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SERIES:
Psalms

Psalm 18:1-30

This sermon is part of an ongoing series on the Psalms.

August 18, 2019
|
Psalm 18:1-30
preached by

Sermon text

Psalm 18:1-30

¹ I love you, O LORD, my strength.
² The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³ I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴ The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
⁵ the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

⁷Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
¹² Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

¹³ The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴ And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶ He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²³ I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
²⁴ So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁶ with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
²⁷ For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
²⁸ For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
²⁹ For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ 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.

Applying the text

  1. How would you describe David's response to God in verses 1-3? In what ways can you identify with his response?
  2. What attributes of God does David celebrate in the first 30 verses of this Psalm?
  3. What is the connection between David's theology and his confidence seen in verses 29-30? How can the truth of who God is give you greater confidence and joy?
By
By

Jon is the lead pastor and founding pastor of Coram Deo Church. He and his wife live in Bremerton with their three kids. He loves spending time with his family and riding motorcycles.

Coram Deo Church is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Tags

Sermon text

Psalm 18:1-30

¹ I love you, O LORD, my strength.
² The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³ I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴ The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
⁵ the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

⁷Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
¹² Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

¹³ The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴ And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶ He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²³ I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
²⁴ So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁶ with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
²⁷ For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
²⁸ For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
²⁹ For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ 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.

Applying the text

  1. How would you describe David's response to God in verses 1-3? In what ways can you identify with his response?
  2. What attributes of God does David celebrate in the first 30 verses of this Psalm?
  3. What is the connection between David's theology and his confidence seen in verses 29-30? How can the truth of who God is give you greater confidence and joy?

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