THE LORD LIVES

Passage: Psalms 18:20-50

Key verse: 46

NIV

20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(A)
    according to the cleanness of my hands(B) he has rewarded me.(C)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;(D)
    I am not guilty of turning(E) from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;(F)
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless(G) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(H)
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful(I) you show yourself faithful,(J)
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure(K) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(L)
27 You save the humble(M)
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.(N)
28 You, Lord, keep my lamp(O) burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.(P)
29 With your help(Q) I can advance against a troop[a];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect:(R)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;(S)
    he shields(T) all who take refuge(U) in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?(V)
    And who is the Rock(W) except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength(X)
    and keeps my way secure.(Y)
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(Z)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.(AA)
34 He trains my hands for battle;(AB)
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains(AC) me;
    your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path(AD) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.(AE)

37 I pursued my enemies(AF) and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them(AG) so that they could not rise;(AH)
    they fell beneath my feet.(AI)
39 You armed me with strength(AJ) for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries(AK) before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs(AL) in flight,
    and I destroyed(AM) my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them(AN)—
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.(AO)
42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;(AP)
    I trampled them[b] like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.(AQ)
People I did not know(AR) now serve me,
44     foreigners(AS) cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;(AT)
    they come trembling(AU) from their strongholds.(AV)

46 The Lord lives!(AW) Praise be to my Rock!(AX)
    Exalted be God(AY) my Savior!(AZ)
47 He is the God who avenges(BA) me,
    who subdues nations(BB) under me,
48     who saves(BC) me from my enemies.(BD)
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man(BE) you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;(BF)
    I will sing(BG) the praises of your name.(BH)

50 He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,(BI)
    to David(BJ) and to his descendants forever.(BK)

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 18:29 Or can run through a barricade
  2. Psalm 18:42 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Targum (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); Masoretic Text I poured them out
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

20 The Lord dealt with me (A)according to my righteousness;
    according to (B)the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have (C)kept the ways of the Lord,
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For (D)all his rules[a] were before me,
    and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was (E)blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With (F)the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
    and with (G)the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save (H)a humble people,
    but (I)the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my (J)lamp;
    the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can (K)leap over (L)a wall.
30 This God—his way is (M)perfect;[b]
    the word of the Lord (N)proves true;
    he is (O)a shield for all those who (P)take refuge in him.

31 For (Q)who is God, but the Lord?
    And who is (R)a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who (S)equipped me with strength
    and made my way (T)blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a (U)deer
    and set me secure on (V)the heights.
34 He (W)trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand (X)supported me,
    and your (Y)gentleness made me great.
36 You (Z)gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
    and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
    they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
    you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies (AA)turn their backs to me,[c]
    and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 (AB)They cried for help, but there was none to save;
    they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as (AC)dust before the wind;
    I cast them out like (AD)the mire of the streets.

43 You delivered me from (AE)strife with the people;
    you made me (AF)the head of the nations;
    (AG)people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
    (AH)foreigners (AI)came cringing to me.
45 (AJ)Foreigners lost heart
    and (AK)came trembling out of their fortresses.

46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
    and (AL)subdued peoples under me,
48 who rescued me from my enemies;
    yes, you (AM)exalted me above those who rose against me;
    you delivered me from (AN)the man of violence.

49 (AO)For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
    and (AP)sing to your name.
50 Great (AQ)salvation he brings to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to his (AR)anointed,
    to (AS)David and his offspring forever.

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 18:22 Or just decrees
  2. Psalm 18:30 Or blameless
  3. Psalm 18:40 Or You gave me my enemies' necks
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. I have kept myself blameless (2

-29)

David had two opportunities to kill Saul (1Sa 24:8-13; 26:8-11). He would have been justified in doing so, because Saul was pursuing him like a dog looking for a flea. But Saul was the Lord's anointed, so David did not touch him. David feared God and kept his laws even when he was fleeing for his life. God rewarded him. To the faithful, God shows himself faithful; to the pure he shows himself pure. He saves the humble, but brings the mighty crashing down. God himself kept the lamp of David burning down through the generations to Jesus.

2. God's way and word are flawless (3

-5

)

When we take refuge in God, he equips us to fight our enemy Satan. He arms us with strength by making our feet like the sure-footed feet of a deer. When one's inner life and actions match like the feet of a deer, God's strength flows in. God promised that Abraham's descendants would possess the gates of their enemies; God kept that promise in David; he keeps it today when his servants conquer the strongholds of the nations of the world with the gospel.

Prayer: Lord, make my heart pure; make my feet like the feet of the deer. Help me to defeat Satan today.

One Word: The Lord lives; trust him wholly