Psalm 18
This Psalm is almost word for word 2 Samuel 22, and in this way is proof and illustration of an important principle in all the Psalms,—that the Holy Spirit used the circumstance or circumstances of the writer in order to bring out, through him, much more of God's purposes, and the circumstances in which Christ, or the believers among the Jews in that day which is now at hand, should be found.
It is plain that the language of the Psalm goes far beyond the experiences of David up to the time he wrote, or thereafter. It tells of the far larger order of things of which Christ only is the center.
Psalm 18, as the Psalms in general, begins with a few verses which tell its 'subject, or thesis; this we have in verses 1, 2 and 3.
Verse 4 begins the account of Christ's entering into the sorrows of death, particularly as for the children of Israel. In fact it is the whole history of Israel that is remembered in the Psalm, when, or rather looking on to when, the day of their deliverance has come. Christ suffering for sin is not referred to here.
Verses 7 to 16 are believed to speak of the deliverance under Moses of Israel from Egypt, and 17 and 18 of enemies encountered on the way to the promised land.
But there is something else, which we have observed in earlier Psalms, notably the 17th,—the righteousness in which God delights, which was found in perfection only in Jesus, but through grace marks the feeble company of Israelites for whom these Psalms were written. This is the theme of verses 20 to 26. In verse 23, the true sense, it is thought, is,
"I kept myself from the iniquity which lay before Me in this path in which I had to walk."
The expression does not refer to a sinful nature, which Christ never had, though all of us have it, and if we are His own. we have a new, spiritual nature too.
In verses 27 to 45 we are considering power, the power of God, coming in on behalf of the weak believers. At the beginning of the Psalm, Christ had taken the sorrow, then the remnant are seen to be delivered (Himself not separated from them in interest and association), so when the day of power comes, He must take the power in His own person, too.
Verse 43, it will be noted, brings in three classes:
"The people,"—Christ (the Messiah) is delivered from the ungodly Jews;
"The heathen" (or, the nations),—He is made their head; and,
"A people I knew not,"—those who have been strangers hitherto, shall serve Him, become now a people to Him. They will submit at once, acknowledging Him so long despised, whose glory will now be displayed.
This applies even to some not sincere at all, for none will dare to disobey, when He takes His great power and reigns. If they sin openly, they will be punished during His reign.
Verses 46-50 bring us to that with which the Psalm began, its conclusion. Suffering or victorious. Christ is seen as the dependent man, on earth.
It has been remarked by one now with the Lord, that nothing can be more beautiful, more perfect and complete, than the three Psalms, 16, 17 and 18, which combine to give us the joy of Christ in going to His Father. (See John 14).
Messages of God’s Love 5/11/1930