2 Samuel 22

And he said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.

(2Sa 22:2-3)

Today we are going to take a look at just 2 verses from this Psalm of praise that David sings to the Lord. What I want us to focus on is the way David speaks of the Lord, and the relationship he had with the Lord. It is clear from these verses that David didn’t just know about God, but he had EXPERIENCED RELATIONSHIP with God on SEVERAL DIFFERENT LEVELS. I hope that this description will spur all of us on to a deeper more intimate relationship with the Lord.

• MY ROCK – A cliff or a craggy rock. In a couple portions of scripture this describes a hollow place in a rock that one could hide in. David is calling the Lord his ROCK. The hard surface he could stand upon, but also a place of shelter and protection. At one point in David’s running from Saul we read that he took refuge in one of these “rocks” or craggy cliff shelters. Here he declares that ultimately the Lord was his rock. A place he could come to in trouble, a place where he could be sure to stand on solid ground, and have some protection from the world around. Is the Lord your rock? When you need a solid rock to stand on, and a solid place to hide in, do you go to the Lord?

• MY FORTRESS – This word obviously means a defense, or a place to hide… but it was also a place where you could store the supplies you needed for battle; a place that you knew would keep you and those supplies protected. For David, there was no better place to find the supplies he needed for the battles he fought than in the Lord. Where are you looking for supplies? Where are you storing up those things necessary for a successful battle campaign? I hope that you are looking to the Lord to be your FORTRESS… a place of protection, a place to return to when your supplies run low.

• MY DELIVERER – Here this word describes one who helps you escape. When it came down to it, if David was in a tight spot, and it looked like trouble for him, he looked to the Lord for DELIVERANCE. When we find ourselves hemmed in by trials and temptations, what do we look to as a way of escape? Are we leaning on our own understanding, or do we trust in the Lord? I hope that like David, we will see the Lord as the one who helps us escape from the clutches of the enemy.

• MY STRENGTH – David says that God was his STRENGTH, and the one he trusted in. Who or what do you look to in your life for strength or stability? Do you look to yourself, to your family, to money, or friends? David found his strength in the Lord. The Lord like a strong wall, something to keep the enemy from getting to you… a boulder, strong and immovable. Everything in this life is shakable, changeable, and moveable. Friends will come and go, finances can fail, you will grow weak, even your family can fail you. But if you look to the Lord to be your strength, He will never fail you!

• MY SHIELD – A shield is something you use for protection in battle. Often it was big enough that if you crouched behind it you would be protected from the attacks of your enemies. It is a weapon, and can be used both defensively and offensively. You can push in with it as you fight the enemy, allowing it to protect you as you gain more and more ground. David didn’t want to go into any battle situation open and uncovered. He needed protection, something to shield him, something he could hide behind, and something that could go before him and absorb the blows intended for him. The Lord was all of these things for David. What are you looking to for protection when the enemy comes in hard? Are you hiding behind the Lord, or something else? When you try and move forward in your walk, are you trying to do it alone, or is the Lord going before you absorbing the blows meant for you? Allow the Lord to be your SHIELD.

• HORN OF MY SALVATION – This is a beautiful phrase. It refers to something that we can have in the midst of strife and battle… it is not the idea of being taken OUT of battle, but being preserved in it. In this life, we are always on a battlefield… Though this world has been referred to as the “Devil's Playground”, it is really a spiritual battlefield. The Lord can be a HORN OF SALVATION for us. In other words, he can be a source of power and strength, to give us hope and keep us safe in the MIDST of the fighting. When the battle gets crazy, where are you looking for strength to keep fighting, with a hope that you will win, and you will come through unharmed? David looked to the Lord, and the Lord NEVER FAILED HIM!

• MY HIGH TOWER – In Ireland you see all of these towers. Many of them are towers that were constructed by the monks to keep them safe in the event of an attack by barbarians. The cool thing about these towers is that there is only one door in, and it is about 15 feet off of the ground. From there, you climb stairs to a big room in the very top. This meant you had to climb a ladder to get in, and only ONE GUY AT A TIME COULD CLIMB. Many monks’ lives were saved by towers just like this. David said the Lord was his tower. SWEET!

• MY REFUGE – Literally, a place you can retreat to. This “refuge” is a place you can run to and find peace and rest. When things get crazy where do you go? In Jesus, you can find PEACE and REST. “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He is our retreat, our place of rest!

• SAVES FROM VIOLENCE – It speaks of God bringing David out of a narrow place of danger and oppression, into a safe place with WIDE OPEN PASTURE. Do you feel like the world is closing in all around you? Like it is threatening to hurt, oppress, and even destroy you? The Lord can bring you out of that place, and into a place of safety! David is basically saying, “I was claustrophobic, the world was crushing down on me, I didn’t even have room to breathe! Then the Lord snatched me away, and He brought me to the most wide open, safe place I have ever been!"

You see, the Lord wants us to DEPEND UPON HIM. You may know a lot about Him, but do you really know Him… Do you really have a relationship with Him like David did? Thank the Lord today for all of the many things He can be in your life. Then, trust Him, and look to Him for EVERYTHING.