Your Psalm of Life
Title: Your Psalm of Life
Text: 2 Samuel 22:1 – 23:7
Date: 7.14.20
The final words of David are accompanied by one of his most beloved psalms, Psalm 18. David likely wrote this psalm when he was about thirty years old, after Saul had died and David ascended the throne in Judah. Seven years later he would become king of all of Israel. He wrote this psalm before his sin against Bathsheba and her husband Uriah and before the revolt of Absalom and the of the challenged he had with his own children. This is David at his best. He’s young, strong and his faith has been renewed. And it is reflected in this beautiful psalm which is filled with compelling language. David describes God as his rock, his fortress and deliverer. He writes that he cried out to God and God came rushing to rescue him from his enemies. God delivers out of the tight spots David finds himself in and sets him on spacious ground. At the end of the psalm, David returns to praise and humbly attributes all the good things in his life to God.
His final words are prophetic. He describes what it means to be a righteous king, describing it as the bright morning sun shining on a cloudless day. He praises God for the everlasting covenant God established with him, a covenant ultimately fulfilled in our Lord Jesus, who describes himself as The Son of David and The Bright Morning Star.
This is designed to create a contrast between the life and death of David, and the life and death of Saul, which is one of the main themes of 1st and 2nd Samuel, “Who is the rightful king in Israel?” The answer, of course, is David. And while David’s life is marked by obedience (in spite of his great failures) Saul’s life is marked by disobedience. Saul’s life ends in despair and despondency. Where David has prophetic vision at the end of his life, Saul is blind and hopeless. In fact, Saul visits a witch or medium at Endor to try and find some hope. She summons the spirit of Samuel (itself a weird story), but Samuel prophecies against Saul telling him that his kingdom will be taken from him and given to David and that Saul and his three sons will lose their lives in battle the next day. So, in despair, Saul goes to battle against the Philistines, knowing that the outcome will be defeat and death. The Israelite army is badly routed, Saul’s three sons are killed in battle and Saul is mortally wounded and takes his own life.
This makes me look at my own life and reflect on how my epitaph will read. How will the psalm of my life be sung? I want it to be sung like David’s – filled with hope, faith and with a prophetic vision for future generations. Think of the billions of God’s people who have read David’s beautiful words throughout the millennia.
So if you’re feeling some discouragement or despair. If you are struggling to find a vision for your life, bind yourself to Jesus, the righteous king, the bright morning star. Bind yourself to his mission, his vision, his kingdom, and your Psalm of Life will be