2 Samuel 22 Bible Study (War with the Philistines & David's Song) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

You might have noticed last week that we did not cover the

entirety of Second Samuel Chapter 21, and that is okay

2 Samuel 21 · chapter mention

because I'm here to come for you tonight that we will cover those

verses in this. Chapter.

Sometimes the chapter breaks may may confuse us or may cause us

to separate the thought pattern, but we have to try to look past

as much as those chapter breaks. And numbers and verse numbers

are helpful. We have to also see beyond that

and see the flow of thought. And so we will look at some of

these verses in a moment here. But I want you to see the first

word of Chapter 22. If you have the ESV, it's the

word, and if you have the new King James Version, you'll have

the word then. And the first word there denotes

that what is happening here in chapter 22 is connected to.

The collection of verses in the preceding section.

What you see in the last part of chapter 21 is very much tied to

what you and I are going to be introduced to here in chapter

22. And what you have in the last

verses of chapter 21 is quite interesting.

You have here a bullet point point form report of David and

his men fighting against the common foe, the Philistines.

That's what you see, very rapid fire style.

Just some reports of how David and his men conquered the

Philistines. But not just the Philistines in

a general sense. In a very specific sense, what

you will see there in those verses is how David and his men

conquered the giants who are numbered.

Among the Philistines you have 4 specific skirmishes and each one

of those battles refers to a giant who has been overtaken by

God's. People.

I want us to read it quickly before we come into chapter 22,

verse 15 to chapter 21. There was a war again between

the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with

his servants, and they fought against the Philistines.

And David grew weary, and Ishby Banab, one of the descendants of

the giants whose spear wait 300 shekels of bronze, and who was

armed with a new sword thought to kill.

David. But Abisha, the son of Zuraya,

came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him.

Then David's men swore to him. You shall no longer go out with

us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.

After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob.

And Sivakai the Hushatite struck down Saf, who was one of the

descendants of the giants. And there was again war with the

Philistines at Gob. And El Hanan, the son of Yair.

Origim the Bethlemites struck down Goliath the Gettite, the

shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

Chronicles tells us that this was actually Goliath's brother.

Verse 20 there was again wore a Gath, where there was a man of

great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six

toes on each foot. 24 in number. And he also was descended from

the giants. And when he taunted Israel,

Jonathan, the son of Shamai, David's brother, struck him

down. These four were descended from

the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David.

And by the. Hand of his servants.

You can take each of these incidences and and expand upon

them. We're not going to do that.

I want us to take a few points from an overarching perspective.

I want to make one point here to start.

First, recognize how this is mentioned in the latter part of

David's life. He became weary.

Seems as though David is getting old at this point.

He's not the same agile, quick, strong, fierce warrior that he

was in his youth. You know his body, like it will

with all of us will, you know, going to take a toll.

And it did take a toll on him and the men under him.

Recognize that. And he said, you're done.

You're not coming to war with us anymore.

You have to stay back. Let us take care of it.

What I find so significant about this is that David is still

fighting giants near the end of his life.

David is still fighting these towering foes, even as a

seasoned warrior. When David fought Goliath as a

youth, it was not a one time event.

No, what we see here is that there is reoccurrence.

These giants reintroduce themselves.

And like David, you and I might have known battles in our

younger years in the faith. We might have seen God bring

great victories and certain aspects of our sin and our

flesh. But that does not mean that that

same sin, that same temptation. Is not willing to revisit us

with a vengeance. In fact, you can expect that you

should keep that in mind so that your heart would be strong and

that you would be. You'd be discerning with your

awareness and not to let your guard down.

David here is dealing with giants yet again.

Your battle will with sin will continue until you give up your

final breath. It doesn't decrease as you

increase in age. No, no.

You can expect a lifelong struggle with sin.

And when I mean struggle, I don't mean defeat.

I mean a constant wrestling with the flesh.

That's what Galatians 5 tells us, that the spirit and the

flesh are constantly at war with one another.

And we see that here in the physical sense.

And it's it's true. It points to the spiritual

trajectory of our own lives. We can expect that here are

giants yet again. And I think this is helpful for

even those who serve in the in the local church setting.

There are people in the local church who who are devoted to

serving, who are very much involved with the lives of other

people. And if you've been in the local

church long enough, you know that in the church problems

arise. And if there's a time of peace,

then surely at any point there will be some kind of turbulence

that will make its way among the people of God.

And I've heard it, I've heard people say it.

Haven't we already dealt with this issue before?

Haven't we already faced these problems before?

Hasn't our church learned? Enough already.

And if you're there, if you feel that way, if you, if you sense

your your body, your soul, your mind, your heart becoming weary.

Remember David. Remember David with the giants.

Understand that Goliath had siblings.

Sin has siblings. Sin multiplies.

Sin is ever present. Sin is waiting and always ready

to wage war, so keep that in mind, not to discourage you, but

to encourage you. Your flesh may grow old, may

become weak, but our hearts cannot afford to do so.

The Lord will be with us. Secondly, we mentioned these

giants and noticed that although David was the main target of the

Philistines, they wanted him. He was the lamp of Israel.

He was a shining star. If we can get him, we can get

the rest. Was it David?

Who conquered the giants? What did we read?

It was the servants, 4 servants, 4 different servants, who faced

4 different giants. That's not an accidental insight

that is very much strategic by the spirit to tell us something

so wonderful, so wonderful about your faith and my faith.

Consider this. Why is this important?

Because David for the longest time was recognized and praised

as the giant Slayer. Of Israel.

When David faced off Goliath, who did he have behind him?

Cowards? In Saul's army, not one single

soldier was willing to stand up against Goliath.

Only one teenager was willing to face off with this blasphemer,

and through his faith in the living gods saw victory.

And the nation recognized them and crowned them and praised

them as such. But according to this text,

eventually something happened. What happened?

Some of those who admire David, follow David, submitted to

David's leadership, followed his example.

David wasn't the only giant Slayer.

Now you have different men who did the same.

What do we learn from that? Here's what you learn from that.

David's faith, his obedience, his trust, inspired those around

him, inspired those around him to believe the way David

believed and to be courageous the way David was courageous.

Consider that That's glorious. That's awesome.

Because what it tells me is that there is something.

Profoundly beautiful and glorious about a single minded

devotion to Jesus Christ when you are willing to allow your

faith to go to the place where David went to stand alone.

If you have to stand alone, then God is able to take that quality

of faithfulness and use it as a means to birth a new conviction

in the. Dormant or the fearful, he's

able to do that. Do you remember the the words of

the Apostle Paul and Philippians 114 when he was writing to this

church in prison? I love that epistle because

here's this man in prison writing to Christians in their

church, in their homes. Rejoice over and over.

Rejoice, rejoice. I mean, you would think they

would write letters to him and say rejoice, rejoice, rejoice.

He's writing to them from a dungeon.

You rejoice. I'd be convicted just reading

those words. But he said something so

interesting in Philippians 114. You can turn there if you'd

like. He gives this wonderful inside,

inside that. Solidifies really the point that

I'm trying to make, he says. Here and most of the brothers.

Having become confident in the Lord, by my imprisonment are

much more bold to speak the word without.

Fear. What was it that inspired the

Brethren to become more bold in their proclamation and their

witness? It took Paul.

And his willingness to go to great lengths.

And his devotion to God, even if it meant his imprisonment, Even

if it meant what potential death.

Remember, there he was talking about Philippians.

One look, I might die. I don't know if I have this

tension. Should I go up?

It's far better, but if I stay, it's better for you.

So there there was rumors there, there was talk that he could

even be put to death. And the Christians who knew

about Paul's imprisonment said if he can go through that, if

he's willing to go there, surely we can.

Surely we can. If you just choose to stay and

to fight for your marriage in the spirit, who knows what kind

of hope you will give to other marriages that are struggling?

If you young person, listen to me.

I'm so glad to see so many young people here.

If you but choose to be pure in this defiled, disgusting,

distracted generation, perhaps your faith will shine.

And will be a way out for others who have been convinced that

compromise, degeneracy, lukewarmness, indifference is

the norm. Shock people.

What happens when something or someone so precious to you is

taken from you and yet you still choose to sing and yet you still

choose to serve the Lord? Surely God can take such a

faith. And use it as a supply of

strength for those who will face their own sorrows in their

tomorrows with their own song. So we see here that these men

followed the example of David and they slew their own giants.

Who knows what God can do with your faith?

Who knows what God can do with your devotion?

It might take some time, but it's worth it.

You may not know it immediately. But you can believe that that is

how contagious faith can be. Fear is contagious, but so is

faith. We always talk about how

contagious fear is. Let's talk about how contagious

faith is. Side note, David was a leader.

Be careful who you allowed to be a leader in your life.

Who do you sit? Under what kind of pastors do

you sit under? What kind of teaching do you

listen to? Because whether you realize it

or not, their level of faith will inspire you for the greater

or for the worse. This would be very, very

discerning. Be very, very careful.

Nobody's perfect. Understand that there is a level

of imitation that occurs when you willingly choose to make

someone a leader in your life. Saul, look what he did with his

men. He confused them.

They they were just it was a mess.

David wasn't perfect, but oh, did he have faith.

And that faith trickled down to those who said we want to follow

David Speaking of song. What's the substance of chapter

22? You look at it just from from a

face value perspective, and you can recognize that this is a

song, this is a hymn, this is, this is a Worshipful praise

that's being given unto the Lord, and it's confirmed here,

Verse one. 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.

Chapter 22 is a song. And notice again that first word

and or the new King James Then now only is this song.

It is a song placed on the backdrop of giant killing

victories to teach us what there there seems to be again just

just see past that big #22 and that title that's been inserted

there. And if you just have the text,

you see a flow of thought in which the Spirit wants to convey

continuity. And so, right after this just

short tribute of these men killing giants, you come to this

song to to convey what that on the other side of radical

obedience, that on the other side of complete trust in the

Lord, especially in and through your trials, awaits a song so

powerful, so deep, so rich. An exuberant praise that will

burst forth from your bosom. That's what we see here, David,

rejoicing with the backdrop of all the victories that God has

brought him through. And I love to see that.

Proverbs 29 Six says that an evil man is ensnared in his

transgression. But a righteous man sings and

rejoices. A righteous man sings and

rejoices. What's the connection?

An evil man is ensnared in his transition, but a righteous man

sings and rejoices. It's very hard to sing when you

don't have a clear conscience. It's very hard to sing when

you're in bondage. It's very hard to sing when your

enemy not just not just people who are being used by Satan, the

sin, your flesh, the world and the philosophies of this world

and narratives and all the discouragements and the

allurements of this world. When those things have a hold on

you, it's very difficult to sing.

But when you are set free. Then you'll know how to sing.

Then you'll know a true song, as we're about to find out, you

know. But I looked at this and I

thought, there's more, there's more here.

People debate when this was written.

Most people agree that this is not chronological.

Some believe that this was written at a later.

Time or an earlier time rather. There's debate.

There's debate here. But one thing is for certain

that based on what we see in 21, based on what we see even in 22,

this is this is somewhere in the second part of David's life.

How do we know that? Because he wrote it when the

Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, all his

enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

So definitely post Saul, but all his enemies at some point David

knew a level of victory. He was able to pause and.

Reflect on God's faithfulness and then?

Rejoice in light of it. Now if you know your Bibles very

well, you will notice that this is not the only place where this

song is written. Does anybody else know where

almost a copy paste version is found in the Bible.

That's right, Psalm 18. It's almost.

Word for word. Psalm 18 Why?

Why did the Bible include the same song in two different

places? And here's what most people

believe, that Psalm 18 was actually written by David when

he was much younger. And then in Second Samuel 22,

you have David singing a song with minor adjustments in his

later years. You know what's so inspiring

about that? David is still be able to sing

with the same strength, the same depth, the same passion as he

did when he was first walking in the grace of God.

That tends not to be the experience of many professing

believers. It seems to to deflate over

time. What do I mean?

That their song is not as strong.

Their singing is not as exciting.

They lose that passion and that fierce faith.

You don't see that with David. David was able to sing with that

same type of faith and knowledge of God as when he first was

introduced to the fragrance of the Lord's power and mercy over

him. I want you to be able to say out

of this Bible study, I Lord, I want to be able to sing in my

final days, Not just in my former days, not just when I

started, but when I'm finishing. I want to be able to say it is

well with my soul. I want to be able to say how

great is our God. I want to be able to say he will

hold me fast because he has helped me fast.

You see this? This is a man singing a song.

Later in life, it's easy to sing when it's fresh, but for so many

it becomes normal and familiar and common.

And now it's just routine. You cannot read the song and

think that this journal entry is routine.

This is a man who has remained consistent.

Though he had ups and downs, his faith remained.

His faith remained. And oh Lord, would you help us

have that same end? So you see, it's a large, large

song. We're not going to be covering

verse by verse. We're going to pause in some

verses. We're going to read over others.

But let's look at this just skimming through and trusting

that we will still be blessed as we do.

So let's look at verse, Let's look at verse two.

He said, The Lord is my rock. My fortress and my deliver, my

God, my rock, and whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn

of my salvation. My stronghold and my refuge, my

Savior. You save me from violence.

It's difficult to move forward without looking.

At the great acknowledgement that David gives to the Lord,

the. Wealth of titles?

That he ascribes unto his God, Look at this rock.

Fortress, deliverer, shield, horn of my salvation.

Stronghold, Refuge, Savior, these are profound and you, you

almost get the sense that David is in in a in a good way,

frantically trying to express all that God is to him.

Lord, you're this and you're this and you're this and you're

this. You ever meet a young guy or

young gal who's who's madly in love with somebody else?

It's amazing how they become like Shakespeare, right?

They're just able to come up with things and.

They, they, they, they tried to put language to what's going on

in their hearts. And that's the impression that

you get here from David, who just starting off by adoring the

Lord and ascribing all these beautiful things, these titles

and these elements of who he is. That's profound.

But what's more precious to me is how David verbalizes and

communicates these ideas of God from personal experience.

Did he say the Lord is the rock, the fortress, the deliverer?

Did he say he's the shield? The horn of my what?

What is he saying? Is it the no, It's my big

difference between the two, big difference between the two.

And I'm afraid that many professing Christians are

content to live with the former perspective.

Many Christians are are are content and having an accurate

and maybe even a deep theological understanding and

framework of the nature and the character of God, but with no

testimony with it. Theology without testimony.

What a miserable state to be in. What a miserable state to be in,

To be able to say the but not be able to say my That's not God's

will. Theology, good theology, sound

doctrine is not an end in itself.

It's a means to an end. God doesn't want us to just

stuff our brains with truths and for us to be able to boast.

Look how sound we are. Look how.

Look how biblical we are. That's not God's intent.

It's for it to change you. For you to.

Taste it. Not just stuff it for you to be

able to say this is true of me. Not just true on a screen.

Big difference. And here's this man oozing out

glorious, specific, Profound Truths, but preciously ascribing

it. From a personal testimony.

How can one effectively pray? How can one effectively praise?

How can one effectively proclaim unless he can say with

confidence he saved me, He provided for.

Me. He protected me.

I don't want to refer to this example to the wrong person, but

there was an old preacher. Many hundreds of years ago who

when he trained his missionaries, would not allow

them to preach unless those missionaries were fully

convinced that they were forgiven for their sins.

Why go and tell people about what Christ has done in the

world if you can't be able to say and he's done it in me,

where's that authority And that doesn't even please God.

What if Paul saying Galatians 220 when he talked about Christ

living in him, he ended it by saying who loved?

What the world? Who?

What loved the church? No.

Who loved me and gave himself up?

For who? The world?

The church? No.

Me again. Who loved me and gave himself up

for me? There's personal, intimate

implications. With these awesome truths that

do apply to all men. But are meant.

For you to be able to say it's true of me, my rock, my deliver,

my fortress. Glorious.

And then we see here in verse 4 the depth of his intimacy with

the Lord. I call upon the Lord who is

worthy to be. Praised and I am saved from my

enemies. I call upon the Lord second part

and I am saved from my enemies. Now wait a minute, we read at

the end of verse of chapter 21 of Four Different Men.

Who saved David? If you look at it from a human

standpoint, 4 different men who came to his side.

Four different men who rescued him.

If you talk to a shallow person, they would be able to say David.

It was Abhishay who saved you. David, it was Al Hanan who saved

you. It was Sabakai who saved you.

It was Jonathan, your relative, who saved you.

And David would acknowledge that the Holy Spirit acknowledged

that they were instruments. But you see, these men were not

operating independently from God's provision and God's

Providence. These men were the answers to

David's. Prayers I call upon the Lord.

I am safe from my enemies. Well, you and I just saw how he

was safe from his enemies. What does that mean?

It means that when God saved him, he used these men.

You know, many of God's answers to our prayers are wrapped in

flesh and blood. We just need the eyes to see it

and not just the the Saint of your local church or the St. in

your family. Was Abishai a St.

Or did David have trouble with Abishai?

He had trouble with Abishai. Are Ravens clean animals

according to the libertical law? Are they dirty animals?

They're unclean animals and God used them to feed his servant

Elijah. God's resources are very

colorful, very colorful. And he tends to prove to us that

when he really wants to bless us and help us and come to our aid,

he's never in need. He's never low on resources.

He can even make your enemies help you.

And so we see here that David recognized that although these

men were faithful, were servants, they were an extension

of God's mercy, and they were the answer.

To his prayers. Now, before we move on, it's

worth noting how prayer is mentioned in the song so early.

Why? It's because prayer in a major

way is the cause of this man's great praise.

Do you see that? If we want to know greater

praise from our hearts, then we must know how to 1st give

ourselves to serious prayer on our knees.

Praying people are people who know how to praise true praying

people. And David could praise often

because David prayed often, saying what's the connection?

It's very easy apart from salvation, can you think of a

greater stimulation, a greater motivation than Almighty God who

inhabits the heavens answering your puny?

Voice when you have a need that'll get you to church, and

that will get you to sing no matter who else is not singing.

And this is exactly what David is trying to communicate.

He tells us even in the beginning of his song that I'm

telling you why I'm singing. I called upon the Lord and he

saved me. He saved me.

And we might think, well, yeah, that's a Bible story and that's

David. And he was a unique character.

No, no, no. Give prayer a chance long

enough, Be specific enough with your prayers and you will come

to the same conclusion. In fact, David gives us exactly.

What it is that? Happened when it came to God

saving him. It says here, for the waves of

death encompassed me. The torrents of destruction

assailed me, the cords of shield.

Entangled me. The snares of death confronted

me. What is he trying to say?

I'm. I'm surrounded.

Like this is it. I'm at my end 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 again, apart from the cross, me personally,

maybe you would disagree. Is there anything more glorious

than this? I can cry and heaven can hear

me. I was just talking to somebody

the other day. How?

How amazing this idea of FaceTime is.

I remember the days. I remember the days where dialup

was the thing. And so you would go.

And if you picked up the phone, you ruined the connection.

Remember that horrible, torturous sound when you picked

up the phone? Some of you remember that.

And in such a short amount of time, I'm able to press a button

and somebody across the world, I can see their face, they can

show me the room, show me what's going on in that very moment.

This is more impressive, Where the seraphim cannot look, Where

the seraphim cover their feet. My voice can reach that very

throne room. This is what he's saying.

My cry came to his ears. Didn't come to an Angel?

Then go? No, it came directly to God

himself. And then he says what happens

after that takes place. He says, then verse 8, then then

as a result. Of my crying and my calling upon

the Lord, let me tell you what happened.

Then the earth reeled and rocked.

The foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked because he

was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils

and devouring fire from his mouth.

Glowing coals flamed forth from him.

He bowed the heavens and came down thick.

Darkness was under his feet. I'm not going to keep reading,

but you get the idea. This is rich in imagery.

This is metaphorical, obviously, but there's a message behind it.

Look back at verse 8. Then the earth reeled and rocked

the foundations of the heavens trembled and quake because he

was angry. He heard my cry, came to his

ears. And this is what happened.

And can I give you a modern translation?

A verse, A verse 9 rather verse eight.

God moved heaven and earth to answer my cry.

God moved heaven and earth. To come to my aid.

In fact, he goes on to describe, as I just said in great length,

how it is that the Lord came to him.

Look again at verse 11. I stopped.

At verse 10 He rode on a cherub and flew.

He was seen on the wings of the wind.

Translation, the swiftness of God, the quickness of God, the

promptness of God, the willingness of God.

The moment he heard my voice, he got on a chair and he came down.

He flew to me. Didn't walk.

Didn't pace. He flew to my aid.

And what that means is that God is not reluctant to hear your

prayers. God is not hesitant.

God is not too busy. God does not put you on pause

because he's overwhelmed with everything else that's happening

in China and Australia and Africa.

According to the need, he will move in perfect accordance to

meet it. He's never late.

He never delays. He's never annoyed.

He is swift. He will fly to come to your

assistance. That's what David is conveying.

He came at the right time. He's like a father that hears

his child outside playing and that child falls.

And when he cries, he drops everything to stoop down and to

wrap his arms around me to bring me into his safety.

That's very hard for us to say Amen to because we don't sense

that in our prayers, right? We just get silence most of the

time. Think about David's experience.

Not every single time he prayed, God came through.

He spent many, many years in the wilderness.

What David is saying is I have cried out to the Lord and he's

always come at the right time. That's the point.

He's always come at the right time.

And we see other verses. Look down at verse 17, he sent

from on high, he took. Me.

He drew me out of many waters. Remember, this is David,

reflecting on what has been done in the past many waters.

I've almost drowned many times. And God has never failed to pick

me up and to rescue me. He rescued me for my strong

enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity.

But the Lord was my support. But the Lord was my support.

What a song to be able to sing near the end of your life.

And I get it. You might be discouraged more

than encouraged because again, OK, this is Bible study.

This is a sermon. It's motivational.

I'll give you that. But this is David.

He had a special covenant with the Lord and everlasting

covenant. It's obvious why God was sparing

him and giving him so much grace.

I work at 9:00 to 5:00. I'm trying to pay my bills.

I barely make it to church. This Bible said it doesn't

really help. It's inspirational, but it's not

very practical. And I would say, hold on, Don't

let your thoughts and your doubts swallow you yet, because

this is not the only song that David has written.

This is not the only song. It's not the only song that the

Holy Spirit used David to pen. Can I show you another one?

That will give you the hope that you need to look at this Psalm

in another way? Go to Psalm 145 in your Bibles

quickly and look here at verse 18.

This is David still and notice what David says.

And Psalm 145 verse 18. You've heard it.

Psalms 145:18

Over and over I called. I cried in my distress.

He heard my voice. That's you, David.

What about me? Well, here's David.

By the Spirit, Psalm 14518, the Lord is near to all who call on

him. Not some, not a few, not the

special supernatural super Saints.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him.

Here's the first condition to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who.

Here's a second condition. Who fears him?

He also hears their cry and saves them.

How can I know the support that David is known?

How can I be assured that my cry can reach the ears of Almighty

God? Two things Call on him in truth

and walk in the fear of the Lord.

Call on him in truth. Be sincere.

Don't let your mouth contradict your heart.

Don't hide anything from God. Walk in the light, and also fear

him to give him the reverence in the awe that he deserves.

Ascribe unto him the worth that he alone deserves.

And when these two simple conditions are met, then we will

know what David is known God's ear at all times.

And this is what's fascinating, because you see here and back in

our main song and verse 42 of Second Samuel 22.

When describing and condemning his enemies, David says of them

They looked, but there was none to say.

They cried to Hoobaal Molech. No, they cried to the Lord.

But he did not answer them. They cried to the Lord, and he

did not answer them. Why?

Because they did not call him. In truth they did not fear him.

They were trying to kill the Anointed One.

They were living in contradiction to God's desire

and will, and they thought that they had the right to call upon

the Lord. There says no way.

You know, people mock prayer, but it's amazing how many

heathen are willing to pray when when the temperature is right.

I saw a clip not too long ago of the World Trade Center.

Some of the the footage of the planes of of pedestrians, people

walk down the streets who had their cameras and just the

different angles of the the the planes flying into the towers.

And what struck me as much as that footage was just

unbelievable. What struck me was the the

shrieks and the cries of the people who witnessed it.

And you know what was the common cry?

Oh my God, oh Lord, have mercy. That's what people were saying

over and over again. And between those cries were

just pure shrieks. Oh my God, Lord, have mercy.

Lord have mercy. There's something in us that is

aware that there is something transcendent above us.

And even the heat then have a knowledge, though they try to

suppress it when they're squeezed just right.

It's amazing what peaks up. It's amazing what they squeal

the heat in here. They cried to the Lord, but He

did not answer them. Not that he's willing, not

willing to forgive them. But you can't have your sin and

have the support of the Lord at the same time.

You can't. These are the conditions that

David lays out, and you can say that David indirectly alludes to

those conditions in the second-half of this song.

Let's come down here back to Second Samuel.

Let's look at verse 21. David says something quite

amazing here that actually has caused people to be.

Stumbled in some way. 21 The Lord dealt with me according to

my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands.

He rewarded me, for I have kept the ways of the Lord, and I've

not wickedly departed from my God.

For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did

not turn aside. I was blameless before him, and

I kept myself from guilt. And the Lord has rewarded me

according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His

sight. Anybody concerned with David's

words here, you've been with us, especially in Second Samuel,

these collection of verses. Have led people to believe that

when David wrote this song, when do you think they believe he

wrote it? Yeah, before Bathsheba, before

Uriah. It's very difficult to reconcile

David's confidence. With his major moral failure,

how? How can you say that after what

you've done? And some people don't even go

that far with their thinking. They just are disturbed with

what he's saying altogether. Why would you say this in a

song? Can you imagine all of us

singing on Sunday morning? The Lord has rewarded me

according to my righteousness. My hands are clean.

I for us many people that think this is fair, seical, we don't

talk about our righteousness and we don't talk about our

holiness. And that's the impression that

you get that David seems to be saying, I have this divine favor

because I've been a good boy. And I've been walking in

obedience, and so I have God's face shining upon me.

And the way the remedy from any confusion or misinterpretation

is 1 discipline that we cannot forget.

It's the discipline of looking at the context.

Let's look at the context. Consider why David is saying

this at this point, and what the song is really all about.

What is the song about? It's a song of deliverance.

Deliverance from who? His enemies?

How God has rescued him from his foes.

And this makes more sense now when we consider why he's saying

this, with the surrounding ideas of him being surrounded by evil

people who want to attack him, who want to kill him, who speak

lies about him. Why is he saying this?

Because he's trying to communicate that the

righteousness and the cleanness of my hands is in relation to my

dealings. With these people, this is not

David. Going on a different train of

thought and talking about how awesome he is and how he has

gained eternal life because of his good works.

You get that idea when you pull these verses out of the context,

but when you honor the surrounding, what you see David

doing here in his prayer, in his song, he's appealing to a clear

conscience without a cause. They are hating me.

My enemies want to kill me. They want to surround me.

They want to devour me. But I didn't do anything.

I desire peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

So what David is doing is in the context of his dealing with

these people. He is confessing to God.

I'm in the right in this as long as my conscience bears witness.

There is nothing that I know that I have done that would

cause me to be in the wrong in this situation, that would

invoke and provoke them to treat me in this way.

So that's what we see here. This is not a man talking about

how his standard of righteousness has won God's

eternal life. Or it's just him saying in this

situation I'm blameless in this predicament, I don't see how I'm

guilty. And David's word here does

highlights whether you like it or not.

It highlights how your behavior and mine can actually influence

how we experience God's blessing.

Not how we receive His His grace for everlasting life, but how we

experience God in our life. I know you've been told

something else, probably right. No matter what you do, God will

do this for you. Go.

No, that's not true. No, you can't do whatever you

want to do and expect God to bless you in the same way.

No, I don't know where you got that from, but stick it back in

the the cookie and send it away, right?

That's fortune cookie theology. What we see here is that David

is is proving that there is a principle.

If I live in a certain way, if I act in a certain way, then I can

expect God to treat me in a certain way, and that's what he

confirms in verse 26. With the merciful you show

yourself merciful. With the blameless man, you show

yourself blameless. With the purified you deal

purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem torturous.

What was David's conviction throughout his exile, when Saul

was alive, he continued to show mercy.

Mercy, Mercy. Mercy, Mercy.

You know what's so fascinating? I'm persuaded that when David

had that one season where he was among the Philistines, you

remember that when he was so discouraged, he said, Saul's

going to kill me. I'm one step away from death.

I'm going among the Philistines. He'll stop bothering me then.

Remember that. And it led him to all these

issues and how God still was able to pull him out of that and

bring it back to where he was supposed to be.

I believe in great part how God did that was because God

remembered how merciful David was, and remembering how

merciful David was, God chose to be merciful to him.

Look, just let's just talk plainly here with the merciful.

You show yourself merciful how I treat other people.

Am I ready to receive that same treatment from God?

There is a mercy that you and I no matter what we've done, God

is still willing to dispense it on our lives.

That's the cross. But in practical daytoday life,

imagine that this this is a divine administration.

In God's universe. With the merciful, you show

yourself merciful. With the blameless, you show

yourself blameless. With the crooked, you make

yourself seem torturous. Lord, please when I am offended.

Help me remember this. When somebody has wronged me,

help me remember this rule, no matter how bad it's been in your

life. I've never sat in the counseling

session, maybe once where somebody said somebody wants to

try to, somebody wants to try to kill me.

I don't. I don't.

I don't think that's the norm. Right.

Nobody in here has ever had their fatherinlaw chase them

around Chicago and try to kill them, right?

Maybe. Maybe you don't want to say it.

That's OK. Yeah, David could still be

merciful to such a man, and he experienced God's mercy as a

result. God looks at how we treat people

even in their sin, and he considers it.

There's so much more to say, but just Scroll down here in verse

31. Can you imagine?

We're just a. Little bit over.

Half of this Psalm, the song 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. What a statement.

This God, His way is perfect. Remember, this is David

reflecting. This is David pausing and

pondering after all that he's been through now in his old age

and. And you've been here every week.

You know what he's been through in caves.

Betrayed, lied about people, attempted to assassinate him,

family, fractured relationship, all this mess, all this delay.

I mean, it looked like he was about to become king of Israel.

Then there's another delay, and then it comes again.

And then all these problems. And yet in hindsight, he could

confidently say. Oh, his way is perfect.

His way is perfect. Hey, honestly, if I looked at

that, I wouldn't consider that perfection.

I would avoid some of those potholes.

I would fill some of those up. Less ups and downs and more ups.

And yet David by the Spirit says no, no, you don't understand.

The way God has led me was absolutely necessary.

I wouldn't want to. When you're saying it's perfect,

what he's saying is there is no other way I would want to have

it. And usually such a confession

comes at the end of the tunnel. But the Holy Spirit has given it

to us here so that you can say it while you're in the dark.

If it was true for David, it's true for you now.

You don't have to wait to be able to say it.

You could say it right when you're beginning to feel the

pressure, the persecution, the trials, the test, You can say

with a smile with your chest out and your shoulders back.

This God His way is perfect. Bring it on.

The word of the Lord proves true.

He's a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

He comes down here and I'm going to end this with a couple more

thoughts. Just one thing after the next,

talking about what he's done for him.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer.

Verse 34. He set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war. So that my arms can bend.

A bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of

your salvation. I love this phrase.

Your gentleness made me great. The gentleness of God you read

back. I mean gentleness.

Smoke coming out of your nostrils.

Mountain shaking arrows being shot at your enemies.

Gentleness, gentleness for his children, gentleness for his

children. It's another story for those

who. Persist to be his enemies.

You gave a wide place for my steps.

Under me. My feet did not slip.

Verse 40. You equipped me with strength

for the battle. You made Those who rise against

me sink under me verse. 47 The Lord lives.

The Lord lives. He's alive.

And I can prove it to you. Look at my look at the giants.

Look at all the things that he's taken care of.

He's alive. And blessed be my rock, and

exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.

I notice here what he says in verse 50.

For this I will praise you, O Lord, this is so fascinating

among the nations, and sing praises to your name, among the

nations, you would think you would say among the great

congregation. He said that in Psalm 40.

But he's not speaking about his own people, he's speaking about

the neighboring nations. I will sing among them.

You know what he's saying, Lord, how you have worked in my life

has given me the conviction to not make my praise private, to

not shy away when I'm in the presence of the heathen, but to

be willingly. Oh Lord, I even asked for the

opportunity to be among the Gentiles and to be able to sing

your praise, even though I may sing alone.

You know, you and I have opportunities to do that in our

own lives in different ways. Give me some ideas of how you

and I can actually honor God among the nations.

I'm not even looking for, like these magnificent ideas.

Just very simple ways. I have one in mind when you go

out with your family to that restaurant after Sunday service,

when you're out there with your friends.

Some place that you heard about and you're excited to taste.

What can you do there among the nations?

Lord, we thank you for this food and we just want to tell you

that you are the reason why we get to enjoy these beautiful

gifts. All the sights, all the tastes.

This comes from you. We want to pause and give you

glory for it. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen. Amen.

I'll praise you among the nations.

Don't miss those opportunities. I've sat with Christians over

the years. I know they're hungry.

I know the service was long and just.

They just go right into it. You're missing an awesome

opportunity to praise among the nations.

It's subtle, right? And it should be something like

out of like David, his heart wanting to give on, not in a.

Not in a. Legalistic way.

Not in a showy way, in a genuine way.

May the Lord give us wisdom to know how to do that.

But you know what's so fascinating?

Paul quotes this very verse. To make a different point, does

anybody know, because this is found also in Psalm 18, what

text in the New Testament points to this reference?

Any idea, think, any idea? Well, if you don't know, it

starts with the letter R Anybody know now?

The book of romance. Romance, Chapter 15.

I want you to see this with your own eyes and we'll close here.

I'm not surprised that after such a lengthy song for there to

be found a prophecy of some sort.

Romans 15, verse 8. Let's go to verse 8.

Romans 15:8

Paul speaking to these Christians.

You know what's happening with these Christians.

There's division among them because some have the conviction

of certain foods being healthy and holy, and others say, hey,

it doesn't matter, we're free in Christ.

Some people believe some days are holy, others say no.

These days are necessarily to be sacred, and there's divisions,

and that division obviously is somewhat known among the

Gentiles and the. Jews who are in the same church.

And so Paul wants to exhort them.

And he says, for I tell you that Christ became a servant.

To the circumcised, to show God's truthfulness, in order to

confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order

that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.

As it is written, therefore, I will praise.

You among the Gentiles, and sing to your name, and sing to your

name. In David's context, in Second

Samuel 22 and Psalm 18, when he sings, when he says I will sing

to you among the nations, what he's saying is I will

unashamedly testify of you. I will sing in the presence of

the Pagans. I have No Fear, You are worthy.

You've been so good to me. Paul takes that by the Spirit

because he has that authority and he has a different.

Bent on it. He's speaking to this church

that is experiencing division among themselves, namely Jew and

Gentile, and he goes to this verse to say.

Do you realize that in God's mind, hundreds of years ago, he

had it in his heart that you would have Jew and Gentile

singing together? So in David's setting, it's

singing to the nation's. Paul takes that verse by the

Spirit and he says it's not to the Gentiles, it's with the

Gentiles. And he's trying to hammer this

point. God wants you to be unified.

You know, one of the ways that we can proclaim our unity

displayed is when you and I come together and sing.

I ever thought about that? I'm just thinking about it now.

I mean, one of the ways that we express our express our unity as

a nation. We have an anthem, we have these

slogans, we have these chants, we have these phrases.

They, they color, they put some, they put some glue to what it is

that we have as convictions in our hearts.

And when we see this text, what I see here is that God in his

heart did not just have it in mind that we would all

experience forgiveness, that is true.

But through that forgiveness, through that salvation, we would

come together and sing. There is something very ancient

that's happening every time you and I gather here and express

ourselves in worship and praise. Therefore I will praise you

among the Gentiles and sing to your name.

I said I was done, but one more thing.

Go back to chapter 22, verse one.

Do you know where I get my permission to that pastor Daniel

Benna and Philippians, Paul says finally in chapter 3.

And he had much more to say. So when you hear preacher say,

I'm almost done, they're following the steps of the

apostle Paul, all right. And he said, follow me as I

follow Christ. Second Samuel 22, verse one.

And David spoke to the Lord the words of the song when on the

day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his

enemies and from the hand of Saul.

It's amazing how the spirit doesn't put Saul under the

category of enemies. It's fascinating.

But what's interesting, too, is that it says on the day David

was not only not forgetful, not negligent and giving God

heartfelt, mindful gratitude, he saw it with delightful urgency.

Praise, in David's mind, was an absolute priority.

Especially when God has come through in one way or another on

the day. If you want to know one way to

please the heart of God, well, Christ does it for us.

I know positionally that's true. That's wonderful.

We can rest in that. But if you want your life to

bless God, one of the ways you can be assured that this can

happen is by giving him thanks. And with the urgency that you

might have had and pleading with the Lord and petitioning with

the Lord and seeking the Lord when that answer comes, when you

see some sort of relief, you know what blesses him when

you're just as urgent, and giving him glory for it.

I see that with Jesus and Luke 1717 there was 10 lepers.

They were all healed. One came back and Jesus asked in

that verse, where are the others?

Is it only this foreigner who has come back to praise God,

It's a picture of the Gentiles. Yes, I get it, coming to the

fold and the Jews not seeing the mercy of Jesus and who he is.

But there's practical implications only one after what

I've done. And so I see from that text in

Luke 17 that what blesses the Lord is when I intentionally,

when I I shake off all the other things that would try to hinder

me from being grateful. And I say, Lord, thank you,

David. Didn't wait another day.

On that day, what was it? A specific moment?

We don't know. But when the revelation of God's

deliverance from all his enemies fell upon him, what came from

him was what you read here. I want that.

Not just now, at this point of my life.

I want that when I am old and weary, like David was.

Can we ask God to give it to all of us?

He will surely help us. Lord, thank you for this Bible

study. Thank you for the simple nudges

of the simplicity of our faith. Lord, we are aware that there's

so much more that you have to say through this chapter, but

what we heard. Suffices for us to stop and to

apply what we just learned. Thank you, oh Lord.

Thank you for your goodness. We can declare by faith this God

His way is perfect. And Lord, though we may not

fully realize how you will pull us away from all the waters that

seem to be pulling us in, you've reminded us.

That all who call upon him in truth, and all who fear him, you

will hear and you will deliver. Help us love you, fear you,

honor you, Help us believe even now that our cries to you,

whether they are silent or whether they are heard by

others, they they reach your ears.

And when the appointed time comes, you will swiftly come.

Fly in our direction. You will in your mysterious

Providence, raise up Abish eyes and use people that we might

have known for years to extend your grace in our lives.

Help us see when you answer a prayer.

Help us recognize when you come through.

Help us not miss it. God, we thank you for this

family. And we pray that we would honor

you for what you had in mind many, many, many, many years

ago. That people from different

backgrounds, different nations, different tribes and tongues

coming together to sing of a common salvation, To sing the

Lord lives. Or we give you honor tonight.

In Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. Well, shall we do that?

Shall we do that? Shall we fulfill an ancient

prophecy? That the most unlikely people

would come on a Friday night because they actually enjoy

singing to an invisible God, but who is ever present still.

Yes, indeed, the Lord is worthy. Let's do that.