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Psalms

Chapter 18
{David's Promotion -David's song when God delivered him from Saul}
1a``{Title} To the one who excels . . . to David . . .
servant/slave of Jehovah/God . . .
who communicated with Jehovah/God the words of this psalm
in the day Jehovah/God caused him to be rescued/delivered
from the hands of all his enemies . . . from the hands of Saul.

1b~~I love You, O Jehovah/God . . . my strength
  {Principal of God promoted David to King - If God does not promote
  you you are not promoted - David recognizes the SOURCE of his
  blessings}.

{Note: The psalms often begin 'to the chief musician'. But here, RBT says natsach in the piel stem means to the 'one who excels' meaning David himself. He is not boasting - this is the confidence of David. Instead he is recognizing the fact that he has bible doctrine in his soul. The country is in a mess and David knows he is the man for the job of fixing it all up!}

2~~ Jehovah/God is my rock {meaning stability},
and my fortress
  {meaning military is the means of freedom in any nation},
and my deliverer
  {God promoted David the hard way - and over many years of
  dangers}.

My 'El/God . . . my rock . . . in Whom I take refuge.

My shield . . .
  {David constantly using military analogy for God protecting him},
the horn of my deliverance/salvation . . .

and my strong-hold
  {referring to his new home - a beautiful castle on Mt Zion}.

3~~I call upon Jehovah/God . . . Who is worthy to be praised.

And I am delivered from my enemies.

4~~The cords of death . . . surrounded me.

The torrents of reversionism/Belial/'worthless men' {b@liya`al}
terrified me {referring to the persecution by reversionistic King Saul}.

5~~The cords of Sheol/hell/'the grave' {sh@'owl} surrounded me.

The snares of death confronted me.

6~~In my {David's} distress,
I called upon Jehovah/God
and cried to my 'Elohiym/Godhead for help.

He heard my voice out of His temple {in heaven}.

And my cry for help before Him . . . came into His ears.

7~~Then the earth shook and quaked
  {God is marching ahead of David in everything}.
The foundations of the mountains were trembling.
They were shaking because He was angry/wroth.

8~~Smoke went up out of His nostrils . . .
and fire from His mouth devoured.
Coals were kindled by it.

{Note: This is a description of God's wrath against Saul and Saul's kingdom.}

{Now the Angelic Conflict Side of the Conflict}
9~~He bowed the heavens also and came down . . .
with thick darkness under His feet.

10~~He {God} rode upon a cherub and flew . . .
and he sat upon the wings of the wind.

11~~He made darkness His hiding place . . .
His canopy around Him . . .
darkness of water . . .
thick clouds of the skies.

12~~In the brightness before Him
passed His thick clouds . . .
hail stones and coals of fire.

{Note: All the time David was fighting on earth, God was keeping the fallen angels off his back. Remember through human history, the angelic conflict rages on.}

13~~Jehovah/God also thundered in the heavens
and the Most High uttered His voice . . .
hail stones and coals of fire.

{Now Back to the Human Enemy}
14~~He sent out His arrows and scattered them.
And lightening flashes in abundance
routed/confused/frightened them.

15~~Then the channels of waters appeared
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at Your rebuke, O Jehovah/God . . .
at the blast {n@shamah} of the breath {ruwach} of Your nostrils.

{Note: So God held back both angelic enemy and the human enemy from David.}

16~~He sent from on High . . . and took me.
He drew me out of many waters
  {God's deliverance of David from many jams.}.

17~~He delivered me from my strong enemy . . .
and from those who hated me . . .
for they were too mighty for me
  {referring to King Saul and others jealous of David}.

18~~They confronted me in the day of my calamity
but Jehovah/God was my stay
  {referring to David's own men who blamed him when things turned
  bad for them}.

19~~He brought me forth also into a broad place.
He rescued me . . .because He delighted in me.

20-21~~Jehovah/God rewarded me . . .
according to my 'SuperGrace righteousness' {tsedeq} . . .
according to the cleanness of my hands,
He has recompensed me . . .21~~
for I have kept the Ways of Jehovah/God . . .
and have not wickedly/evilly departed from my 'Elohiym/Godhead.

{Note: Sin is NOT the issue. The 'penalty for all sins' was imputed to Jesus Christ and judged on the cross. We are still disciplined in time for sin - as a Father would punish his son when he did something wrong - but that punishment is for the advancement of the child. The other issue then is 'how do you live your life'? David loved God and His Word. He studied and studied and studied so that his thinking was the closest to divine viewpoint of any human of his day and maybe any day ('David is a man after the heart/thinking of God). So, in order to be able to Walk in the Righteous Ways of God, you have to study to KNOW God's Ways (instead of what you as a human 'think' are God's Ways). So, David learned Divine Viewpoint and applied it to his experiences in life. Then he understood what were not 'divine Ways' and therefore are 'evil ways' and avoided those (not that David did not fail - we all fail - but he took his discipline and rebounded his sins and endured the divine discipline - and always remained faithful to the Lord!}

22~~For all His ordinances were before me,
and I did not put away His statutes/'principals of doctrine' from me.

23~~I was also blameless/upright with Him,
and I kept myself from my evil
  {again sin is not the issue, evil is the issue}.

{Note: An example of evil would have been to kill Saul in the cave. It was up to God to dispose of Saul and then David knew he would be king. It would have been evil for David to kill God's anointed king of Israel.}

24~~Therefore Jehovah/God has recompensed me
according to my 'SuperGrace righteousness' . . .
according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

25~~With the kind/merciful {chaciyd} . . .
You do show Yourself kind/merciful {chaciyd}.
With the blameless/'upright man' . . .
You do show Yourself blameless/upright.

26~~ With the pure {barar} . . .
You do show Yourself pure {barar}.
And With the crooked {`iqqesh} . . .
You do show Yourself astute {pathal}.

{Note: David said, 'I played it straight with You Lord, and You promoted me to king. But the last phrase was for God's dealings with King Saul.}

27~~ For You do deliver an afflicted people.

But the arrogant eyes . . . You do despise
  {arrogance - true arrogance - was the first sin of Satan and one of
  the greatest sins}.

28~~Therefore You have 'lit my lamp'
  {referring to his promotion to King}.
Jehovah/God my 'Elohiym/Godhead has illuminated my darkness.

29~~For, by You, I could run upon a troop.

And, by means of my 'Elohiym/Godhead . . . I could leap over a wall
  {referring to combat experience}.

30~~As for 'El/God , His Way is blameless.

The Word of Jehovah/God is tested
  {it is the 'divine viewpoint' of the Word that was metabolized into
  David's soul that was tested}.

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

31~~For Who . . . {is} 'Elowahh/God . . . except Jehovah/God?

Or Who . . . {is} a rock . . . except our 'Elohiym/Godhead?

32~~It is 'El /God Who girds me with strength
  {girding is used in the sense of putting on armor - this is in effect
  'putting on the armor of God'}.

And makes my Way blameless {tamiym}
  {WHEN David applies the doctrine in his soul to experience - his
  Ways are blameless}.

33~~He makes my feet like doe's/hinds' feet {David is a fast runner}.

And sets me upon my high places.

34~~He trains my hands to battle.
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze
  {David stuck to his profession of the military and did it well - 'as
  unto the Lord'}.

35~~You have also given me the shield of your deliverance.
Your right hand upholds me.

And Your graciousness {`anvah} has made me great
  {`anvah - can mean gentleness or humility - but here it is the
  graciousness of God}.

36~~You have enlarged my steps under me {promotion}.
And, my feet have not slipped.

37~~I have pursued my enemies and overtook them.
And, I did not turn back until they were destroyed
  {the order of 'a time for war' is unconditional surrender - the
  compete defeat of the enemy - that is divine viewpoint in
  wartime}.

38~~ I shattered them so that they were not able to rise.
They fell under my feet.

39~~For You have girded me with power/strength for battle.

You have subdued under me, those who rose up against me
  {part of David's promotion was the destruction of the plotters
  against him}.

40~~You have also made my enemies turn their backs on me
  {they were running in retreat}.

And, I have destroyed those who are antagonistic towards me.

41~~They cried for help, but there was no one to deliver them.

They cried to Jehovah/God, but He did not answer them
  {many believers in reversionism pray to God for deliverance when it
  is too late. Saul was a believer but because of the mental
  attitude sin of jealousy, he envied and hated David ('Saul has
  killed his thousands - David his ten thousands' grated at him).
  Also Saul's great son Jonathan was a great believer but he
  associated himself with his father instead of David and died in
  battle with his reversionistic father - there is grace by association
  and discipline by association also.}.

42~~Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind.
I emptied them out . . . as the mud/dirt in the streets.

43~~You have delivered me from the contentious type people
  {from those with mental attitude sins - bitchy, nagging, subjective,
  on and on}.

You have placed me as the head of the nations
  {here Judah and the Northern Kingdom}.

A people whom I have not known, serve me
  {referring to the Ammonites, the Syrians, the Philistines}.

44~~As soon as they hear, they obey me.
Foreigners submit themselves unto me
  {one of David's greatest regiments was made up of foreign soldiers
  - Philistines}.

45~~Foreigners fade away . . .
and come trembling out of their fortresses
 {referring to the Edomites, Ammonites, and Syrians}.

{Verses 46-50: Conclusion}
46~~Jehovah/God lives
  {David's was of expressing his Occupation with God/the Lord}. . .

and blessed be my Rock
  {refers to that rock fortress of Zion -
  David is saying he is blessed in his circumstances and
  also may be prophetical to the Rock of Ages - Jesus Christ}.

And exalted be the 'Elohiym/Godhead of my salvation/deliverance
  {again can be a double meaning - God delivered David from Saul
  and the work of Jesus Christ was David's salvations as for all
  humanity}.

{Principal of Placing Revenge in God's Hands}
47-48~~The 'E l/God Who executes vengeance for me
  {concept of impersonal love - David did not seek vengeance himself
  against his internal and external enemies} . . .

and subdues peoples under me {David} . . . 48~~

He {God} delivers me from my enemies.

Surely, You promote me above those who rise up against me.

You have rescued me from the violent man.

49~~Therefore I {David} will give thanks unto You,
among the nations/heathen/gentiles, O Jehovah/God
  {David has gentiles on his army staff - he has a Greek bodyguard}.

I will sing praises unto Your Person/Name.

{Note: This was quoted by Paul in Romans 15:9.}

{Note: When David says he gives thanks, he means he wanted to build God a temple. See II Samuel.}

50~~He gives great deliverance to His king {to David}.
He shows grace {checed}
to the one who has been commissioned/anointed . . .
to David and to his seed/descendents . . . forevermore.