Word of Encouragement (02/08/2024)
“You delivered me from strife with my people; you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. 45 Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me. 46 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses. 47 "The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation, 48 the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me, 49 who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence. 50 "For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 51 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.” (2 Sam. 22:44-51)
David concludes his extended praise of God with these words: “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.”
For what does he praise the LORD, which he will proclaim among the nations? He speaks of the “great salvation [God] brings to his king.” Notice how he calls it “great salvation.” He may be summarizing all the victories God has given him throughout his career. As he remembers his humble beginning, he feels compelled to describe all the victories he has had as God’s “great salvation.” In the next verse, he will allude to God’s covenant with him. He must have remembered what God told him at that time: “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth” (2 Sam. 7:8-9). David did not forget that his victories came from the LORD. As they came from his great God, he had to describe them as “great.”
But as great as God’s salvation was, David knew that it was only a manifestation of His “steadfast love to his anointed.” Great victories, however wonderful, come and go; in this fallen world, no victory will bring lasting peace: “For all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matt. 26:52). How much better it is to have God’s “steadfast love,” which is with his anointed one(s) both at war times and peace times and everything in between!
Here, “his king”/“his anointed” refers not only to David himself but also to “his offspring.” As we mentioned earlier, this alludes to the covenant God made with David when he expressed his desire to build a temple for the LORD: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:12-13). We know that, while Solomon was the immediate referent, Jesus Christ was the promised Offspring of David (Matt. 1:1).
What does this have to do with us? Jesus is the Anointed of God. He came to save us as our covenant Representative. If we believe in Jesus Christ, we are granted the privilege of sharing in His blessings: in Him, we receive God’s steadfast love; in Him, we receive God’s great victory over our sin and death, which alone can give us everlasting life and peace.
David considered it his duty and privilege to proclaim the glory of God’s steadfast love for him. We, too, should use the blessings of God to make His grace known to others through our heart-felt worship, generous giving for the advancement of God’s kingdom, and sharing with others.