At the end of last year, YouVersion highlighted the top 10 Bible verses that were shared the most. I found the list interesting and thought that it could be helpful to understand them in their original context. Today we are looking at Psalm 18:2–which according to YouVersion was the tenth-most shared verse in 2013.
The Verse:
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 ESV)
The Context:
We are told at the beginning of Psalm 18 that this is David’s song to the Lord “on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul”.
But there is a difference between this Psalm and David’s song in 2 Samuel 22. In the Psalm the people of God are invited to take up David’s personal song for themselves and sing of God’s provision for them—chiefly through providing the Davidic king.
Psalm 18:1-3 is a summary of the entire Psalm. Because God is our rock we are able to take refuge in him and call upon the Lord in our distress. The Lord ultimately preserves the Davidic king from his enemies.
Can we say the same thing today? Is the Lord still our rock? Can we be assured that we too will be saved from our enemies?
The Meaning:
Building our lives in this world feels like building our lives upon sand. We labor, we sweat, we give our lives to projects, and the whole thing falls apart. Sometimes. At other times we build extravagant things that we treasure for a season—but even still we know that it is built on sand and can be taken from us in a moment.
Psalm 18:2 is precious to us because we are reminded that God is our rock. He is our firm footing. He too is our shield, our fortress, and our deliverer. We feel the presence of enemies on a daily basis and so we are encouraged by a promise that we will be rescued from these enemies.
But should we? Is this Psalm for 21st century Gentile Christians?
Absolutely. We know from Romans 15:9 (among other places) that the New Testament writers see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Davidic kingship—and specifically of Psalm 18. Yahweh was the rock to Jesus. He conquered the enemies of the great Davidic king, through raising him from the dead. Death—our great enemy—has lost its sting. Because we are in Christ we know that the Lord is also our rock. Through Him we will be saved from all of our enemies.
Conclusion:
We may go through situations in which it seems as if we are still on sand. Our way may not prosper for a season. And it may seem as if our enemies are triumphing over us. But such a season does not disprove God’s fulfilling of this Psalm on our behalf.
In fact it is in the midst of such difficult seasons that Psalm 18 ought to be on our lips. We know that through Christ—our Rock—we will eventually triumph.
Let us praise God for His provision and be as David and praise the Lord among the nations.
