First Mennonite Church
July 10, 2016
Hope Even in the Face of Death
Text: Psalm 18:1-6
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Have you had a near-death experience? Do you recall a time when you thought you were going to die? My mother told me that when I was four months old I got a gastro-intestinal infection that almost killed me. Obviously, I have no memory of that. But I remember what I still believe was my closest call with death. For a short period of time I worked in the field for a large livestock company. One day during the rainy season and after working near a river I decided I should swim across the river and back. But the current, although not visibly strong, was taking me farther away from where I entered the water. I started fighting the current which made me get tired fast. I remember I started to struggle to stay above water because my arms were aching and I felt I did not have an ounce more of strength in me to continue swimming. I started going under water. But suddenly I touched the branch of a tree that had fallen into the river and I held it and gently pulled myself to the edge of the water afraid the rotten twig would break. I was so relieved to be back on dry land again.
Psalm 18 is a song of David after being delivered by God from the hands of his enemies. The words of this psalm are almost word for word of what we find in 2 Samuel chapter 22. There, David praised God for delivering him from the hands of King Saul who was seeking to kill David. Before David became king of Israel, Saul was king. But after Saul disobeyed the words of the Lord as commanded to him through the prophet Samuel, Saul became depressed. Saul’s terrible mood is described in a rather interesting manner. In 1Samuel 16, verses 14 and 15 we read:
Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil
spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul’s servants
said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
Samuel says God is the source of the evil spirit. We usually do not see God as the source of evil things and much less of an evil spirit. But Saul’s anger and depressed mood were attributed to an evil spirit sent by God.
Saul became very jealous of David for the grace God had bestowed upon David. Saul’s own son was a close friend of David. The people of Israel loved David too. Therefore, consumed with rage and jealousy, Saul became determined to kill David. David had to flee and hide from Saul. At least on four occasions David had close calls with death from the hands of Saul (1Sam. 18: 10; 19:10; 23:26; 24). But every time David’s life was in great danger God intervened to deliver him from the hands of King Saul and his men.
When David finally became king of Israel, he composed this song. He employed every possible word he could find to describe God’s faithful protection. David began with an open declaration of his love for God. “I love, you O Lord,” David sang. David’s heart rang with a song of love and thanksgiving.
It is hard not to speak well of those we love. It is hard to not praise someone we love. Whether it is our spouse, children, or a close friend that we love, we cannot help but openly express our love.
David knew so well how much God had done for him. David was almost discounted altogether the day Samuel was sent to Jesse’s house to anoint the Lord’s new king to replace Saul. Samuel had to ask if he was missing someone else in the household. David was out in the fields taking care of his father’s sheep. God chose the youngest of 8 brothers to be king (1Sam. 16). But that was not all. David had experienced God’s deliverance even as he watched and defended his flock. God had done so much for David that love for God grew in his heart. He therefore expressed his love to God so openly. I love you O Lord. David called God: his strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, horn of salvation, and stronghold. David had had extremely difficult events during his life time. The context of this song in 2 Samuel is when David was at the end of his life. This song must have been composed in light of everything David had experienced. David had had marriage problems, not only infidelity on his part, but his first wife was taken away from him and given to another man (1Sam. 25:44). David had seen the death of four of his children. David had suffered humiliation and the threat of usurpation of his throne by his son. But in each of these very difficult moments in his life, David had also seen the grace and faithfulness of God. Therefore each word David used to express the reason for his love to God describes God’s power, protection, and defense against the raging storm. God was David’s strength in times of weakness or wreckage in his life. God had been the solid rock or fortress in times of danger and life-threatening situations. God had been David’s deliverer when war and death seemed like a net cast over him to trap him like a bird. Thus he says:
The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
But right then David exclaims:
In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm 18 witnesses to the faithfulness of God. The Lord is available to everyone who calls on his name. He listened to the cries of David when his life was dangerously in jeopardy. God listened to the aching heart of David as he lamented the loss of his children. God was a refuge to David’s burning conscience when David confessed his transgressions.
This Psalm is more about God than it is about David. This Psalm highlights the sovereignty of God but also his concern and his readiness to those who trust him. Even when David seemed to have come to hopeless situations, when death seemed to have entangled and encompassed his life, God came to his rescue. This is the message about God in the entire Bible.
The Apostle Paul says that when we were dead in our trespasses, when we were aliens and non-members of the chosen people, God sent his Son to give us life, to make us members of his chosen people. What is even more amazing about the working of God in Christ is that he gives us a hope that goes beyond our short lives on earth. This is what Hebrews 6 tells us, which in part reads: “We who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered. . . .”
Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have a hope and therefore death cannot keep us entangled in its tentacles. The resurrection of Jesus is our sure hope upon which our soul is anchored and steadfastly grounded.
Psalm 18 is a comforting word for us today. When hopelessness seems to engulf us on every side, we should remember that we have a place of refuge. We have a rock upon which we can stand when the ground shakes. We have a source of inner strength when our spirit is struck by fear and anxiety. Let us stand in hope when signs of hopelessness arise. Let us share about this hope to those who feel hopeless that Jesus and his resurrection are our sure hope, for today and forever.
Let us continue singing of our love for God. Let us bow down and say to the Lord, I love you Lord as we sang just a while ago. Sing it with a grateful heart. Sing it with a hopeful heart. The Lord is our shield, fortress, strength and salvation. To his name be all glory and honor. Amen.
Let us pray:
Our dear Lord God, we love you too. Your kindness, faithfulness and protection never fail. We thank you again for your new mercies today. We bow down before you to praise and acknowledge your goodness to us every day. In the name of Jesus. Amen!
Pastor Romero