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Have you felt pressure – trials and tribulations?
During the last week I read slowly through 2 Samuel 22. You might be thinking, “Where is 2 Samuel in the Bible?”
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus… keep going… Joshua, Judges, Ruth… there it is, right after 1 Samuel… 2 Samuel!
Why 2 Samuel 22? It is a Psalm of God’s Deliverance. David writes this song after his son Absalom takes over his throne while David escaped to the desert. In the process of David being restored as king, his son Absalom is killed. David loved his son more than his throne.
Not only is 2 Samuel 22 about a major trial of David’s – if not his greatest trial – it is written toward the end of his life. David lived to be 70 years old. David’s last psalm is 2 Samuel 23. Second Samuel 22 is longer than the one in chapter 23 and this psalm reflects his entire life.
A life of being a shepherd, killing a lion and a bear, fighting Goliath with only a sling and stone, coming in from the field one day and being anointed as king, running from Saul’s jealousy, many wars, palace intrigue, sinning with Bathsheba, writing 73 Psalms, a man of the flesh whom God loved, his kingdom taken and restored, and being told by God that his throne would never end – some scholars teach that Jesus ascended David’s throne.
A very long paragraph above! I do not write long paragraphs in Interruptions, but with David’s life, an exception must be made.
As you read 2 Samuel 22 you sense a life of struggle, sin, forgiveness, and final victory. David’s life ended well. This chapter explains how:
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge… (v. 1)
He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy… (vv. 17-18)
You enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped… (v. 37)
My favorite verse:
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and He sets me on high places. (v. 34)
Have you witnessed elk run in the Rocky Mountains? If not, YouTube “mountain goats in high places.” They run up and down, over rocks, and on cliffs.
The Lord giving us “hinds’ feet” in danger is a promise to remember.
I sometimes write about things that I hope to experience. David writes in this chapter about what he did experience. King David is a name most will know – even today. Reading in one chapter his cumulative life lessons – wow!
Read 2 Samuel 22 next week!