2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verse 1

 This chapter essentially is the same song as Psalm 18 in terms of the

story it tells. This song of David in a way is his autobiography as it

tells the story of his life and God’s faithfulness. It’s interesting, as you

will see, how accurate it is on the part of God’s faithfulness and how

liberal David is with himself in terms of his own faithfulness.

 This is a good statement about worship, this first verse. First of all,

one of the ways we express praise and worship is that we sing to the

Lord. Singing is a talent reserved only for us, only for humans.

Animals have their own. Birds sing, dogs howl, turkeys gobble, what

does the fox say? HA! Animals have their own song and its not like

ours. Angels worship God saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy…” but it’s

always, “saying” in the Bible.

 Singing, using our voices to make melody, harmony, sometimes a

joyful noise, with coherent words, even the echo of the Word of God,

is reserved and only for us. And when we worship in song, please pay

close attention to the words you are singing because as it says here in

verse 1, (this is worship), that David spoke to the Lord the words of

this song.

 It’s an audience of one. That is worship. Everything else is just

singing. Performance. Something unto self. Worship is so critical and

important in the life of a Christian because it is reserved and only

possible for us and it is speaking song directly to the Lord.

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 2 – 4

 This speaks even of the New Covenant to come as David says here,

“My Savior.” Speaking of war and hardship, yes, but also pointing to

the coming Messiah who will save in the ultimate way. From our

greatest enemy, death and from our greatest hardship which is the

flesh and sin.

 David starts his prayer out, (his song to the Lord), he starts with the

goodness and past faithfulness of God. A good pattern as I typically

launch right into the need I have or in supplication for the need of

someone else. It is good to praise God in who He is, His character and

His faithfulness. It’s in the speaking of the character, faithfulness, and

goodness of God, that David almost reconvinces himself in verse 3,

“The God of my strength, in whom I will trust.”

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 5 – 7

 Waves, floods, sorrows, snares and David becomes distressed as we all

would. And in his distress, he calls upon the Lord. As people, we

don’t necessarily appreciate it when people only reach out to us when

they need something. I want you to know that God is not like that at

all. Not in the least.

 In our distress, even when we’ve put ourselves there, God wants

nothing but for us to call upon Him. We ascribe far too many human

qualities and characteristics to God forgetting that God created human

qualities and characteristics showing that He Himself is far above

them all. God is love.

 Some of these floods of ungodliness were David’s doing. Some of

these waves of death, snares of death, sorrows of Sheol were because

of David’s mistakes and unfaithfulness. Could not matter less to God

Most High. Call upon Him. God hears David’s voice from His temple.

The place of holiness. The Holy Holies of Heaven actually. My sinful,

flesh-filled and flesh-caused call, and yet my cry enters His ears

because He loves me and He loves you with a pure, unconditional,

unrestrained, unmetered and even unmanaged love. All because of

the sufficient work of Jesus Christ.

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 8 – 16

 This word for angry in verse 8 means that He was kindled like a fire.

It’s not angry at David, that’s not the meaning here, it’s like a brush

pile soaked with gasoline the moment the flame hits it. This is the

tenacity of God coming to my aid when I am in distress and calling

upon Him.

 I remember when Madison, my daughter, got into an accident with her

first car. She had made a mistake in traffic and she had caused the

accident. None of that mattered 1% when we got the call. We were in

the car in our sweats in a flash. We got to the scene in seconds and it

was all about her and being there for her. Who cares about the

accident? The car? The mistake? The first and only priority was to get

to her and make sure she was ok. Not just physically but mentally. To

strengthen her, secure her and be there for her… How much more a

perfect and righteous God?

 God’s response spoken of by David shows how David knows God is

with him and for him and how David understands and has received

God’s love, grace and perfection towards him.

 So important to resolve and settle this for yourself! To know, as Paul

said in Ephesians 3:17-19, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts

through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be

able to comprehend with all the saints with is the width and length and

depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;

that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

 Here’s what David tells and this is what his heart knows when he calls

out to God. The earth quakes, God moves the foundations of heaven.

Smoke from His nostrils, fire from His mouth. Heavens bow. Flying

like the wind. Faster than light. Thunder, arrows, lightnings. He dries

the seas for me… Nothing will stop God from rushing to anyone

calling upon Him for whatever reason and in whatever season.

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 17 – 20

 David has had many victories in battle and many victories against

major enemies in his life. Goliath, Saul, Absolom, Ishbi-benob, Saph,

the six fingered man! He defeated the Amalekites, the Moabites,

Hadadezer, king of Zobah… He has used strategy, counsel, humility,

military wisdom…, and yet he sees it for what it’s been and that is to

the credit of God! This is why God delights in him!

 It’s interesting that those that act in faith, faithfully diligent to do all

they are supposed to do which in truth is to do all that they are able to

do, those folks credit God with great victory in their life. Those that

don’t do what they can do in their own lives have a tendency to blame

God for their hardship. It’s interesting like that and almost counter-

intuitive.

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 21 - 25

 Ok, a couple possibilities of what’s going on here. First of all, we all

know that David definitely does not have clean hands! Not only is

there the issue with Bathsheba, he has also had significant family

issues that he caused, but also, recall, he wasn’t permitted to build the

Temple of God because his hands had too much blood on them!

 So, what is he talking about here? “According to the cleanness of my

hands.” “I have kept the ways of the Lord…” Ok, either this is a

situation not unlike us, where we tend to remember the things and

ways in which we are right and forget very conveniently and quickly

the things we have done and the ways about us that are not good…

Which we all do…, it could be that OR…

 OR, this is grace in action. David has called out to God as his

Deliverer, his Refuge, his Help and Savior. And God has answered

him! I see a clear presentation of the gospel in the Old Testament

in David’s confession. That before God, he is clean, because in God,

through repentance, acceptance, accountability and humility, this is

how God sees him! Saved by grace, through faith.

 This is a great and encouraging truth. That Paul said in Romans 6:11,

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but

alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That in Christ and through His

blood, Ephesians 1:7, “We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins,

according to the riches of His grace!” And so, in the sight of God, by

grace through faith, we are justified.

 Just as if I’d never sinned. David gets this. He is STRONG in this.

And this delights the Lord God. That we receive what He has

prepared, pronounced and provided which is the cleansing of our

souls through faith in Him as our Savior and Deliverer. And then this

is our confession. Not of pride. Not unto personal accomplishment.

But in gratitude, steadfastness and confidence…

 My hands are clean. I have kept the ways of the Lord. I am blameless

before Him. I have kept myself from sin… According to MY cleanness

in His eyes. All because of and through and due to Him! I’m so

thankful! I’m so free! This is grace and you need to embrace this fully

through faith! Because it truly does, the Gospel truly does, set you

free! Why…? Look at these next statements…

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 26 – 28

 How you know God, how you see Him, how you have received the

Gospel, how you understand the work of God through Jesus Christ,

will dictate and define your relationship with Him. If you embrace

what He has done for you, grace, love, unconditional reconciliation,

not based on your goodness but His goodness…, that will create in

you a human – divine collaborative and connected spirit of grace and

gratitude.

 Check this out! 2 Peter 1, verses 2-4, “Grace and peace be multiplied

to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine

power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by

which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises,

that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having

escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

 David says that the eyes of God are on the haughty! His focus is to set

them free! Through opportunity, correction, hardship, storms,

whatever it takes… His eyes are on the haughty. Those that are stuck

on self. Self-loathing and yet self-living. Living unto self! That He

may bring them down! Why? Because the way UP is down! Take a

knee. Humble yourself. Fully receive the grace and love of God freely

given to you no matter your own imperfections and darkness

according to His eternal wealth of goodness!!

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 29 – 32

 Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church!” The Bible

testifies that the rock was NOT Peter! That would negate and

contradict the Bible. There is no rock except our God! It is upon

Peter’s confession that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Rock, that the church

not only comes about but thrives. A people that were once heavy with

sin, flesh, negativity, without hope and joy and love…, built on the

Rock of Ages alone, God Himself, Jesus Christ!

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 33 – 35

 Make war against whom? Me! My flesh and the enemy of my soul that

stands accusing me day and night. I have the freedom to agree with his

accusations and therefore disarm him against me! Because I am not

right or well because of my goodness. I am right and well because of

the goodness of God! Grace, through faith! This is my bow and my

shield against the enemy!

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 36 – 43

 Is David speaking about the nations that have risen against him? Of

course! But even more so, his greatest enemies have been guilt, regret,

sadness, loneliness, frustration, bitterness, disappointment, grief,

heartache, remorse, sorry and worry. And it’s those greater enemies

that he has cut off at the neck. How? Only the Gospel of grace!

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 44 – 46

 The over deliverance of the promise of grace. That God fulfills, fills,

overfills and satisfies the needs and problems you know about…, but

even those that you don’t, the foreigners, God works ALL things

together for the good of those who love Him and are called according

to His purposes (implication is YOU have answered)!

2 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 47 – 51

 David says all of this because he is anointed! The Holy Spirit in and

upon Him. Listen…, JUST LIKE YOU if you have received the

Gospel! Don’t feel it, don’t sense it, doesn’t matter… It’s by grace

THROUGH FAITH. You need to receive it today and just RECEIVE

it!