets and jimmy-riggin' them across the room or finding fridge boxes to make one super “sturdy.” Luckily, growing up as an Army brat, I had no shortage of moving boxes and real-life forts.
My family is very loving, sacrificial, and joyful. I am so grateful for them and for healing through Christ. Part of growing up involved painful parental divorces, custody battles that spanned states, navigating through the blessed and difficult waters of having a special-needs sibling, and what felt like constant change from moving every couple of years. I craved stability, a firm foundation, anything I could hold onto for protection.
The problem was that I tried to create my own stronghold of being revered and successful academically, vocationally, and socially. But it was never enough and like always shifting sand.
Psalm 18 is from King David, whom God protected and delivered from his enemies many times. This is the sling-shot-shepherd-son who defeated Goliath, after all! But there was a time when he experienced the destruction of pride and self-reliance (read 2 Samuel 11-12). This portion of Psalm 18 is almost identical to some of David’s last words recorded in 2 Samuel 22. He has learned that God is a mighty protector.
David starts this psalm by describing our Lord:
• My strength (source of being be able to withstand),
• My rock (immovable/imperishable foundation),
• My fortress (true source of safety),
• My deliverer (the One who frees us),
• My God (personal relationship),
• The One in whom I take refuge (worthy protector in the hardship of this world),
• My shield (took the blow of sin and death through Jesus),
• The One worthy to be praised (absolutely awe-inspiring),
• The One who hears my voice (cares for me).
The next verses record God’s RESPONSE to being called upon for help from one of His own. He is POWERFUL and MIGHTY.
Since I have been identified in Christ and received His free gift of eternal life, God has rescued me in daily trials and one day in finality from sin. It doesn't mean my life is always easy or pain-free, but He is reliable, like a good fort!
Discussion Questions
1. Are you feeling like you need to be “drawn out of the many waters”? What do you typically turn to when you feel like you're drowning?
2. Have you identified with Christ and accepted the free gift of grace by faith? If so, then Jesus’ righteousness is your righteousness, and you are a child of God (Galatians 3:26; John 1:12). He DELIGHTS in you (Psalm 18:19)!
3. Do you view God’s goodness in terms of the trials you are going through?
4. Matthew 7:24-27 is about building our foundation on the truth of Jesus and God’s Word. What are some tangible areas where you can see that in your life?