Praise and Thanksgiving for Deliverance

2 Samuel 22:1-25

    1 Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he said: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.

4 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress I called upon the LORD,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.

8 “Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.

9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.

10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.

11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

13 From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.

14 “The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.

15 He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.

16 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the LORD,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

17 “He sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my support.

20 He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

21 “The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.

22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all His judgments were before me;
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also blameless before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.

25 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness in His eyes.

David broke out in a song of praise and thanksgiving for the LORD’s deliverance in this chapter.  This first half begins as a personal conversation with God in jubilant words set to music as was his talent and means of heartfelt expression.  He acknowledged the rock he stood on as the fortress where all victory and deliverance came from; he confessed that it was not his own strength or skill or wisdom leading to the defeat of his enemies, but solely God’s work in and through David.  He trusted in Him for salvation, knowing His worthiness and praising the LORD in all the battles of his life.  He knew that the circumstances were not to be feared because God was for him and protected him when he cried out in prayers of need and reliance.  David acknowledged God’s glory, majesty, and sovereign power.  He praised God for deliverance from enemies too strong, from hate and attacks, from overwhelming floods and ever-present darkness.  Because he trusted and entrusted himself to the LORD, David was delivered from all these things, and continued to keep His word before him that he might live in obedient reliance through all the circumstances.  He did his best to live a holy life by avoiding sin and trusting Him.  That is our example as well, to trust and obey through all life’s circumstances, no matter how difficult or overwhelming.