2 Samuel 22
As we jump back into 2 Samuel, let’s get our bearings a little. It’s been a month-and-a-half since we looked at the end of 2 Samuel 21.
For sure, there are some who don’t remember what was preached then; others weren’t in church that Sunday. It’s also true that a LOT has happened since that fateful Sunday mid-March.
So let’s jump back in.
2 Samuel records a good chunk of the life of David, the second king of Israel. God’s chosen king. The One from whom Jesus descends.
David has been through a whole mess of stuff in his life.
He was anointed king, but had to wait for several years to assume the throne.
He served King Saul, King Saul became jealous of David’s success, and eventually, Saul sets out to kill David.
David was hunted by Saul, all over the country.
David’s path to the throne is a difficult one. It’s a path riddled with hardship and battles (literal and figurative).
David is faced with rebellion, death threats & more from his family and friends. Out of everyone, David’s son, Absalom, throws the most successful coup attempt.
Absalom ousts his own father, takes his throne, and does his best to kill him.
That pretty much brings us up to 2 Samuel 22.
The life of David makes quite the story. There’s a reason so much space in the Bible is given to the story of David.
1). He’s a real, historical figure. AND 2). his story is inspired for us, God-breathed and instructive.
There is much for us to learn from David, and even more to learn about David’s God through these accounts.
“David’s history could have been narrated as that of a great and powerful king. This chapter, however, points us to the action of a great and powerful God.” -Hertzberg
The point of 1 and 2 Samuel is not about highlighting what an amazing guy David is. 1 and 2 Samuel is meant to make us see the greatness and power of our God.
David himself realizes, right here and many other places besides, that it’s only because the LORD has rescued him over and over and over that David has anything at all.
This song—2 Samuel 22, paralleled by Psalm 18—is a deeply reflective piece.
David is looking back over a long history of salvation, the many times the LORD delivered him from all manner of threats.
Look at verse 1.
2 Samuel 22:1
NIV
1 David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
All David knows how to do…the only thing that comes to David’s mind when thinking about everything he’s been through…the totality of what David possesses here is thankfulness…
All David has is praise.
PRAISE
As we read this first part of 2 Samuel 22 (the first part of David’s song), we’re going to see David’s praise to the LORD.
There are some absolutely breathtaking moments and phrases here.
We need to think about what David is saying. Go ahead and feel what David is saying, feel what he’s singing, what he’s praying.
This is his praise:
READ 2 Samuel 22:2-20.
Each time I read this passage and/or Psalm 18, something new strikes me. A different detail or a phrase I didn’t see fully the previous time hits me in a different way.
It’s a lot to take in. Dale Ralph Davis phrases it like this:
“David’s staccato, machine-gun exuberance arises from his utter inability to stretch his praise to match God’s splendor. David can’t say enough, but he will say much. David will pile up praise in a vain attempt to adequately laud the LORD.”
David can’t help himself. He can’t stop coming up with titles of praise for the LORD: rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, salvation, stronghold, refuge, savior.
One of those words, just one of those titles, would be enough to sing a whole song about.
But David throws them all out at once.
It is an abundance of praise. David is caught up in superlative praise.
Is this excessive? Is this too much?
It can’t possibly be excessive. Excessive praise to the LORD is impossible.
David can’t praise the LORD too much, praise too loudly, praise too excitedly. Isn’t possible.
You will never be guilty of excessive praise. You and I cannot praise the LORD too much or enough.
We should spend the balance of our lives praising the LORD as David did.
All the while realizing that the sum of our lives’ praise and all the praises of eternity will never be more than a drop of water in the ocean of praise the LORD deserves.
There’s no such thing as excessive praise.
Unable to find any satisfactory way to praise the LORD, David piles-up term on top of term. “I’ll just use all of ‘em.”
David’s praise just bursts forth (as it should). He throws out everything he can think of.
This outburst of praise makes sense (for a number of reasons); for one, when you realize what he’s facing:
Enemies (v. 4)
Waves of death and torrents of destruction (v. 5)
Cords of the grave and snares of death (v. 6)
He is in distress and he cries out (v. 7)
For a good chunk of his life, David has known what it is to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. The Philistines, Saul, Absalom, Sheba, and many more have sought to kill David.
At one point in 1 Samuel, David tells his buddy Jonathan: “There is but a step between me and death.”
The LORD has delivered David time and time and time again. At some point, people who didn’t know any better might start thinking this guy has 9 lives or something.
But it’s more than good fortune; it’s the LORD’s preserving grace.
It makes sense then, doesn’t it, David’s praise? In light of everything he has faced, all his enemies, and all his near scrapes with death.
To borrow a phrase: the one who has been delivered from much, praises much.
Abundant praise is in order. Why? Well, for one, God heard David’s voice and listened to his cry (v. 7).
That’s amazing and unreal all on its own. The LORD Yahweh hears and He comes to David’s aid. He comes blazing in, smoke from His nostrils, fire from His mouth.
He rides on cherubim and soars on the wind. Lightning and thunder accompany Him.
The foundation of the earth laid bare before Him. The world shudders at His majesty; the earth shakes.
That’s the picture.
It’s not enough for David to say, “Oh yeah, you know, I think God probably heard me.”
No, David wants us to feel it and see it; wants for us to try and understand how the LORD accomplishes His salvation.
This is the deliverance of God. It’s always more amazing and impressive than it seems on the surface.
Our salvation, our rescue, our deliverance comes at the hand of the God who rides on the clouds. Our salvation is from the LORD who is a consuming fire.
Rich Mullins was right: “There is thunder in His footsteps and lightning in His fists. Our God is an awesome God.”
This God—the LORD Yahweh—inspires praise: His being. His person. Him, all on His own, apart from any benefit to you or me. He HIMSELF is worthy of all praise.
This is LOFTY PRAISE (specifically vv. 8-16). It’s lofty praise, representing a high view of God—the only proper view of God.
(v. 17) This God, the One, True, and Only God reaches down and takes hold of David, draws him out of the deep waters. The LORD rescues David from his enemies.
David has more than his share of enemies, but (v. 19) the LORD was [his] support.
It’s all God’s doing, so all the praise is His.
This isn’t more true for David than it is you or me. Remember this: it’s all God’s doing, so all the praise is His.
Let’s hear and see David’s praise. Better yet, let’s be caught up in it.
Let us find this genuine delight and overflowing joy at what the LORD has done.
We should, like David, be bursting with praise; walking around calling the LORD, “my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior.”
When we rightly understand what the LORD has done for us, we won’t be able to help ourselves.
Praise.
What we read in the next 10-11 verses will maybe strike you as odd.
See if anything here bothers you or confuses you:
READ 2 Samuel 22:21-31.
David moves from praise to:
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Some of this is a little odd. It seems like David is espousing a works-righteousness framework. Right there in verse 21, David claims to be righteous, clean, not guilty, blameless.
David?!? Righteous, blameless, not guilty?
Are we talking about the same David?!?
David, who killed Uriah after sleeping with Uriah’s wife just to clean up the mess he made. That David? Righteous, blameless, not guilty?
That’s absurd on the face of it.
So, let’s work through this. Note that verses 21 and 25 are similar. They kind of frame verses 22-24, telling us what David means by “righteous.”
David argues in verse 22 that he has kept the ways of the LORD and that he is not guilty of turning from my God.
He hasn’t, to his credit, turned his back on the LORD. Neither does David turn away from [the LORD’s] decrees or laws (v. 23).
David isn’t claiming perfection (he surely knows he’s not perfect), but he says he’s wholehearted in his commitment to the LORD.
David isn’t perfect. Ooo doggy, David isn’t perfect.
We know quite a lot about David and can testify to his utter imperfection.
This fella’s just as imperfect as you; he is just as much a sinner as I am.
This isn’t perfection of behavior. This is the perseverance of relationship. David has not turned his back on the LORD; he has NEVER turned his back on the LORD.
Those who follow the LORD, albeit imperfectly, and (v. 30) with the LORD’s help, (v. 29) with the LORD lighting the way, because of the LORD’s faithfulness (v. 26)—those who follow the LORD are shielded by Him (v. 31).
Look at the end of verse 31 again. This is the key: He shields all who take refuge in Him.
David is safe, David is okay, David is just fine.
Why? Because of how good, how righteous David is? No. No, no.
David is safe because the LORD shields him.
David is okay because the LORD shields him.
David is just fine—counted righteous even—because the LORD shields him, because David has taken refuge in the LORD, His rock, His fortress, His deliverer, His salvation.
David can speak of himself as righteous in this one way: he has depended upon the LORD throughout his life, even in trouble.
It matters how you live in your difficulties. Your afflictions and pressures are not excuses for turning away from God or breaking loose from His decrees.
Take refuge in Him. He’ll shield you. He shields all who take refuge in Him.
How do we take refuge in Him?
By hiding ourselves in Christ! Running to Jesus as unworthy sinners (that’s the only way anyone comes to Jesus, by the way).
Running to Jesus and trusting Him to make us new, to wash us white by His blood.
And friends, in Him, hidden in the LORD by faith in His son, Jesus—we are righteous.
Perfectly, positionally righteous in Christ. He is our righteousness.
Take refuge in Him. He will shield you. True for David. True for me. True for you.
David’s praise continues:
READ 2 Samuel 22:32-51.
David continues to celebrate the LORD, His God, because he knows that it’s God who arms him and keeps him secure.
It’s the LORD’s activity. God arms him (v. 33), God makes his feet like a deer’s (v. 34), it’s God who trains him (v. 35), it’s God’s help (v. 36), and God who provides a him a path (v. 37).
Anything/everything David has and has done (vv. 38-39) rests upon the LORD. It’s all done by the LORD’s power.
Because of who the LORD is, David’s kingdom has expanded to include strangers, foreigners—a truly international people.
This is a glimpse of the scope of the LORD’s kingdom.
KINGDOM
David is the LORD’s covenant king over Israel. Surrounding nations now acknowledge David’s authority, so says David in verses 44-45.
A few centuries from this, several generations from David, we know all the kings and all the peoples will bow before and all the nations will serve David’s descendant, Jesus.
This (with David) is just a glimpse of God’s Kingdom to come.
Here for David, the LORD is at work. The LORD is at work, establishing David’s kingdom among the people, because it’s God’s decree that determines and shapes history.
What’s true for David is true for us: God’s kingdom rests on God’s promise.
It didn’t depend upon David any more than it depends upon us. God’s Kingdom will prevail.
It may look like evil is winning. Sometimes, the darkness seems like it might overtake the light. At moments, it appears as if the kingdoms of this world reign supreme.
But we have to remember, like David does, who is helping us and supporting us and working all things toward their appointed end. The LORD is doing all this!
The LORD’s Kingdom is invincible. It’s steadfast and eternal.
We need to remember this. Hang onto this. It helps us when we’re battered and bruised, when we’re hard-pressed and crushed on every side.
We’re able to keep trudging through many dangers, toils, and snares, BECAUSE we know God’s kingdom is invincible and sure.
The Kingdom of God is invincible.
David, like us, is absolutely not invincible. He’s actually, 100% “vincible”.
David isn’t eternal; but Jesus, the Son of David, the One who will sit on David’s throne forever and ever IS eternal.
The LORD lives! This is what David says at the end of his song. Verse 47.
2 Samuel 22:47 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!”
David begins and ends with praise. And why wouldn’t He?!?! It’s the only natural response. It’s our only natural reaction to
WHO the LORD is
WHAT the LORD has done, and
HOW the LORD keeps us, preserves us, and works in us.
Praise is the only thing that makes any sense at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~
We’ve all been through some incredibly difficult stuff in our lives. I don’t think any of us have experienced what David did, or anywhere close to it. But we’ve all been through some stuff. True?
How do we handle it? What do we do?
Our best response to whatever we face is to praise the LORD.
Praise is the only thing that makes any sense at all.
