For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, LORD, my strength. (Psalms 18:1)
There is a big lesson in this small introduction to Psalms 18. Even when King Saul was personally trying to murder David (1 Samuel 19:1), notice in Psalm 18:1 that Saul was not listed as his enemy. In fact, King David begins this Psalm by saying, “I love you, Lord, my strength.” David turns his heart to God. How wonderful that is.
King David was pragmatic in his statement that the Lord had delivered him from the hand of Saul. He knew the score with Saul. Still, David didn’t count Saul as an enemy. David was guarded when it came to dealing with Saul because, by God’s command, the prophet Samuel had anointed Saul as the king of Israel and Judah.
Made My Way Blameless
David went on to write in Psalms 18:30-32:
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. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
David could not have said, truthfully, “and made my way blameless” unless he had treated Saul respectfully, even when God had already determined that Saul would lose his throne.
What’s the takeaway from the introduction to Psalms 18? It’s that as followers of Jesus, we need to guard our thoughts. Whether it’s about politics, the refs for the Super Bowl or sister so-and-so’s shoes needing polished, we should be pragmatic but also understand where the line is between our business and God’s business.
Photo by Paweł Furman on Unsplash
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https://rockexcavationservice.org/2019/10/09/show-me-your-scars/