OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 22

2 Samuel 22:1-51

22:1-2 This chapter is special: It is a microscopic lens into David's soul and faith. This prayer explores David's personal and raw journey of faith with God. It is a display of the humility, trust and gratitude which propelled David through life.

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; 

The most miraculous element of trust is that we can only truly employ it when it is difficult to do so. Trust in God is confidence that He is able and willing to make the impossible possible. In the tumultuous midst of uncertainty, David chooses to believe God when He says He loves Him and will continually rescue him from his oppressors. 

My shield and the horn of my salvation,

My stronghold and my refuge;

My Savior, You save me from violence.

David's ability to trust God to shield him resulted in impenetrable refuge. When it seemed there were arrows of malice pointed at David from every angle, he trusted God to block him from each one. David acknowledges the steadfast and tireless presence, effort and love of God in his life. 

4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

David makes a declaration of commitment to God. More than that, he declares his praise of our worthy God. Our God works so hard for our love, He deserves more than we could ever provide but accepts and cherishes what meager scraps we are able to give.

5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,

The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

God was even able to save David from himself. From his worst mistakes, David was healed and instructed back into righteousness. Whether or not we deserve such magnanimity, God pours it out to us. David remembers the fear that confronted him at times in his life; he felt paralyzed by its promise of imminent destruction. But David is amazed throughout his life by each time God picked him up and flew him out of desperation.  

6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

David suffered in diverse ways during his life: he was accused of crimes he did not commit, he was forced out of his home, he was forced into caves, he was made to confront the worst of himself, he had to go against popular opinion, he had to go against societal norms, his family was mistreated on various occasions, he lost his best friend, he was betrayed and betrayed again by his own son... the list is long. But God pulled him out of all distress. God made him strong enough to bear and smart enough to fix what could be changed.

7 In my distress I called upon the Lord,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry entered His ears.

Each time David called out to God, God was receptive. We may not understand the nature of His omnipotent presence or the depth of His compassion, but God offers His whole self to us. He listens and empathizes, plans and resolves. He may not intervene unless we ask Him to, but once we place our burdens in His capable hands, we find that He is deft in dealing with them.

8 “Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

God is indignant on our behalf. He will not allow a righteous children of His to suffer. He feels. He shares our despair and sorrow as well as our laughter and joy. He experiences every emotion we feel with us. 

9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring fire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

The details of our lives matter to Him, profoundly. 

10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down

With darkness under His feet.

11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness canopies around Him,

Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

13 From the brightness before Him

Coals of fire were kindled.

He watches intently on our behalf. He arrives swiftly and boldly on our behalf. The events of our lives, the circumstances of our days, the words that are spoken to us, the thoughts that are directed toward us, the plans that are made about us. He sees everything, even the things that are outside our own line of sight. And all of it matters to Him. All of it can be bent by His will.

14 “The Lord thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice.

15 He sent out arrows and scattered them;

Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.

16 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

The foundations of the world were uncovered,

At the rebuke of the Lord,

At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

And God always chooses to act on our behalf. Not just because we ask Him to but because He truly cares. He arrives and shatters the things and people who torment and threaten us. He does not do so flippantly. He comes roaring to our defense because we are His beloved.

17 “He sent from above, He took me,

He drew me out of many waters.

Just as God pulled David from the sea, so will He scoop each of us out from drowning. Whether the waters are enemies or insecurities or fears, He will rescue us and dry us off. He will provide haven, in heaven and here on earth.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me;

For they were too strong for me.

God knows of our particular weaknesses. He knows when an enemy is more powerful or cunning than we are, and He steps in. We are vulnerable without Him but with Him we are undefeated. Unable to be defeated. David felt extreme insufficiency but he survived it each time because God supplemented what he needed and was missing. 

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the Lord was my support.

No matter how persistent our tormentors, they are never more present than our God is. He dwells within us, around us. And as He surrounds us, His will orchestrates our rescue and our victory. He supports David; He supports us. He is the crutch when we are weak and He is the strong body that lifts us when we are too fatigued by suffering to move.

20 He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

But God does not just rescue. He provides a haven. A new place, a safe place, to recover and to grow. He places us in a spiritual place, where we can experience the brilliance and intensity of His love and healing. And in that place He delights in who we are. He marvels as His child in the safe and private moments of rescue and restoration. He reveals all of the ways He finds us beautiful.

21 “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands

He has recompensed me.

And David learned that the more responsible he became with all that God entrusted him with, the more he received. As long as our hands do the planting and nurturing of righteousness, God provides an abundant harvest. He overfills the basket that is our life with blessing. When we love and maintain the things, people and relationships in our lives, we show God that we are capable of loving more. Of having our life expanded in new directions.

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all His judgments were before me;

And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also blameless before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to my cleanness in His eyes.

David highlights the importance of following God, walking His path of righteousness without straying. So many forces seek to rip us from our bond with Him. There are many snakes in the garden ingratiating themselves to us, speaking of alternates paths. But David reminds us that God's path is the only one worth walking. 

Vengeance does not mollify anger. Money does not ever satisfy greed. Control does not dissipate fear. Vanity does not suffocate insecurity. But the snakes in the garden will cunningly work to convince you otherwise. Contentment comes only from the righteous love and instruction of God.

26 “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

The righteous have the likeness of God; they are sparks of His great fire. A child of God understands his/her Father on a deeply spiritual level. The spiritual energy we create is the spiritual energy we receive; we were made for and born into such a system of natural justice.

27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

The evil discover the other side of the ferocity of God. Our creator who continues to form and bring new blessings into our lives, also has the ability of destruction. The devious and cunning find that He outsmarts them at every turn, obliterating their malicious plans. 

28 You will save the humble people;

But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.

God saves the humble because the humble save the broken and the weak. But the arrogant are pursued by their own negative energy. Self-absorption dissuades a person from being generous; and their ignorance neglects to care for the broken and the weak. Their neglect of the ones God holds so dear causes Him to bring them down, an effort to encourage the humility they so lack. 

29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord;

The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.

Like David, allow God to be the beacon of your life. Like Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12, bring this mantra into the moments of desperation in your life: "Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” Allow His word and will to bring understanding and resolution to chaos and injustice. We do that by following David's example: keeping our faith, our personal line of communication open with God, exploring His word and following His will.

Life presents us with difficult choices and seemingly impossible circumstances and each of them can be confronted by the simplicity of God's work. Be righteous. Be just. Allow God to defend you. Allow God to ensure justice over you. Do not pursue your own vengeance, or indulge your own greed, just continue to work righteously and He will bring your rescue and blessing into fruition. 

30 For by You I can run against a troop;

By my God I can leap over a wall.

31 As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the Lord is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

God's consistent rescue allows David to trust and understand that God truly acts and provides and rescues. David begins to feel unstoppable as long as He is journeying with God. The size and ferocity of the enemy ceases to matter. Nothing is more giant than God's will and ability.  And if we are in a place of fledgling faith, begin to build the strong relationship David has built with God. Little by little, your commitment to Him will reveal His commitment to you.

32 “For who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

Nothing compares to God. God Who is the embodiment of love, light, peace and justice. The manifestation of patience and joy and wisdom. God Who trustworthy without fault. God Who is fierce without weakness. 

David knows that God is the only true safe foundation. Because he lived the same life we are living, he would have been tempted to try other places to land. None of them provided the way that God provides.

33 God is my strength and power,

And He makes my way perfect.

God corrects our errors. Heals our wounds. Reinforces our strength and the force of our efforts. He is our bumper rail, our training wheels, our magic eraser. He cleans up the messes we leave in our wake and makes the path we are walking safe. For we are clumsy children. We throw tantrums and crash into things. We are like toddlers and He chases after us with the love and patience of a new and dedicated Father. To Him, we are endearing, even as we make a mess of trying to walk His righteous path. We are on the path and that is what matters to Him.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

And sets me on my high places.

God is able to instruct us, train us, to be swift and wise as we live in this big and often chaotic world. He teaches and instructs and brings us up to the heights of joy of love. His presence and effort in our lives is dynamic; He moves and provides from and for every angle. 

35 He teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

He prepares us to defend ourselves. We are not helpless in distress. He helps, but He also helps us to defend ourselves. He equips us with the tools we need to be bold and fierce and brave. God is generous with His knowledge. He is generous in using His wisdom and energy to build strength within us. 

36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You enlarged my path under me;

So my feet did not slip.

As He protects us, He is merciful. He makes from for our clumsiness. The harsh wounds of our mistakes are kindly, tenderly healed by Him. He provides new chances and opportunities, wider paths, firm and stable ground. God's salvation provides us endless opportunity to be revived, reborn. We are propelled and protected by His love. His love constantly draws us out of trenches.

38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;

Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

God is thorough and complete. When He uproots evil in our lives, He gets every weed. And David's persistence in faith allowed God to pull up every noxious weed in his life. Because David was committed to righteousness; he did not turn his back in laziness or ignorance or neglect. He was not satisfied until he had uprooted every toxin... and confronting enemies and fears requires depths courage and faith.

39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, 

So that they could not rise;

They have fallen under my feet.

Evil is not able to resume its plans against us. Our relationship with God stifles their efforts, deprives them of their material to do so.

40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies,

So that 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 beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;

I trod them like dirt in the streets,

And I spread them out.

The fears and enemies that loom over us become dust underneath our feet. Patience and trust in faith make it so.

44 “You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people;

You have kept me as the head of the nations.

A people I have not known shall serve me.

45 The foreigners submit to me;

As soon as they hear, they obey me.

46 The foreigners fade away,

And come frightened from their hideouts.

David is astounded by his position as king. A humble boy made into a revered king.  David did not pursue a crown, and it certainly never meant more to him than his relationship with God did. David is amazed by all that his faith in God has provided: more than he knew to dream of, more than he feels he deserves, more than he feels deserving of.

Righteous children of God are leaders because of their absolute submission to peace and justice. God entrusts His children with so much because he knows their souls are compassionate and responsible enough to manage many blessings. God knows that his humble children will never allow arrogance to taint and ruin what is around them.

47 “The Lord lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let God be exalted,

The Rock of my salvation!

Absolute joy bursts from David for the presence of the Lord. Just His existence is enough to spark life back into a soul. Hope into a heart.

48 It is God who avenges me,

And subdues the peoples under me;

49 He delivers me from my enemies.

You also lift me up above those who rise against me;

You have delivered me from the violent man.

50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your name.

Therefore, I will give thanks to You, O, Lord. In this prayer, David has expressed his love of God's nature. David gives his thanks because he is grateful that humanity ended up with a Creator who chooses to be kind and capable. Who chooses to be patient and brave. Who chooses to use His ability for good and against evil. Who chooses to forgive and rescue and restore. (It is awesome that God chooses not to use us for dart practice).

51 “He is the tower of salvation to His king,

And shows mercy to His anointed,

To David and his descendants forevermore.”

 It is David's hope that all souls will join him in praising God, our infinitely beautiful and eternal King.