“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
Rock here is crag which means a steep or rugged cliff which is sought for refuge. The Hebrew word is Sela. Thus, God is unmoving. He is Strength. A fortress in these times was essential for survival against enemies. He is my deliverer. He is active in rescuing me from perilous situations. He saves. He liberates.
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
This rock is a different Hebrew word. It is tsur. It is a strong rock or cliff or bedrock. He is my continual and unmoving refuge. The previous 'rock' is specific for a purpose. This 'rock' seems to be continuous.
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
A shield is for defense. Horn is a symbol of strength and is also a reference for Jesus (
Luke 1:69). As a refuge, God is my sanctuary in times of trouble.
My savior, You save me from violence.
God is my savior and in
Titus 2:13, savior is also Jesus Christ. God intervenes to save us from physical harm, but also from spiritual harm.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
David calls because he knows God to be trustworthy and he is thankful to God. There is a response always to God after He provides of thankfulness and turning to Him. There is an immediate recognition that God is the source of our deliverance and so we return to Him praise and thanksgiving. We are thankful to God for his power, his faithfulness, his righteousness.
And I am saved from my enemies.
At numerous times, God intercedes. He is the reason my enemies are not victorious over me. Exodus 14:30, "That day the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians." Psalm 34:17, "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." God hears and God acts. Sometimes in these days, it seems that our enemies are not as clear. Our true enemy is Satan today who wants to get us off track of our spiritual purpose in life.
For the waves of death encompassed me;
Waves are sorrows. Water often symbolized chaos and destruction.
The floods of destruction terrified me;
Floods are torrents in the King James Version. Thus, the danger is overwhelming. There is a disorder and confusion that I simply cannot face alone. In times of trouble, I need people close. It is no fun to be sick alone, to ache in pain, to experience a virus.
The ropes of Sheol surrounded me;
The ropes or cords of Sheol refer to being ready to be devoured. This is being in a place of separation from God. It is darkness. Once again, it is overwhelming.
The snares of death confronted me.
Snares are traps. "For the wages of sin is death." Sin results in death. Sin traps me. The reality in all of these phrases is the trap of falling into sin is real.
In my distress I called upon the Lord,
So what does the Christian do in this situation of distress? Call upon the Lord. He is the reliable one. I have faith in Him. I can trust in Him. This should be an automatic response of God's people.
Yes, I called out to my God;
It is a repetitious calling out. It is not one time. We often do not pray one time but continually pray for God to intercede.
And from His temple He heard my voice,
The temple was not yet built in David's time. But it symbolizes God's dwelling place and in that place God is ready to hear me. Church is often this place for all people. Though we can call upon God anywhere, at any time, we always see Church is that place where God for sure hears us.
And my cry for help came into His ears.
God hears me. It is one thing to cry out. It is another to be heard. The baby or child that cries out to its mother and the mother picks up the child. To be heard is to be known. I want to be know, to be seen, to be heard.
Then the earth shook and quaked,
This is the earth responding to God's presence. This is God making himself known to His people. The natural disasters in life that are sometimes horrific in tearing apart lands - hurricanes, earthquakes - violent upheaval of land.
The foundations of heaven were trembling
And the extent of these disasters are so immense they reach heaven. Here, judgment is real. It is interesting, we want God to deal with sin individually in a person's life, but not globally. And we are also quick to not ascribe famines or disasters to him. We don't want the judging God. We want the God to only be one of comfort.
And were shaken, because He was angry.
But the reality is God's anger is real. This shaking and upheaval is in response to God's indignation and his anger towards sin.
Smoke went up out of His nostrils,
This snorting. In movies or cartoons, this is anger where smoke is coming out of every opening on an animal or person's faith, often from his nose or ears. The anger is so intense. We will often say, "He is blowing off steam."
And fire from His mouth was devouring;
Fire destroys. Fire purifies. With food, fires takes something raw and purifies it.
Coals were kindled by it.
The hot coals kindle and let off heat to seer something, often food. Again there is purification. God is going to cleanse people. He is going to take that which is present and change it.
He also bowed the heavens down low, and came down
God can manipulate the heavens for his purpose. And he came down, he appears, he makes himself known. In Jesus He made Himself known to people. John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and dwells among us." God makes himself known to his people. He is active in making himself known. He is clear. God is to be seen. In Jesus, he wants to make himself known.
With thick darkness under His feet.
In Revelation 1:7, "He is coming with the clouds." Thick darkness in the King James is think clouds. The pillar of cloud guided the Israelites. There is God's mystery. There is God's majesty. The cloud is moving across the earth. There is authority and returning of God. In a storm, the clouds come down and are in the middle of us. He comes down to us.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
Cherubim are often depicted as angelic beings. God rode beyond human limitations. He is omnipresent. He is omniscience.
He appeared on the wings of the wind.
God moves, unhindered by earthly constraints. Wind often is the Spirit of God. He is swift in His movement.
He made darkness canopies around Him,
This darkness is not evil but rather a representation of God's unapproachable holiness and glory. The canopy signifies protection and authority, much like a king's tent, indicating God's sovereign rule over creation.
Exodus 20:11, "Moses approached the thick darkness where God was."
A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.
The thick clouds symbolize God's ability to bring both judgment and blessing, as clouds can bring rain or storms.
From the brightness before Him
God's presences is often associated with brightness, overwhelming light. It is purity, holy, and unapproachable light.
Coals of fire were kindled.
Fire represents divine judgment. And God has ultimate authority.
The Lord thundered from heaven,
God intervenes.
And the Most High uttered His voice.
He speaks into people's lives. God's message is clear to His people.
And He shot arrows and scattered them,
God is precise in taking care of man's enemies.
Lightning, and routed them.
God uses nature to accomplish his purposes.
Then the channels of the sea appeared,
God makes a way where there seems to be no way.
The foundations of the world were exposed
The beginning of the earth were laid bare.
By the rebuke of the Lord,
God expresses disapproval.
From the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
God's breath expresses his power. I think of a superman movie in which someone blows and people go swirling. There is a power in the breath.
He sent from on high, He took me;
From His exalted position, God reaches down.
He drew me out of many waters.
God removes me from the most difficult of situations.
He rescued me from my strong enemy,
God intervenes on behalf of his people.
From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
Believers are to rely on God's strength and not their own.
They confronted me on the day of my disaster,
David experienced intense distress, trial and danger.
But the Lord was my support.
But David can always rely on God for his strength in any situation.
He also brought me out into an open place;
God took him away from confinement and moved him to open space to freely be.
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
God has a favor toward David. David is chosen and loved by God.
I took my time in reviewing each line of this Song. What I saw are some consistent themes. God is my deliverer. I call on him. He hates sin. He will purify me. And He does this in a personal way. God comes to man. God comes down to man. God loves man.
