Ep. 92. 2 Samuel 21-22, Psalm 18 | David's Song

EPISODE 92

DAVID'S SONG: 2 SAMUEL 21-22, PSALM 18

I feel that chapter 21 of Samuel is out of order as it relates to the narrative. It isn't likely, though it isn't impossible, that the famine in the land over Saul's sin would happen in the last 20% of David's reign. During his reign, Saul sought to put the Gibeonites to death. These were the people Joshua and company had made a covenant with upon entering the Promised Land. These were the ones who had disguised themselves in worn-out clothing, with stale and moldy bread and cracked wineskins in a successful effort to deceive Joshua and avoid death. The three-year famine was brought to an end by delivering seven of Saul's descendants to death. The entire story is strange, and I'm not altogether sure what we should do with it.

As to David's song recorded for us in two places in Scripture: I love this text. I especially love the image of God coming to David's aid. "The earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the mountains trembled and quaked because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet." Wow! I know people particularly enjoy the "still small voice" of God in 1 Kings 19, but I have always been partial to the grand ways God shows up in the Bible. I love it when he demonstrates his power. Maybe what makes the still, small voice so appealing to some people is that God is big and powerful and yet also gracious and compassionate. That's beautiful, too. I'm just saying, for me personally, I want to see him "rend the heavens and come down." For those of us secure in faith, it will be beautiful rather than fearful.

There is a statement here in this section that is a Biblical theme, "you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down." Throughout the Bible, we see God opposed to the proud and gracious to the humble. It is an important truth for us to remember and vital for salvation, for the proud heart never would come and bow itself before the Lord.

In this song, we also see the difference in response to David's cry for help and the wicked's cry for help. David describes the powerful God who comes to his aid verse after verse, but for the wicked, "They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them."

ADDITIONAL READING: Joshua 9; Isaiah 64:1-2; Micah 1:2-4