Psalm 22, Silent and Suffering, Ignored by God

For the director of music. To [the tune of] "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David.

Presumably "Doe of the Morning" was an ancient song.

Psalm 22: 1-2, Where are you?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 

Why are you so far from saving me, 

so far from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, 

by night, and am not silent.

The Silence of God is an important problem for any serious believer.  At times God may seem very close.  But at other times God is silent and appears to be inactive.  How do I respond to this silence? It is not unique to me, for both David and Jesus (!) experienced it.

Psalm 22: 3-5, The Holy One of Israel

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; 

you are the praise of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust; 

they trusted and you delivered them.

They cried to you and were saved; 

in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

David turns back the clock and reminds himself of past history.  This is the beginning of a response to the Silence of God. Israel was created by the Holy One, YHWH, who called them out of Egypt.

Psalm 22: 6-8, Mocked and insulted

But I am a worm and not a man, 

scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me; 

they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

"He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. 

L:et him deliver him, since he delights in him."

But just because God worked in Abraham's life ... is there any reason for this "worm", David, to expect similar treatment?

Psalm 22: 9-11, From my mother's womb I was cast on you

Yet you brought me out of the womb; 

you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.

From birth I was cast upon you; 

from my mother's womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me, for trouble is near 

and there is no one to help.

David leans on God's divine plan, a plan implemented even when David was in the womb.

Psalm 22: 12-18, The bulls of Bashan

Many bulls surround me; 

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.

I am poured out like water, 

and all my bones are out of joint. 

My heart has turned to wax; 

it has melted away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, 

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; 

you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs have surrounded me; 

a band of evil men has encircled me, 

they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones; 

people stare and gloat over me.

They divide my garments among them 

and cast lots for my clothing.

In verse 16 ("Dogs have surrounded me... pierced my hands and feet") a number of Hebrew manuscripts, including the Septuagint and Syriac (says the NIV), end the verse with words that translate as "lion, my hands and feet."  But a slight alteration of the Hebrew word for lion turns the phrase into "[they have] pierced my hands and feet."  This seems to be a commonly acceptable translation for that verse, accepted both by Hebrew scholars Kidner and Alter.

David is in pain, surrounded by enemies.  He is physically ill, in pain, as he is humiliated, tortured, mocked.  As a number of commentators point out, this appears to be an execution.  In this passage the psalm has moved away from any historical event in David's life.  The desperation of the early verses, in which David is surrounded by enemies, is not unusual.  But this death scene is.

Psalm 22:19-22, Rescue me from these lions!

But you, O LORD, be not far off; 

O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

Deliver my life from the sword, 

my precious life from the power of the dogs.

Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; 

save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my brothers; 

in the congregation I will praise you.

Another plea for help.  Somewhere, somehow, in all this suffering, the speaker knows that God's plan is at work....  even as vicious animals surrounding this shepherd.

Psalm 22:23-31, Descendants of Jacob, Honor YHWH!

You who fear the LORD, praise him! 

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! 

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; 

he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; 

before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

The poor will eat and be satisfied; 

they who seek the LORD will praise him-- 

may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, 

and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 

for dominion belongs to the LORD 

and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; 

all who go down to the dust will kneel before him-- 

those who cannot keep themselves alive.

Posterity will serve him; 

future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--

 for he has done it.

David's song turns to instruction.  Once again, a decision has been made and David moves forward in confidence.  Notice all the promises David slings out in his ecstasy and enthusiasm.

Of whom does David speak in verses 30 and 31?  Future generations of Jews?  Or even future unknown Gentiles (like me)?

The death scene described in verses12 through 18 does not fit a historical event in David's life and has messianic overtones and the rest of the psalm fits descriptions of a messianic figure.  The New Testament passage Matthew 27:33-50 describes the crucifixion of Jesus and there are clear allusions to this psalm.  (How many of the events described by Matthew can you find in Psalm 22?)   Indeed, in Matthew 27:46, Jesus quotes the first verse of this psalm! (Jesus quotes the psalm in the local Aramaic, not in Hebrew.)  Surely the audience at the foot of the cross understood the scripture from whence the cry came.

Other passages which record the crucifixion are: Mark 15:20-37, Luke 23:26-46 & John 19:17-30. Psalm 22 is also quoted in Hebrews 2: 10-12.

A major challenge to Christianity is the Problem of Evil.  How could a powerful loving God allow suffering, pain? How can Jesus be defeated by death?  How can Jews be destroyed by Hitler and other clearly evil enemies.  There is not an easy answer to this problem.  But the psalms, especially this psalm, claim that God is at work but that the actions of God are slow and deeper, more complicated than we can know -- that God is not human and we cannot make God follow our wishes or meet our demands.

At this point the crucifixion and the resurrection become important.  On the cross, God is completely defeated and ... Jesus quotes this psalm!  How could God be killed?  How could there be any victory in this?  Yet, at the end of this psalm, in the resolution, we hear "all the ends of the earth will ... turn to the Lord.  This includes those who go down to the dust (to the grave) before Him.

In the Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis has Aslan call this plan "deep magic".  Believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus requires believing that there is a longterm (indeed infinite) plan far beyond the suffering described in the psalms.  We are only given hints of this plan, by a Being who is not human and does not bow to our demands ... but appears willing to listen to our pleas.

Psalm 21, Blessing After Battle

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Psalm 21: 1-7, A crown of pure gold placed on the king's head

O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. 

How great is his joy in the victories you give!

You have granted him the desire of his heart 

and have not withheld the request of his lips.

Selah.

You welcomed him with rich blessings 

and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

He asked you for life, and you gave it to him-- 

length of days, for ever and ever.

Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; 

you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

Surely you have granted him eternal blessings 

and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

For the king trusts in the LORD; 

through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

This psalm, like psalm 2, could serve as a coronation psalm for David or another Davidic king.

Verse 2, on the "desires of the heart", echoes verse 4 of Psalm 20.  In Psalm 20, the request is made; in Psalm 21 it is answered.  Because of the similarities between these two psalms, Kidner suggests that Psalm 20 is a blessing/prayer before a king's battle and Psalm 21 is a thanksgiving prayer afterwards.  In Psalm 20, the king makes request, followed by a statement of praise and faith, then a climactic final verse.  In this psalm, the statement of faith and resolution comes first.

II Samuel 7:8-16 has God's covenant with David.  Verses 3-7 of this psalm echo that passage.

Psalm 21: 8-12, He consumes His enemies

Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; 

your right hand will seize your foes.

At the time of your appearing 

you will make them like a fiery furnace. 

In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up, 

and his fire will consume them.

You will destroy their descendants from the earth, 

their posterity from mankind.

Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, 

they cannot succeed;

for you will make them turn their backs 

when you aim at them with drawn bow.

Verses 8-10 ("Your hand...") turns attention to the enemies of God and the end result of God's foes.  This passage contains more universal statements, independent of a specific historical event and so has a messianic flavor. A New Testament version of this occurs in II Thessalonians 1:5-10 where this event is described more fully.  (See also Revelation 20:11 – 21:8 for a similar end-time statement about the culmination of history.)

Psalm 21: 13, YHWH, be exalted!

Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; 

we will sing and praise your might.

Like the previous psalm, this psalm ends with one climatic statement of praise.

Psalm 20, Blessing Before Battle

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Psalm 20: 1-5, Blessing

May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; 

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary 

and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices 

and accept your burnt offerings.

Selah.

May he give you the desire of your heart 

and make all your plans succeed.

We will shout for joy when you are victorious 

and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. 

May the LORD grant all your requests.

Notice that this is all in second person.  Instead of David speaking in first person to God, there is a  a "blessing" given to a single individual, a request for God to give success to the king.  (Commentator Derek Kidner says that the Hebrew pronoun translated "you" here is singular.)

The phrases "help from the sanctuary" and "support from Zion" are interesting.  They seem to describe a location for God, from whence help comes.

That God "remembers" the sacrifices and burnt offerings is a statement about the righteousness and sincerity of the individual being blessed.

"May the LORD grant all your requests."  Amen!  :-)

Psalm 20: 6-8, But we trust in YHWH

Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; 

he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall, 

but we rise up and stand firm.

Kidner sees this psalm in 3 parts: Verses 1-5 are the blessing given by the people to the king before battle.  Verses 6-8, above ("Now I know...") is the response of the king (God's "anointed") to that blessing.  And finally, below, is the people's climactic final shout.

Psalm 20: 9, God save the king!

O LORD, save the king! 

Answer us when we call!

Deuteronomy 17: 15-17 gives three things kings of Israel were not  to collect.  What are they?  Why do you think kings were forbidden to collect these objects?  (Look at verse 7 of Psalm 20!)

In 2 Kings 6:15-19, God opens the eyes of Elisha's servant so that he can see the spiritual army protecting Elisha.  How does this supplement the message of Psalm 20?

Psalm 19, The Stars and Law Speak Out

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Psalm 19: 1-4a, The heavens declare...

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language 

where their voice is not heard. 

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

As in Psalm 8, the shepherd who has spent nights looking at the dark night sky, expresses awe at God's creation.  In these first four verses, God's work is evident in nature; in nature God "displays knowledge."

Another "nature lesson" occurs in Job chapters 38-41 where God challenges Job to match His creativity and power.  Read Job 38.  (I love this passage!)

The exact rendering of the Hebrew in verse 4 varies across the ancient documents.  According to the NIV translation, the Septuagint, Jerome translation and Peshitta Syriac manuscripts have the word for "line" instead of "voice" in that verse.  The meaning is, however, unchanged.

Psalm 19: 4b-6, A bridegroom comes out of his tent

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 

which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, 

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.  

It rises at one end of the heavens 

and makes its circuit to the other; 

nothing is hidden from its heat.

The sun is an example of God's creative work.  Some commentators see an echo of a pagan sun god myth; if so, David's pointedly describes the sun as a representative piece of God's creation.

Psalm 19: 7-9, The Law of YHWH

The law of the LORD is perfect, 

reviving the soul. 

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, 

making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, 

giving joy to the heart.  

The commands of the LORD are radiant, 

giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure, 

enduring forever. 

The ordinances of the LORD are sure 

and altogether righteous.

Suddenly, in verse 7 ("The Law of the Lord is perfect...") we have a sharp change, so sharp that some suggest this is the beginning of a new psalm. But most likely, David's awe of the heavens leads him to examine his heart and to describe what he has learned about God.  As a Jew, he sees the Old Testament teachings ("Law") as a rich guide to joyful and successful living.

Psalm 19: 10-11, Sweeter than honey

They are more precious than gold, 

than much pure gold; 

they are sweeter than honey,

 than honey from the comb.  

By them is your servant warned; 

in keeping them there is great reward.

God's word, applied by the servants of God, leads to "sweet" reward.

In the New Testament, Paul echoes this, arguing that there are two "voices" of God, the external general revelation of creation and the divine revelation of God's teaching.

In Romans 1:18-20, Paul argues that God's creation is visible to all and so all are accountable to God. In Romans 3:19-26 Paul argues that the Law (this "second voice") has brought, to the Jew, an understanding of sin and of a need for salvation.  (Compare Paul's reaction to the Law and David's reaction here in this psalm.)

Psalm 19: 12-13, Hidden faults

Who can discern his errors? 

Forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins; 

may they not rule over me. 

Then will I be blameless, 

innocent of great transgression.

Now we see a period of self-examination. In other places, David insists that he has been completely righteous. Here he seems aware that there could be hidden faults and errors of which one is unaware. In addition there are "willful" sins, deliberate cases of disobedience. And so he asks to not be ruled by those sins and to be blameless.

Psalm 19: 14, Words and meditation

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 

be pleasing in your sight, 

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

At the end of his self-examination, David asks that not only his words but his inmost thought be pleasing to YHWH, the One who protects him and redeems him.

This last verse is worth memorizing.

Psalm 18, Smoke and Consuming Fire! (Part 2)

We continue reading David's ecstatic voice of praise in Psalm 18, after deliverance from the hands of King Saul. A version of this song appears in II Samuel 22. Our last scripture blog post ended at verse 29.

Psalm 18: 30-35, Standing on the heights

As for God, his way is perfect; 

the word of the LORD is flawless. 

He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

For who is God besides the LORD? 

And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; 

he enables me to stand on the heights.

He trains my hands for battle; 

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You give me your shield of victory, 

and your right hand sustains me; 

you stoop down to make me great.

The all-powerful Creator "stoops" to work with David. 

Verse 33 is a reference to physical fighting on foot, typical of David's campaigns, prior to the application of the battle chariot in the time of Solomon. These fights would have been very strenuous and fatiguing, with many opportunities for quick death or injury.

Psalm 18: 36-42, Strength for battle

You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.

I pursued my enemies and overtook them; 

I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

I crushed them so that they could not rise; 

they fell beneath my feet.

You armed me with strength for battle;

you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, 

and I destroyed my foes.

They cried for help, 

but there was no one to save them—

to the LORD, but he did not answer.

I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; 

I poured them out like mud in the streets.

Kidner says that the Hebrew verbs in verses 37-45 are mostly in the imperfect tense, showing actions which are continuing or which are not yet completed.

Psalm 18: 43-45, Deliverance, elevation

You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; 

you have made me the head of nations; 

people I did not know are subject to me.

As soon as they hear me, they obey me; 

foreigners cringe before me.

 They all lose heart; 

they come trembling from their strongholds.

Elevated to the role of King of Israel, David has authority over defeated Philistines and Amelekites and makes treaties with other nations.

Psalm 18: 46-49, Praise You among the nations!

The LORD lives! 

Praise be to my Rock! 

Exalted be God my Savior!

He is the God who avenges me, 

who subdues nations under me,

who saves me from my enemies. 

You exalted me above my foes; 

from violent men you rescued me.

Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; 

I will sing praises to your name.

The apostle Paul (in Romans 15: 9) uses verse 49 as evidence that even the Gentiles ("among the nations") are invited to praise the God of the Jewish people.

And a final summary verse:
Psalm 18: 50, He controls kings

He gives his king great victories; 

he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, 

to David and his descendants forever.

Some see this verse as evidence that the psalm was really written by (or for) a descendant of David but Kidner points out that David relied on a covenantal promise that his descendants would be the rulers of Israel for all time.

The apostle Paul in the New Testament (eg. Romans 15: 9 where verse 49 is repeated) sees this psalm as speaking of the Jewish Messiah.  Christian writers ever since have agreed that this psalm, like Psalm 2, has messianic overtones.  After all, if this psalm emphasizes David enjoyment of the covenant promised by YHWH, how much more closely must it describe David's ultimate descendant, Messiah Jesus?

The Authors of the Psalms

Although the Psalms are often attributed to David, slightly less than half (72 of 150) are really identified as originating with him. A number of them are anonymous but others are attributed to several bands of temple musicians. According to 1 Chronicles 6: 31-47, and 1 Chronicles 25: 1-7 David put some men and their sons in charge of temple music. This included Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman. Heman was grandson of Samuel (1 Chronicles 6: 33.)

David is listed in the heading of 73 psalms. All but psalms four psalms (1, 2, 10 and 33) of the 41 psalms in Book I are described as "of David." (Also, when the Christian disciples pray in Acts 4: 25 they quote from Psalm 2, a messianice psalm, and cite the author as David, although "David said..." could be a euphemism for "The psalmists said...")

In Book II of the psalms, David is described as author in 18 psalms: 51—65 and  68—70.

In Book V, David is described as author of 15 psalms 108—110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138—145.

Three remaining psalms,  86, 101, and 103, also describe him as author.

The Sons of Korah

In Numbers 16, a man named Korah instigates a rebellion against Moses. Eventually Korah and his rebellious party are destroyed by God but Korah's sons are spared (Numbers 26: 9-11) and fathered a line of descendants called the Korahites.  Since Korah was a grandson of Kohath (Numbers 16: 1), the Korahites were part of a larger band of Kohathites. 

Korah's descendants are assigned as a group in charge of temple music and the first eight psalms of Book II (that is, Psalms 42-49) have a heading that attributes them to the Sons of Korah.  There are five more psalms in Book III (Psalms 84-88) attributed to the Sons of  Korah. It is likely that the Sons of Korah was a guild that lasted for numerous generations.

Asaph

Asaph is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6 (link above) as one in charge of music and twelve psalms are arttributed to him: 50, 73—83. (These last eleven psalms start Book III of the Psalms.)

Other authors

Heman, a grandson of Samuel, is listed in the 1 Chronicles 6 passage, as one of David's temple musicians. He is also described, along with Ethan the Ezrahite, as being very wise. In 1 Kings 4: 29-34, Solomon's wisdom is "even greater" than the wisdom of Heman and Ethan. Heman is described as an author, along with the Sons of Korah, of Psalm 88 and Ethan as the author of Psalm 89.

Although Solomon is described as the creator of 1005 songs in 1 Kings 4: 29-34,, only two psalms, 72 and 127 are "of Solomon."  Moses is identified as the author of Psalm 90. Psalm 95 is extensively quoted by the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 4. In Hebrews 4: 7 the author attributes those passages to David.

Among those who consider the Scriptures as inspired by God, there is considerable debate as to what value one puts on the headers of the various psalms.  Are those headers to be given the same authority as the rest of the chapter? Certainly the headers are in all the ancient Hebrew manuscripts and were part of the compilation of the 150 songs into one single document.

Resources

There are thousands of online resources on the Psalms! In addition to those resources described in an earlier post, I've read though some posts at GotQuestions: on the Sons of Korah and on the Psalms of David, 

Psalm 18, Smoke and Consuming Fire! (Part 1)

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:

A version of this psalm (an earlier draft?) appears in II Samuel 22 with the same historical prelude.

Psalm 18:1-3, My rock, my fortress, my deliverer

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, 

my fortress and my deliverer; 

my God is my rock, 

in whom I take refuge. 

He is my shield 

and the horn of my salvation, 

my stronghold.

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, 

and I am saved from my enemies.

The first verse does not appear in the passage in II Samuel.  It is a rare statement for David, very passionate, ecstatic.

In verse 2, "horn" is a metaphor for strength.  Some of the phrasing in verses 2 and 3 alludes to past events in David's conflict with Saul, including I Sam 23:25-28 where David experiences a miraculous escape from Saul's army.

Vangameren, in his commentary on the Psalms, argues that this song has a chiasmic (concentric) structure of five circles, with the first three verses echoed by verses 46 to 50 at the end of the song.

Psalm 18:4-6, Cords drag me down

The cords of death entangled me; 

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me; 

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the LORD; 

I cried to my God for help. 

From his temple he heard my voice; 

my cry came before him, into his ears.

David describes his past despair and closeness with death.  Swallowed up by death and destruction, David is astounded and delighted when God lifts him up.

This is a long psalm of ecstatic  praise, different from any of the earlier psalms.  David has prayed to and petitioned God.  Now, dramatically, God has answered.  And David goes wild with praise.  The passage that follows dramatically describes David's perception of God.

Kidner suggests that there are echoes of the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32), another Old Testament hero who had a covenant with God.

Psalm 18:7-15, Thunder of YHWH

The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; 

they trembled because he was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils; 

consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 

He shot his arrows and scattered [the enemies], great bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

This dramatic theophany echoes the appearance of God at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:18 and Ezekiel's vision of God in Ezekiel 1:4.  The appearance is vivid, frightening, otherworldly.  In all of this God is viewed as the Creator, in control of all Nature.

Psalm 18:16-19, Plucked out of the rapids

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; 

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

David's vision of God turns personal.  Not only is God the YAHWEH of Mt. Sinai, but also a personal savior, who has intervened in David's life.
Note David's claim that God "delighted in me"!

Saul's many attempts to kill David are described in I Samuel 19-31.  Especially interesting passages are:

• I Samuel 18:5-9 where we see that the attacks are motivated by jealousy.
• I Samuel 19, where the first attacks occur, and David makes a covenant with Jonathan.
• I Samuel 22:18-23 where Saul slaughters a village which harbored David.
• I Samuel chapters 24  and 26 where David twice abstains from killing Saul, despite having perfect opportunities.

It is not surprising that David is ecstatic about escaping from Saul!

Psalm 18:20-24, According to my righteousness

The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; 

according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

For I have kept the ways of the LORD; 

I have not done evil by turning from my God.

All his laws are before me; 

I have not turned away from his decrees.

I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.

The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, 

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

To the New Testament sinner, saved by the sacrificial grace of Jesus, this insistence on righteousness may seem strange.  But David, in the Old Testament view of justice, has submitted to God's laws and been eager in following God.

It is unlikely that David could say this so confidently after his disastrous affair with Bathsheba and the national scandal that followed.

Psalm 18:25-28, Faithful with the faithful

To the faithful you show yourself faithful, 

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

to the pure you show yourself pure, 

but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

In verses 25-26, God's actions are seen as reactions to those of others.  God is faithful to the faithful, pure to the pure, etc.  To those who are crooked and devious, God is "shrewd" (or "deals in twists".)

The word translated "faithful" in verse 25 is hasid, says Kidner, often translated "loyal".  It is closely related to hesed ("steadfast love"), the covenantal love between committed partners.  A version of the word appears in Psalms 17:7.  (See, for example, the book of Ruth, for a beautiful picture of "hesed"! That's my suggestion, not Kidner's!)

Psalm 18: 29, But with you!

With your help I can advance against a troop; 

with my God I can scale a wall.

Psalms commentator Derek Kidner sees here (and in verse 33) a reference to fighting on foot, typical of David, prior to the application of the battle chariot in the time of Solomon.

We are halfway through this famous psalm and so will break off our study and this point and look at the second half of this psalm in our next scripture blog.

A question.  How is that psalm so different from those we have been reading to this point?  Why?