Reading:-2 Samuel 22:1-22
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.
2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour — from violent men you save me. 4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. 8 "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. 10 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. 11 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness his canopy around him — the dark rain clouds of the sky. 13 Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. 14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 15 He shot arrows and scattered [the enemies], bolts of lightning and routed them. 16 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils. 17 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. 20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21 "The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.
Verse:- 20 `....because he delighted in me’.
December, and perhaps a time for reflection, checking back over the year, seeing what has happened and where the time has gone. Weighing things up, good year/bad year.
Be on your guard. Perhaps even when things seem to be going great you will still come to the place in your life when you feel spiritually drained, pulled apart and exhausted and wonder if it is worth going on? If you do, be sure that you are not alone. We go through life as Christians with normal emotions. We sometimes wrongly expect everything to go fine just because we are Christians. Friends when we feel like that we are mistaken and we fall harder. Yet we are special to God, we are his children, he cares for us and although we have to walk through life with all its pitfalls He is there beside us.
David was tired, there had been too many battles but it wasn’t God’s time to take him. - He had such a living relationship with his God, it was one of faith and trust, obedience and LOVE. Out of that came the exploits we read about, even to the time when he stood over the sleeping King Saul and could have killed his hunter. Yet he would not, he wanted the removal of God’s anointed King to be God’s timing. (Total Trust!) It was because of that relationship, at the end of a hard battle that David could sing such a song. 2 Samuel 22:2ff ` "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation". "....he rescued me because he delighted in me".’ (Total trust brought God’s delight)
David clearly was special to God, even though there had been times of total failure, when David let God down badly yet God never let him out of His sight or away from His care and concern.
One of the principles of the Christian life is that we can associate ourselves with the promises made to God’s people even Old Testament promises. The loving care and attention which was lavished on David through his life was based on David’s trust, faith, obedience and love which he had for his heavenly Father. (Such a relationship is always two way). So Christians, why can we use David’s words, `....he delighted in me’, and apply them to our own life?
Why does he delight in us?
1.Because every Christian belongs to him.
The principle of redemption is a clear teaching of the New Testament. That he bought us back, he restored ownership of our lives to himself. We are His and the purchase price was the blood of Jesus and his death on the cross of Calvary. (Acts 20:28) `....Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood’. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) `....You are not your own; you were bought at a price....’ (Ephesians 1:7) `In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace’. 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells us that the redemption we have was not paid for with silver or gold, `but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect’.
How many of us pay good money for something and then never bother with it. Jesus, God’s own son paid the ultimate price we are His!
Why does he delight in us?
2. Because He loves us and cares for us.
The care and concern of God was seen in the very plan of salvation. How easy it would have been to simply start all over again. Yet these sinful people were made in His image, made with a purpose, to have fellowship with God. (Jeremiah 31:3) `..."I have loved you with an everlasting love"...’ (Perhaps the only human comparison is the continued love of child/parent in the face of cruelty etc. - Fred West’s daughter.) Very few things could ever be truly said to be everlasting, certainly in this world of disposable objects. God’s love never changes. (Romans 5:8) `But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’. (1 John 3:1) `How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!’ - Our condition never puts Him off!
Why does he delight in us?
3. Because his life flows through us.
(John 3:5-6) `...No-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit.’
John 7:38 "Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." Jesus explained that he meant the Holy Spirit would flow through them reaching out to a world lost without Christ. Of course God delights in you, for you are an instrument of blessing and life in a desert of hopelessness. Is the river flowing clear and clean from your life? God delights in such life.
Why does God delight in us?
4. Because he is preparing a place for us.
We prepare a place for the bride when we plan to marry. The house is bought or rented and the bottom drawer begins to fill up. We want everything to be ready. Even in cultures totally different to ours preparation is always made.
Jesus left his apostles to prepare the Church, the desire was to present the Church holy and perfect to God. The picture presented to us is of the Bridegroom returning for His bride. (John 3:29) ’The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This joy is mine, and is now complete’. (John 14:3-4) "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
He delights in us because he LOVES us and that
says it all!
