God-Hearted #33 — To Have Walked With God (2 Samuel 22)

Introduction

• Near the conclusion of his reign, David penned a royal song of thanksgiving, yet it is very personal in nature.
  • His song evidences a man who enjoyed God, who learned about God, who was close with God.
  • David was a man who lived out God’s plans for his life, good and wonderful plans, because he sought the Lord.
  • David to Solomon — 1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV) — 9 …If you seek him, he will be found by you…
  • Today: Five things the person who seeks God can say…

1 God Is My Rock (22:1-4)

1 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day 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 and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

• 1 From the hand of Saul: Timing? After Absalom? Before?
• 2 The LORD is my rock / 3 My God, my rock:
  • Many images used to depict God in this song.
  • But ROCK is most frequent.
    • And many of the other images flow from this one.
      • Stronghold.
      • Fortress.
      • Refuge.
• Why would David think of God as his rock?
  • 1 God was a good hiding place from his enemies.
    • When he ran from Saul.
    • Psalm 32:7 (ESV) — 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
  • 2 God provided shade and rest during the heat of life.
    • Rocks provided shade and rest in the deserts of Israel.
    • Isaiah 43:2 (ESV) — 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
  • 3 God was an immoveable presence in his life.
    • Often, rock and fortress went together when in reference to God, as David mentions here.
    • Of the approximately thirty-five references to fortresses in English Bibles, most are metaphoric pictures of God and his acts of salvation.
    • Jerusalem, the first fortress (2 Samuel 5:6-7).
    • Always there, always trustworthy.
      • Psalm 91:2 (ESV) — 2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”**

2 God Is My Rescuer (22:5-20)

5 “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; 6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

7 “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.

8 “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water. 13 Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth. 14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. 15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them. 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

17 “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. 20 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

• David felt God had rescued him.
  • Goliath and the Philistines, along with Saul and Absalom the major cases, but there were many other times God saved David.
  • His own family.
  • Goliath.
  • The Philistines.
  • Saul, multiple times.
  • Himself: Nabal, his alliance with the Philistines, Bathsheba, .
  • Ish-bosheth
  • Abner
  • Hanun the Ammonite
  • The Edomites
  • Absalom
  • Sheba’s rebellion
• This portion of the song commemorates God’s willingness to fight for David.
  • 5 Waves / Torrents: He uses drowning imagery.
  • 7 In my distress I called upon the LORD: David prayed.
  • 8 God was angry.
  • 9 Smoke and fire went forth.
  • 10-16 Bowed the heavens / Came down / Rode on a cherub and flew / on the wings of the wind / canopy, thick clouds / fire flamed forth / thundered from heaven / uttered his voice / sent out arrows / routed them / the rebuke of the LORD
  • 20 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
• Cross.
• He will rescue you as you walk with him.

3 God’s Way Is Best (22:21-31)

21 “The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside. 24 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 25 And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.

26 “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 27 with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 29 For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. 30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

• David does not mean that he’s earned God’s salvation, or even God’s grace, but that is has been immensely rewarding to have walked with God.
  • He spoke of:
    • 21 The cleanness of his hands
    • 22 How he had kept the ways of the LORD
    • 23 All his rules were before me
    • 23 His statues
    • 24 Blameless
    • 25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness.
    • 25 In his sight
    • 26 Merciful and blameless
    • 27 Purified and crooked
    • 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down
  • He felt God:
    • 29 Was his lamp to lighten his darkness.
    • 30 Enabled him to run against a troop or leap over a wall.
    • 31 His way is perfect; the word the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
• Psalm 119:105 (ESV) — 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
• Psalm 119:130 (ESV) — 130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
• Proverbs 9 The invitation of Wisdom and Folly.
  • Example: an invitation!
  • Wisdom: Proverbs 9:4–6 (ESV) — 4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, 5 “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
  • Folly: Proverbs 9:16–18 (ESV) — 16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
• Examples:
  • Relationships: Cohabitation vs. Covenantal Marriage
    • Genesis 2:24 (ESV) — 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
  • Work: work to play, worship work, work to survive, work under the curse vs. work as worship
    • Colossians 3:23 (ESV) — 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
  • Family: child worship, child neglect, fear, ownership (“my”) vs. trust and stewardship
    • Psalm 127:4 (ESV) — 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.

4 God Empowers Me (22:32-43)

32 “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip; 38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed. 39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet. 40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. 41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them. 42 They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them. 43 I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.

• David felt God had equipped and empowered him.
  • 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
  • 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
  • 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip;
  • 38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them
  • 40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle
  • 40 You made those who rise against me sink under me.
  • 41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me

• He empowers us by his Holy Spirit.

  • John 14:16–17 (ESV) — 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
    • He helps us through various stages of life.
      • Marital stages
      • Parenting stages
      • Aging stages
  • Spiritual gifts:
    • 1 Corinthians 12:11 (ESV) — 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
    • Romans 12:6–8 (ESV) — 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

    • 5 God Lives (22:44-51)

      44 “You delivered me from strife with my people; you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. 45 Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me. 46 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.

      47 “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation, 48 the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me, 49 who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence. 50 “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 51 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.”

• 47 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation…

  • As a young man: 1 Samuel 17:26 (ESV) — 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
  • As an old man: The LORD lives.
    • He had felt and known how God is alive.
    • He had lived by faith, demonstrating through his life that God was alive.
• Will our lives demonstrate God is alive?
  • Steps of obedience.
  • Finances.
  • Hard business decisions.
  • Sabbath.
  • Evangelism.