Thoughts on Psalm 18
The title of this most comprehensive psalm gives us the circumstances under which it was written; and while the letter of it doubtless is what the soul of David felt- which the last verse clearly shows-in substance it unquestionably applies to our blessed Lord.
It is a song of celebration. Jehovah is Himself the Deliverer, and the writer, in the first three verses (which form the thesis of the entire psalm), expatiates upon His glorious power and declares his trust in Him. In the remainder of the Psalm-as is usually the case-the circumstances are dwelt upon which gave rise to the sentiments expressed in the thesis. Psalms 16, 17, and 18 are most complete as to the Spirit of Christ. In Ps. 16 His thoughts are of Jehovah and the saints, having taken the place of dependence as Man, perfect in His trust, Jehovah His delight. In Ps. 17 He is seen in the midst of evil, but perfectly righteous, the world and Satan overcome, and finally looking on to resurrection glory. In Psalm 18, Messiah is seen as the Center of all God's ways. His sufferings are the groundwork of all the ways of God from Egypt to the bringing hi of the glory, the final victory of Christ as Son of David.
That David wrote the psalm is unquestioned-2 Sam. 22 makes this clear-but in its entirety it could only be true of David's Son, the Anointed of Jehovah. In David's distress, we see a foreshadowing of those deeper distresses and sufferings through which our Lord passed, as in Gethsemane. This is the groundwork of all the remainder. "In all their afflictions He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them, and carried them all the days of old" (Isa. 63:9). The Lord in spirit here takes the remnant's place and goes down into the deepest sorrows, not as a vicarious Sufferer under the judgment of God, but crying out to God under the sorrows of death (vers. 5, 6). The Sufferer crying out to God in distress has the consciousness of being heard, "He did hear my voice out of His temple, and my cry did enter into His ears." This is a contrast to Psalm 22 where the Sufferer finds no response to His agonizing cry.
The weight of death is upon the spirit in this psalm, as in Gethsemane, "The floods of ungodly men made me afraid." Actual death does not take place in this contemplation, He endures its sorrows, He having voluntarily associated Himself with Israel, all the power of darkness waging war against Him, as will be the case with the godly remnant in the last days.
In vers. 7 to 16, we have, in principle, Israel's complete deliverance from Egypt by the mighty power of the Saviour God. These, however, were not all the sorrows of Israel, but all that they have passed through and will yet have to meet, has been anticipated and entered into fully by their Deliverer.
We next find the Righteous One before God (vers. 19-26), taking the place of Israel, and therefore all the value of His perfectness is before God for them.
It is necessary, however, to keep in mind that we have the state of the remnant personified in David here, hence the words, "I kept myself from mine iniquity." We are again reminded how important it is, in reading the Psalms, to discern where the Spirit of Christ as having voluntarily associated Himself with Israel, speaks. Intrinsically perfect, He could not say personally "Mine iniquity," for He had none.
Another has pointed out that it is the government of God which we have distinctly before us in vers. 25, 26. In the following verse we find another side of that government. God, in unfailing kindness and mercy, saves the afflicted people, and humbles the pride of men. "To the righteous there ariseth light in the darkness" (Ps. 112:4).
In the remaining part of the psalm another scene is presented. The One who had in fullest grace associated Himself with His people's sorrows, now associates them with Himself in victorious power. The power and glory are His. "Great deliverance giveth He to His King, and showeth mercy to His anointed, to David and to His seed for evermore." Resistless victory marks the latter part of the psalm.
Verse 43 is worthy of careful meditation! Three classes are before us, the people, the heathen, and a people not known before. "Thou hast delivered Me from the strivings of the people, and Thou hast made Me head of the heathen; a people whom I have not known shall serve Me." Messiah finds deliverance in God from the strivings of ungodly Jews, and is made Head of the heathen. An unknown people are brought under His sway, and this evidently in the Millennium. "The Lord liveth," is the glad exclamation of faith.
"Let the God of my salvation be exalted." It has been questioned whether Antichrist is alluded to at the end of verse 48 as "the violent man," or whether an enemy from without. The latter seems more probable, for were it Antichrist the praises would be Jewish, but the speaker in verse 49 says, "Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and will sing praise unto Thy name." J. W. H. N.