Sermon Central
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Psalm 18 - Great Praise From A Place Of Great Victory Series
Contributed by John Lowe on Nov 6, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: Psalm 18 consists of a series of triumphant thanksgivings to God, with which the writer connects a highly figurative account of his deliverance from danger, an assertion of his own uprightness, and a description of the victories he has won by God's assistance . . .
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
(v. 46) The LORD liveth contrasts Him with idols: “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). David acknowledged the living God and promised to praise Him (v. 49). Proof that the Lord is alive is that He had rescued David from his enemies.
(v. 46) And blessed be my rock. As his Rock (vv. 2, 31) God was his source of safety and security.
47 It is God that avengeth me implies that his cause is espoused by God as His own, and therefore, there is no vindictiveness; it is a declaration that God and not man had asserted the rightness of David’s cause.
(v. 48) Thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me. David said that God lifted him up to honors and safety.
(v. 48) Thou hast delivered me from the violent man. I believe the violent man is Satan.
(v. 49) Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. Paul quoted verse 49 in Romans 15:9, “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.” In Romans 15:10-11{6], the Jews and Gentiles rejoice together—the result of Paul’s ministry to the gentiles—and then Romans 15:12{7] announces Jesus Christ reigning over both Jews and Gentiles—“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). This verse conveys a promise by David that he will utilize his dominion over many nations to spread abroad the praise of God.
(v. 50) Great deliverance giveth he to his king. The Lord had given His king great victories, and He would also give victories to David’s descendents (his seed). But those victories would be only a foretaste of Christ’s victory over all the nations of the earth—“Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Acts 2:8).
(v. 50) And sheweth mercy to his anointed. David affirmed that the Lord had shown His loyal love (unfailing kindness) to His anointed servant. This concluding verse is another royal Messianic affirmation of the Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel 7.
(v. 50) And sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. The Psalm ends with David exalting the Lord for His covenant to Him and to his descendents (See 2 Samuel 7). Little children often use their own names when they ask for something (“Please give Tommy a cookie”), and David used his own name here, just like a little child, as he did also in 2 Samuel 7:20—“And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.” David used the term “for evermore,” so he must have realized that it would be through the promised Messiah that the kingdom promises would be fulfilled. “And He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). All honor and praise is due unto the Triune God alone.