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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 2 Samuel chapter 22. 2 Samuel 22. Remember these latter chapters, 
chapters 21 to 24, are sort of a final assessment of David's 
reign as the king over Israel. And 2 Samuel 22 specifically 
is a psalm of David. It's his response to God's faithfulness 
in his life. It's similar Very similar, parallel 
to what Psalm 18 is. Most likely David sang this or 
a version of it and recited it and rehearsed it throughout his 
life. He does here at the end of his life, and then the version 
in Psalm 18 is probably that which he prepared for the chief 
musician in order for the church to have it to sing and to praise 
and to worship God with. As I said, it's similar, parallel, 
exactly, but there are some word differences, word changes and 
whatnot. But 2 Samuel 22, it's a long 
chapter. I did want to try and sketch 
it all tonight. We won't go over every jot and 
tittle, but hopefully just get the major emphases. But beginning in verse 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. And he said, the Lord is my rock 
and my fortress and my deliverer, the God of my strength and whom 
I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold 
and my refuge, my Savior. My Savior, you save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord who 
is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies. When the waves of death surrounded 
me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of 
Sheol surrounded me. The snares of death confronted 
me. 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. Then the earth shook and trembled. 
The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because He was 
angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils 
and devouring fire from His mouth. Coals were kindled by it. He 
bowed the heavens also and came down. With darkness under His 
feet, He rode upon a cherub and flew, and He was seen upon the 
wings of the wind. He made darkness canopies around 
Him, dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness 
before Him, coals of fire were kindled. The Lord thundered from 
heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice. He sent out arrows 
and scattered them, lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. 
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. He sent from above, He took me, 
He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong 
enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for 
me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord 
was my support. He also brought me out into a 
broad place. He delivered me because He delighted 
in me. The Lord rewarded me according 
to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands, 
He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the 
Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments 
were before me, and as for His statutes, I did not depart from 
them. I was also blameless before Him, 
and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore, the Lord has recompensed 
me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in 
His eyes. With the merciful, you will show yourself merciful. 
With a blameless man, you will show yourself blameless. With 
the pure, you will show yourself pure. And with the devious, you 
will show yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people, 
but your eyes are on the haughty that you may bring them down. For you are my lamp, O Lord. 
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness. For by you I can run against 
a troop. By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord is proven. 
He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God except 
the Lord, and who is a rock except our God? God is my strength and 
power, and He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet 
of deer. He sets me on high places. He 
teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow 
of bronze. You have also given me the shield 
of your salvation. Your gentleness has made me great. 
You enlarged my path under me so my feet did not slip. I have 
pursued my enemies and destroyed them. Neither did I turn back 
again till they were destroyed. And I have destroyed them and 
wounded them so that they could not rise. They have fallen under 
my feet. for you have armed me with strength 
for the battle. You have subdued under me those 
who rose against me. You have also given me the necks 
of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me. They looked, 
but there was none to save, even to the Lord, but he did not answer 
them. Then I beat them as fine as the 
dust of the earth. I trod them like dirt in the 
streets, and I spread them out. You have also delivered me from 
the strivings of my people. You have kept me as the head 
of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. The 
foreigners submit to me. As soon as they hear, they obey 
me. The foreigners fade away and come frightened from their 
hideouts. The Lord lives. Blessed be my rock. Let God be 
exalted, the rock of my salvation. It is God who avenges me and 
subdues the peoples under me. He delivers me from my enemies. 
You also lift me up above those who rise against me. You have 
delivered me from the violent man. Therefore, I will give thanks 
to you, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name. 
He is the tower of salvation to his king, and shows mercy 
to his anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore. 
Amen. Well, as I said, this is essentially 
Psalm 18, and in many respects, it's a theological assessment 
of David's life. In other words, as we review 
the life of David, we've come about to the end of that review. 
We see providence working in his favor. We see God orchestrating 
events to turn out for the best in the life of David. Obviously 
not in every jot and tittle, but in terms of him as a victorious 
king, God in his providence has overruled and has caused that 
to come to pass. And if you were to survey the 
life of David from, say, a humanistic vantage point, you might conclude 
that David was, in fact, a great king. He was a strong military 
strategist. He had an ability with war. knew 
how to command troops. We saw last week that his troops 
loved him. They didn't want him to go out 
to battle with the Philistines at the thought that he might 
die. But that would be wrong, and David wants to make sure 
that nobody surveys his life and ends with that particular 
conclusion. David is the man that David is 
because of God. In other words, 2 Samuel 22, 
David gives the glory, the praise, the honor, and the adoration 
to God for the victories that David has achieved. He doesn't 
say, I'm a great king, I'm an awesome king, I'm like other 
kings, but better. No, he says, I serve the living 
and the true God, and it's that God who has trained my hand for 
war. It is that God who has brought me through every trial, through 
every difficulty, through every hardship, through every danger 
and snare. And it's that God to who we ascribe 
praise to. So as we look at this particular 
psalm, we ought to notice at least three things. We'll probably 
notice a few more on the way, but in the first place, the deliverance 
of God's servant in verses 1 to 20. Secondly, the faithfulness 
of God's servant in verses 21 to 31. And then thirdly, the 
invincibility of God's kingdom in verses 32 to 51. I do commend Ralph Davis' commentary 
on this particular chapter. It was excellent. Those who have 
it, you'll benefit greatly by reading it. You'll probably note 
some dependence in my exposition tonight upon that very commentary. 
But I want us to first notice the deliverance of God's servant. 
And there's three things we ought to see here. First, the occasion 
of praise. Secondly, the ascription of praise. 
And thirdly, the reason for praise. Note the occasion in verse 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. This does summarize all 
that we've seen since 1 Samuel 16. Remember, when the Spirit 
comes upon David, then great trouble comes upon David as well. His immediate foe is Saul. Then he has to face Philistines. 
And then as he assumes the kingdom, he's got problems within, he's 
got problems without. And so this is his musing upon 
that, and he wants to give glory to God Most High. He 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. Vanoi says that 2 Samuel 22 is 
a strong affirmation by David, as Israel's anointed king, that 
he continued to recognize Yahweh as his and Israel's ultimate 
sovereign. Again, he doesn't want us to 
have the perception that he did this in and of himself. He gives 
the praise and the glory to whom it is due. Another commentator 
says, David's history could have been narrated as that of a great 
and powerful king. This chapter, however, is concerned 
that it should be understood as the action of a great and 
powerful God. That's what's conspicuous in 
2 Samuel 22. All that we have seen up to this 
point, the glory goes to God Most High. And as well, he refers 
to the fact that he has had many enemies. He was delivered from 
the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. Matthew 
Henry comments, it has often been the lot of God's people 
to have many enemies and to be in imminent danger of falling 
into their hands. I love what he says here, David 
was a man after God's heart, but not after men's heart. He 
says, many were those that hated Him and sought His ruin. I think 
there's a good lesson for us here. We ought to realize and 
recognize that if troubles, difficulties, trials, and hardships befell 
God's man that sat upon the throne in Israel, we ought to assume 
that the same sorts of things are going to happen to us. Now, 
we're not going to face Goliath, and we're not going to be on 
the run from Saul, we're not going to have to deal with Philistines, 
we're not going to have to deal with the various things that 
are particular to David's life, but the reality is that adversity 
does come upon God's people. And we ought to learn from Psalms 
like these that when we find deliverance by the grace of God, 
we rehearse His praise, we bring glory and honor to Him, we celebrate 
the reality that our deliverance has been from the Lord. Now note 
the ascription of praise in verses 2 to 4. He just stacks it up. There's an exuberance here. There's 
a zeal here. He's fired up. He's not just 
complacent when it comes to rehearsing the goodness and the kindness 
of his God. He says, the Lord is my rock 
and my fortress and my deliverer. Kyle and Dalich comment on the 
reality that God is both rock and fortress. Now, when the Bible 
refers to Him as rock, it means that there is a steadiness about 
Him. There is an unchangingness. There is an immutability. There 
is a rock-solid character concerning God. But those terms, rock and 
fortress, Kyle and Dalich write, the two epithets are borrowed 
from the natural character of Palestine, where steep and almost 
inaccessible rocks afford protection to the fugitive, as David had 
often found at the time when Saul was pursuing him. Don't 
we understand that? David was on the run. He found 
refuge among the rocks. He hid in the caves. They continue, 
but whilst David took refuge in rocks, he placed his hopes 
of safety not in their inaccessible character, but in God the Lord, 
the eternal spiritual rock whom he could see in the earthly rock, 
so that he called him his true fortress. So he extols God by 
highlighting the fact that he is my rock, my fortress, and 
my deliverer. He continues, he says, the God 
of my strength and whom I will trust. And as I've said, he's 
tried and he's proven as God. He knows that God is his strength, 
because as David has cried out to the Lord, the Lord God has 
vindicated him. He has indeed proven his God. And that then serves as the reason 
for him to say, in whom I will trust. That's one of the blessings 
of faith. The more we believe God, the 
more we trust God, the more God comes to our aid and our rescue, 
it strengthens our faith, it increases it. The way a muscle 
grows stronger under constant stress and repair and rest and 
all those sorts of things. He says, the God of my strength 
and whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation. 
God displays or reveals Himself to Abraham in Genesis 15.1 as 
His shield, His exceedingly great reward. This whole idea of the 
horn of my salvation that you see very often times in the Psalter. The horn refers to, or the idiom 
is drawn from the goring horn of a charging ram or a bull. 
It bespeaks the strength and the power of Almighty God. My 
shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, 
my Savior, you save me from violence. So you see, right off the bat, 
he rehearses in brief compass all the reasons why, all the 
goodness of God. that he will now substantiate 
or confirm as he moves through the rest of the psalm. And after 
having made these statements, he then affirms in verse 4, I 
will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall 
I be saved from my enemies. Learn this from David. If indeed 
God has proven to be our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, 
our strength, the shield and horn of our salvation, our stronghold 
and refuge, our Savior, we ought to learn from David that we will 
call upon Him and we ought to acknowledge that He is worthy 
to be praised. Now, we don't add to God when 
we praise Him. We don't add to God or increase 
His blessedness when we ascribe blessedness to Him. We are simply 
affirming, highlighting, and confirming what He already possesses. It's an act of recognition on 
the part of the creature to see what God's all about and to ascribe 
praise and honor and glory to Him. And that's the thrust of 
David's psalm in this instance. Now note the reason for praise 
in verses 5 to 20. And this comes in the context 
of his desperate condition. Notice the desperation of his 
condition in verses 5 to 7. He describes it in verse 5, for, 
we might translate the word when as for, this kind of gives the 
reason. God is these things for I was 
in this desperate condition and he vindicated me, he delivered 
me, he came to my aid or rescue. For the waves of death surrounded 
me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid, the sorrows of 
Sheol surrounded me, the snares of death confronted me. So the 
description of his trials are summarized here. And he uses 
very vivid and very poetic language throughout this particular psalm. 
That's to the benefit of not only the act of praising and 
honoring God, it helps us to elucidate and draw out and multiply 
the reasons why God is to be praised, but it's for us as well. 
We are to enter into the poem. We are to enter into the poetry 
of this psalmist, and we are to take it as our own, and we're 
to praise God for it. The waves of death surrounded 
him. He says as much to Jonathan in 1 Samuel 23. The floods of 
ungodliness made him afraid. The sorrows of Sheol, probably 
the grave, that's what Sheol represents here, surrounded me 
and the snares of death confronted me. So all of that befell David. All of that came upon David. 
Again, since 1 Samuel 16, we have traced it. We have watched, 
we have seen, we have viewed, we have understood all these 
particulars. This is a short summary statement 
that encapsulates all those trials that he faced, not only from 
Saul, but from all the rest of his enemies. Now note the remedy 
that he engages in when he had these things. Verse 7, he says, 
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. Good lesson for us. When these 
things come upon us, when verses 5 and 6 become our reality, when 
the waves of death surround us, when the floods of ungodliness 
make us afraid, instead of panic, instead of running, instead of 
departing, instead of saying, forget it, I can't bear up, I 
can't handle it, I can't go on anymore. Note what David's remedy 
was in verse 7, in my distress I called upon the Lord. This 
is the answer to God's people throughout the history of the 
ages. We need in our distress to call 
upon the Lord. Doesn't Peter tell us in 1 Peter 
chapter 5, we're to cast our burdens upon the Lord because 
He cares for us. I think so often as believers, 
as Christians, we find ourselves in distress, and we go try and 
find the latest book that deals with that particular situation. 
There's nothing wrong with reading good books that deal with particular 
situations. But in our distress, we ought 
to call upon the Lord. In our distress, we ought to 
cry out to our God. We have the confidence that He 
hears. He heard my voice from His temple, 
and my cry entered His ears. Davis comments here, he says, 
his distress went far beyond facing gallbladder surgery or 
replacing a defunct automatic transmission. Death daily dogged 
his tracks. He was the most wanted man on 
Saul's hit list. One might escape once or twice, 
but what are the ordinary chances of salvaging your skin when the 
king stays on a concerted, relentless campaign to make Sheol your new 
address? But Yahweh had done it. And as 
the one who's forgiven much loves much, Luke 7, 47, so the one 
who has been delivered from much praises much. You see, that's 
why David does what he does in verses 2 and 3. He highlights 
the attributes of God because he has seen those things displayed 
in the deliverance of David from certain death time and time again. This is a lesson we ought to 
call from the psalm. In our distress, we are to call 
upon God, we are to cry out to Him and trust that He will hear, 
and trust that He will answer, and trust that in His providence 
He will indeed do what Paul says in Romans 8, 28. He causes all 
things to work for good, to those who love him, to those who are 
the called according to his purpose." Now, it's not always going to 
look like that. It's not always going to be rosy. It's not all 
going to be those things that are most pleasant to us. Think 
only of Paul. God told him he would preach 
to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Well, how 
does he get to Rome? He doesn't get there on a luxury 
liner. He doesn't get there sipping 
iced tea on the deck of some beautiful ship. He gets there 
as a criminal. He gets there having been arrested, 
transported with other criminals to get to Rome. But got there 
he did, and preached the gospel he would. So the Lord God does 
accomplish His purposes for His people, and He has promised, 
Romans 8.28, that all things will work for good to those who 
love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
Now note the manner of God's deliverance in verses 8 to 16. Essentially what David does here 
is what's done often in the Psalms. He uses anthropomorphisms. In other words, he gives us these 
metaphors, or he gives us this analogy, or he gives us something 
that we can sink our physical teeth in. Note specifically what 
we read, say for instance in verse 9. Smoke went up from his 
nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth. Again, verse 16, at 
the blast of the breath of his nostrils. Now, God is spirit. 
Jesus teaches us that in John 4.24. Our confession affirms 
that God is without body, without parts, and without passions. 
But the biblical writers at times apply or use what's called an 
anthropomorphism. That means they ascribe to God 
physical body parts to teach us something concerning God. 
And the writer does that here. You see this convention employed 
again throughout scripture. It is to speak in the manner 
of man to communicate to us truth concerning God in a way that 
is easy for us to grasp. As well, what the author does 
in verses 8 to 16 is he goes back to the exodus. He highlights 
God when he comes down to Sinai, when there's thunder and lightning 
and all of that glorious display of the Lord. So essentially, 
that's what's happening here in verses 8 to 16. Again, Davis. 
comments that Yahweh both hears, verse 7, and He calms, verses 
8 to 16. And when He calms, it is as if 
Sinai happens all over again. Yahweh is irate that His servant 
stands in such affliction, and so comes in blazing anger, shuddering 
majesty, and world-convulsing power to rescue him. So you see, 
when we read in the life of David, or when we survey from 1 Samuel 
16 up to this point, we don't really notice those earthquakes 
or heaven quaking, we don't see smoke coming out from the nostrils 
of God, we don't see the heavens bowed, we don't see Him riding 
upon a cherub, literally. But what David says is that through 
historical circumstances, through providence, when God comes to 
confound His enemies, this is what's taking place. We'll see 
a similar convention when we return to our studies in the 
Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. When Jesus speaks about the sun 
falling and the moon falling and the stars turning and the 
blood, all those sorts of things, that's biblical language to display 
for us or to highlight for us the manifestation of God. through 
His revealed Word, coming in power and in great glory. There's 
convention employed. There is imagery used to display 
for us or to teach us what it means that God comes to vindicate 
His servant, to come and to deliver David. So that's the convention 
employed in verses 8 to 16. It is anthropomorphic in nature, 
the ascription of human anatomy, nostrils and mouth and breath 
and all those things to God. God is spirit, he does not have 
a body like man, the children's version of the Shorter Catechism 
teaches. But this language is employed 
for us as creatures so that he can describe for us our God in 
his majesty and in his excellence and in his glory. And as well, 
one of the reasons why this convention is used, he could have just said, 
he delivered me. But doesn't this rouse us in 
a contemplation of our holy God when we see what's behind the 
scenes? And in many respects, what we 
have here in 2 Samuel 22 is not David the king, it's not even 
David the psalmist, it's not David the historian, it's not 
even David the believer, but I suspect that we're dealing 
with David the theologian. We're dealing with David, the 
doctor of divinity. We're dealing with one who knows 
God intimately and who is describing God for us so that we may join 
ranks with David and praise this great and glorious God. This 
majestic language, this glorious language is ascribed to God so 
that it elicits from the reader this sort of hand-waving fist 
in the air, praise to God for His coming and judgment. The 
earth shook and trembled, the foundations of heaven quaked 
and were shaken, because He was angry. Brethren, this is your 
God, this is the way He operates, and when persons afflict His 
chosen one, He comes in vengeance to deal the death blow to them. 
This is essentially what David is saying for us, his reader. Now note the execution of God's 
deliverance, still under this heading, the deliverance of God's 
servant. Notice the execution of that 
deliverance in verses 17 to 20. It says, He sent from above, 
He took me. He drew me out of many waters. 
This is the language of rescue or deliverance. It doesn't necessarily 
mean He was drowning, but more often than not, Scripture uses 
waters. to bespeak chaos and trouble 
and sometimes even Gentile nations. And he says, he took me, he drew 
me out of many waters. So he highlights the fact that 
his rescue came from Yahweh. Notice in verse 18, he delivered 
me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me. Notice, for 
they were too strong for me. What's the implication? They 
were too strong for me. If there was deliverance to be 
had, or rescue to be had, it must come from God. David acknowledges 
his own weakness. David acknowledges his own helplessness. David realizes that God must 
do this because they were too strong for me. He says in verse 
19, they confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord 
was my support. Think of the calamity of David 
on the run from Saul. Think of the calamity of David 
when his own son Absalom rises in rebellion against him. Think 
of the calamity of David when Sheba rises up in rebellion against 
him. And yet look at what he's able 
to say, but the Lord was my support. Isn't that what all of God's 
people have found to be the case? that in the midst of calamity, 
in the midst of those difficulties, the Lord is our support. We managed 
to get by because God was there. We managed to persevere because 
the Lord sustained me. We managed to go through those 
fires because He was my rock. He was my fortress. He was my 
deliverer. He was my support. And then notice 
this blessed thing he says in verse 20. He also brought me 
out into a broad place. No more rocks or fortresses or 
caves, but he brought him out into this broad place. He gave 
him freedom. He gave him liberty. And notice 
what David says in verse 20. He delivered me because he delighted 
in me. That's our God, isn't it? That's 
how He operates. That's the way the Lord sees 
His people, because He delighted in me. Not because we're necessarily 
delightful, but in Christ, He delights in His people. In Christ, 
He loves us a lot. In Christ, He rejoices in the 
upright. Our uprightness, of course, being 
in Jesus. Now that brings us secondly to 
the faithfulness of God's servant in verses 21 to 31. Note what 
David says in verse 21, the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. This presents a bit of an issue. 
for some commentators, because David asserts his righteousness. In fact, it almost sounds causal. In other words, the Lord did 
all these things because I'm a righteous man. Again, that 
presents an issue in light of the Uriah situation, in light 
of the Bathsheba situation. Those of you who have been here 
since 1 Samuel 16, we have noticed over the the overarching course 
of our study, the goodness, the rightness, the excellence of 
King David, but he's certainly not been sinless. He's not been 
perfect. We see along the way the fact 
that David has affinity with all the sons of men. So how do we deal with, excuse 
me, the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness? Some say 
this wasn't really David's song. I mean, that's one way to deal 
with the problem, isn't it? David really didn't write this. David 
really didn't compose this. This really wasn't what David 
had to say. So that dispatches the issue 
or deals with the problem. It's kind of like cutting off 
your arm if you get a cut on your forearm. I don't think that's 
a very good way to deal with a cut on your forearm. Others 
say that this was composed prior to the Bathsheba and Uriah incident. In other words, David asserts 
his righteousness prior to actually committing adultery and murder. 
Well, then one would have to wonder why it was included at 
the end in this sort of final assessment of David's reign. 
All the readers would know that 2 Samuel 11 and 12 are there. So that really doesn't seem to 
make sense either, and we have in verse 1 that he praises God, 
or he sings this song, or he composes this song on the day 
when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies 
and from the hand of Saul. Other commentators suggested 
some other editors later on added this section to 2 Samuel 22. 
Again, I don't know how that gets the issue resolved, but 
those are some attempts because certain persons come to this 
and they say, well, how in the world could David ever be, you 
know, consider himself righteous in light of murder and adultery? 
Well, we ought to consider a resolution. How do we deal with this issue? 
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. According 
to the cleanness of my hands, He has recompensed me. I want 
to consider three things here. First, the theology of David. The theology of David. In other 
words, David asserts here his righteousness. Does David think 
that he's sinlessly perfect? Does David think that he is, 
you know, the only guy in the world that has ever done anything 
right and good? Well, I suggest other Psalms 
help us understand David's theology. You can turn to Psalm 32 for 
a moment. Psalm 32. My contention is that the theology 
of David, the testimony of others, will indeed yield a likely explanation 
for the situation as it faces us in 2 Samuel 22. Note his understanding 
of imputation in Psalm 32. Blessed is he, verse 1, whose 
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the 
man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose 
spirit there is no deceit. David understands imputation. David understands the reality. 
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered 
or literally atoned for. Blessed is the man to whom the 
Lord does not impute iniquity. Now, notice Paul's take on this 
in Romans 4. Paul takes from this substantiation 
or confirmation for the doctrine of the imputed righteousness 
of Jesus Christ. I do not believe the doctrine 
of the imputation of the righteousness of Christ began with Paul. It began in the Old Testament. Paul's theologizing. David knew 
this. David understood by or how he 
could stand before a holy God. David had Genesis 15.6. Abraham believed God and it was 
accounted to him for righteousness. David asserting his righteousness 
in 2 Samuel 22 is akin to you and I asserting our righteousness. We know what we mean. We don't 
mean that I'm the most excellent chap that lives on woodbine and 
I never do anything wrong. My righteousness is tied to another. It is an alien righteousness. 
It is an imputed righteousness. It is outside of me and given 
to me by the sovereign hand of God. Look at Romans 4, 5. But 
to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies 
the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Just as David 
also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes 
righteousness apart from words. See, Paul understood what David 
was meditating on or celebrating. What David writes is essentially 
negative, blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute 
sin. But positively, Paul understands 
him to say, blessed is the man to whom the Lord does impute 
the righteousness of Jesus Christ. So, back in 2 Samuel 22, there's 
no harm nor foul for David to assert his righteousness. Now, 
as I often do, I survey the commentaries and none of them mention the 
righteousness of Christ in 2 Samuel 22-21. Gil comments about that much 
on 2 Samuel 22. He essentially says it's Psalm 
18, so you'll read our exposition when we get to Psalm 18. So I 
survey all of my commentaries and I had already come to the 
conclusion that he's got to be speaking of the imputed righteousness 
of Christ, so of course Gil has to agree. Of course he did. Not that Gil agreed with me. 
I agreed with Gil. It's probably the fruit of reading 
a lot of Gil. So I go to Gil in Psalm 18, verse 20 is the 
particular verse in question. And Gil says, you know, what 
it isn't and typical puritanical reformed particular Baptist fashion, 
what it can't be and what it must be. And he says it could 
refer to, you know, the course of David's kingdom, the course 
of David's rule. And I don't think that's out 
David, all this stuff would apply to David as the king over Israel. Contra Saul realized that that's 
probably part of what's happening, too. Remember, this paves the 
way to the succession narrative in 1 Kings 1 and 2 that Solomon 
is going to take the throne. What the author's doing in these 
final chapters is not only setting forth the beauty and the splendor 
of the reign of King David, but he's also telling us that Saul 
missed the mark. Saul was an apostate. Saul was 
a wretch. So I don't think that's necessarily 
out of the question, but then Gil on Psalm 18.20 says, Though 
it is best of all to apply it to Christ, and understand it 
of His righteousness, which He, as mediator, has wrought out 
for His people. This is perfect, pure, and spotless, 
and entirely agreeable to the law of God. What will bear the 
sight of God, is satisfying to His justice, is well-pleasing 
to Him, and is what? He accepts off. and imputes to 
them that believe in Christ, and by which they are justified 
from all things." So we have David, the theologian, his understanding 
of the doctrine of imputation, but we're not left there. We 
have David's doctrine of atonement. Turn back to 2 Samuel 12. 2 Samuel 12, all this to argue 
that what Paul is doing in Romans 4 is simply telling us what David 
already understood. If we, as Reformed people, believe 
the only way of salvation for all ages is grace alone, through 
faith alone, and Christ alone, it would seem odd for us not 
to believe that believers in the Old Testament understood 
the basis upon which they stood. The doctrine of penal substitution 
was taught from the outset. It was taught in the garden. 
God killed animals in order to clothe Adam and Eve. He didn't 
ask the animals to part with their skins. He didn't ask them 
to unzip so He could take them and put them on Adam and Eve. 
God killed them. It was a bloody display. And 
He takes those skins and He covers Adam and Eve. Genesis 22, rather. What is the lesson on Mount Moriah? Abraham tells Isaac, the Lord 
will provide. We end the scene with a ram caught 
in the thicket that serves as the substitute, takes the place 
of Isaac. God stays the hand of Abraham 
from driving a knife into Isaac. The children of Israel were taught 
substitution. They were taught penal substitution. 
When the worshiper went to the tabernacle and cut the throat 
of the bull and carved up the animal and presented it to the 
priest, do you think they were just engaged in magic or voodoo? 
They knew that sacrifice was taking their place. They knew 
what was happening. They understood. So for David 
to have a concept of the imputed righteousness of Christ is not 
only believable, but it's how we must treat the sacred text. David says as much in Psalm 32. But back here in 2 Samuel 12, 
notice the doctrine of atonement. Verse 13, so David said to Nathan, 
I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, the 
Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. Now turn to 
Psalm 65. Psalm 65. Again, I think that 
we ought to understand that David is many things. He wears many 
hats. One of those hats is theologian. I don't think any of us would 
disagree that the man who wrote the bulk of the Psalms was a 
theologian. I mean, certainly he knew his 
theology. Notice in Psalm 65, verse 1, 
Praise is awaiting you, O God, in Zion, and to you the vow shall 
be performed. O you who hear prayer, to you 
all flesh will come. Iniquities prevail against me. As for our transgressions, you 
will provide atonement for them. You see, David didn't think that 
it was by his righteousness he stood. He understood that the 
imputation of the righteousness of Christ, the forgiveness and 
the pardon of iniquity, the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart 
and life was the foundation of any righteousness that he had 
in and of himself. In fact, in Psalm 51, one of 
his petitions is, take not thine Holy Spirit from me. He had the 
Spirit. So the theology of David. We have the testimony of others. 
Jonathan said that he was without sin. Not perfectly, not ever, 
but in terms of his dealings with Saul. We have the testimony 
of Abigail in 1 Samuel 25-28. We have the testimony of God 
himself in 1 Kings 3, 1 Kings 9, 1 Kings 11, and 1 Kings 14. 
God constantly highlights the fact that David was indeed righteous. So back in 2 Samuel 22, David 
is a good man, he is a righteous man. There is a godliness, but 
the actual fruits of righteousness that he engages in, when he engages 
in covenant faithfulness, when he engages in kind-heartedness, 
when he shows hesed to Mephibosheth, when he shows hesed to others 
around him, flows from the fact that God has justified him freely 
by His grace. And so the likely explanation 
that we find in terms of David's righteousness set forth in this 
psalm is the imputed righteousness of Jesus, the sanctifying power 
of the Holy Spirit, and then the actual acts, the sanctification, 
the fruits that flow. We know that that faith that 
justifies it is alone, but it's not alone in terms of all other 
saving graces are added to us. David was a godly man. David 
was a faithful man. David was a righteous man. And 
barring any of that theological explanation, if you are not so 
inclined, though I hope that you are because we've seen by 
David's own testimony and Paul's affirmation as to what David 
is testifying, that he does speak concerning the imputed righteousness 
of Christ, there is as well the faithfulness of David that was 
opposite to the apostasy of Saul. David can say these sorts of 
things because David is, in fact, a man after God's own heart, 
justified freely by grace through the imputed righteousness of 
Jesus Christ, the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, and 
as well, as a believer, David had a recognition of the importance 
of faith and repentance. When David is called out in 2 
Samuel 24 for numbering Israel, what does he do? Does he harden 
his heart? Is he incorrigible? Does he say, 
oh no, God, that wasn't me? No, he owns it. He says he sins 
against the Lord. When Nathan the prophet comes 
and rebukes him in 2 Samuel 12, what does he do? Does he harden 
his heart? Does he stiffen his neck? He says, I have sinned 
against the Lord. All of that is absent from Saul. You never 
see Saul repent. You never see Saul forsake. You 
never see Saul say, God, I'm sorry. Have mercy on me. One 
man says the distinction between Saul and David, between a rejected 
king and an accepted one, is not that one is a sinner and 
the other is not. Both are sinners. Rather, the 
distinction lies in the very different attitudes to faith 
and repentance displayed by the two, and at a deeper level still, 
in the sovereign election of the one, the man of God's own 
choosing, over the other. And I love the way Matthew Henry 
describes this point, the fact that David, though a sinner, 
was not a sinner like Saul. And this jives really with what 
we saw in the book of Hebrews. Saul is the Hebrews 10, 26 to 
31 apostate. Saul is the man who tramples 
underfoot the Son of God. Saul is the man who counts the 
blood of the covenant by which Christ was sanctified as an unclean 
or rather as a common thing. It's Saul who insults the spirit 
of grace, not David. David confesses his sins. David 
forsakes his sins. David finds mercy from God. So 
it's not outlandish for him to highlight the fact that he's 
a righteous man. He's righteous in Christ. He's 
kept by the Spirit. He seeks to do those things that 
are covenantally faithful before the Lord God. Matthew Henry said, 
though he had sometimes weakly departed from his duty, he had 
never wickedly departed from his God. That's how he can assert 
what he asserts here. All his judgments were before 
me, and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. I 
was also blameless before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. 
Therefore, the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, 
according to my cleanness in his eyes." You see, brethren, 
as God's people, when we do good things, the Lord sees that. I 
don't think we as Reformed people always get that. You know, we 
hear the eyes of the Lord in every place, beholding the good 
and the evil, and we hit our kids with that. He's watching 
you when you're in your room sinning. He beholds the good, 
too. Those letters to the churches 
in Asia Minor in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, 
they follow a scheme. There's a pattern to each one. There's certain elements that 
are consistent throughout. And for the most part, not all 
of them receive commendation, but several do. In other words, 
Jesus commends the church in Ephesus, the very church that 
He indicts for having lost their first love. Nevertheless, you 
tested those who said they were apostles and are not. Jesus is 
pleased with that. Jesus approves of that. And we 
need to understand that, that in Christ Jesus, the sanctifying 
power of the Holy Spirit, God looks favorably upon His people. And that's a blessed reality, 
something that David had obviously considered and David rejoiced 
in. And then he summarizes this section. 
We may just stop here and look at the last point, God willing, 
next week. Boy, the time just flies on these 
Wednesday nights. But note, in verses 26 to 31, 
He highlights his relationship with this God. So in terms of 
his theology, he has been justified freely by grace, he seeks by 
the Holy Spirit to live in a manner that is consistent with God's 
Word, he seeks to be a faithful covenantal king, and then he 
acknowledges this in verse 26, with the merciful you will show 
yourself merciful, With a blameless man, you will show yourself blameless. 
With the pure, you will show yourself pure. And with the devious, 
you will show yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people, 
but your eyes are on the haughty, that you may bring them down." 
This strikes a similar chord to what we have in Hannah's song 
in 1 Samuel 2. It's very intriguing. First Samuel 
2, Hannah's song. Second Samuel 22, David's song. There's a lot of similarity and 
a lot of parallel. They bookend the Samuel narratives 
very beautifully and very wonderfully. But she has that same sort of 
emphasis. He raises the poor and he brings 
down the proud. And David asserts or highlights 
this very thing as well. And then notice what he says 
in verse 29, for you are my lamp, O Lord. The Lord shall enlighten 
my darkness, for by you I can run against a troop. By my God, 
I can leap over a wall. Now, again, I don't know that 
he's teaching us that this is the way to be a track star. You 
know, trust in God and you'll be able to pole vault higher 
than anyone else. It's unfortunate. Philippians 
4 is often used this way. I can do all things through Christ 
who strengthens me. You know, you get the Christian 
bodybuilder that's going to go for the new personal record because 
Christ strengthens him. I'm not sure that's the way to 
interpret that or, you know, the chef who says, I'm going 
to make the best dinner ever because Christ strengthens me. 
Probably in context has to do with contentedness and, you know, 
difficult or hard situations. You know, whether he's a beast 
or whether he abounds, I can do all things through Christ 
who strengthens me. He doesn't mean he can, you know, fly to 
the moon without a rocket or a jetpack. He doesn't mean that, 
and we ought not to be those kinds of foolish people that 
think that's what he means. So when he says, for by you I 
can run against a troop, yeah, we've seen David go into some 
you know, pretty hairy battles. By my God, I can leap over a 
wall. It doesn't say it's a, you know, Trump's wall. It could 
be a shorter wall. He's got vigor. He's got energy. 
He's got strength for battle. He's able to throw down, is what 
he is saying. But notice this reference in 
verse 29. I think in some sense it confirms 
the theological interpretation that we looked at just a moment 
ago in terms of David's righteousness. Note he says, for you are my 
lamp, O Lord. The Lord shall enlighten my darkness. 
Go back a chapter to 2117. Verse 21, 17, remember what David's 
men said. Verse 17, Abishai the son of 
Zariah came to his aid and struck the Philistine and killed him. 
Then the men of David swore to him saying, you shall go out 
no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel. Here in his psalm he says, I 
ain't the lamp of Israel, God's the lamp of Israel. You are my 
lamp, O Lord. The Lord shall enlighten my darkness." 
Vannoy makes this very good observation. When David says in 2229 that 
the Lord is the lamp that lights up his darkness, the reader is 
reminded that in the previous chapter, David was referred to 
by his own warriors as being the light of Israel. A comparison of these two statements 
suggests that David understood that whatever light his life 
may project is merely a reflected light. He had no light to give 
in and of himself and was Israel's light only to the extent that 
his own life and reign reflected something of the light of Yahweh. 
So we interpret our own righteousness, isn't it? because we have some 
intrinsic goodness. We're reflecting what Christ 
has done. We're reflecting what the Spirit 
has wrought. We're reflecting and working 
out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God 
who is at work in us, both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 
David understands theology, and David knows that he's not the 
lamp of Israel. God is the lamp of Israel, and 
David wants to ascribe praise and glory and honor to this God 
in all of His ways. Well, we'll stop there and pick 
up the invincibility of God's kingdom next week in verses 32 
to 51. But in summary, I hope that we 
can see that this is the response of the faithful. This is how 
God's people are to respond to Him. What we have is a God who 
delivers us. What we have is a God who has 
saved us. What we have is a God who has vindicated us, and we 
ought to respond in kind. We ought to, with this staccato 
approach and with this exuberant praise, we ought to go about 
the business of worshiping God. When we come on the Lord's Day, 
we ought to sing with gusto and earnestness. When we take up 
the hymnal, or when we take up the Psalms of David, let's enter 
in with David and sing praises to our God. Again, our enemies, 
our foes, our trials, our difficulties don't look exactly like David's, 
but nevertheless we have deliverance. Nevertheless, we have freedom. 
Nevertheless, we have Him as our support, and we can rest 
assured that He does this because He delights in us. He delights 
in us because of Christ. He does this because of what 
Christ has accomplished on our behalf in His life, His death, 
and His resurrection. and all those who by grace who 
look to him in faith receive the forgiveness of sins and imputed 
righteousness." So with that, let us join the saints in Zion 
and sing these praises to our God. As well, we ought to appreciate 
the power, the majesty, and the excellence of God. I don't know 
how better David could say, your God is great. Your God is powerful. Your God is majestic. Just read 
verses 8 to 16 if you ever doubt the power and the majesty of 
God. This anthropomorphic view, this ascription of God coming 
in power and in might to do what He does in terms of vindicating 
His servant really should inspire the terror of the Lord in our 
hearts. It ought to present or produce 
in us that reverence and that godly fear when we consider His 
greatness and His majesty and His excellence. And then I think 
a last point of observation is we ought to appreciate the consistency 
of God. One of the things we'll notice 
next week, if we looked at Hannah's prayer, in fact let's just do 
this, hopefully you'll all forget this by next week, just kidding. 
1 Samuel 2. Hannah's prayer in verses 1 to 
10. Note specifically verse 10, the 
adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces. From heaven 
he will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends 
of the earth. He will give strength to his 
king and exalt the horn of his anointed. Isn't that a beautiful 
prospectus concerning the coming kingdom? It is prospective. Hannah stands on that side and 
she says, this is what Yahweh is going to do. 2 Samuel 22 comes 
and David has a bit of retrospection. This is what Yahweh has done. Notice in verse 50, therefore 
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the Gentiles and sing praises 
to your name. He is the tower of salvation 
to his king and shows mercy to his anointed. There's the retrospection. But there is perspective with 
David as well. The end of verse 51, to David 
and his descendants forevermore. We ought to appreciate in this 
psalm the consistency of God. This is grounded and founded 
upon the covenant promise in 2 Samuel 7. David looks beyond 
his own reign, his own kingship, to the reality that the Yahweh 
who had promised to him that from his seed one would raise 
up and enter into an eternal kingdom where he would rule in 
righteousness and in justice and with equity over the peoples, 
that will come to fruition. That God of David is our God. He is consistent if he delivered 
David out of every trial, every difficulty. Actually, Davis calls 
this chapter, his exposition on this chapter, through many 
dangers, toils, and snares. He lifts that right out of Newton's 
hymn, right? Isn't that what Newton said? 
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. 
That's 2 Samuel 22. And if that God of David is the 
God described by David, he will be thus for us as well. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word, and we thank you for your grace, and we thank you 
for this psalm given to us by David, and how we pray that you'd 
help us to sing it, if not corporately, help us to sing it privately. 
For we have many reasons, many causes, many reasons to praise 
and honor and glorify you for your deliverance, for rescue, 
for support, for safety, for security, all these things that 
David rehearses here. And our God, I pray that you 
would go with us now and watch over us, watch over all the people 
in our church, and we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.