Before reading 2 Samuel 22, the next chapter in our reading and study of 2 Samuel, I spend time alone with God in the quiet of the first hour of the day.  This is a daily, much needed discipline that keeps my thinking on “higher ground.”  I journal my talk with God as I am easily distracted by my scattered thoughts.  Today, as I often do, I woke with a song on my heart from God. These songs come from a heart who seeks God.

Because I grew up in a very musical family, always involved in leading worship, from childhood through adulthood, God uses songs to get my attention. From my past childhood through adulthood, God uses songs of worship to encourage and comfort me for each new day as I praise Him! These songs give me the words to say to the One I have given my life to, songs that truly give glory and praise to God.  I love how God works in me like that! I love His gift of music with beautiful harmonies that pour out rich meaning for us while giving us words to worship and adore Him.  We were created to worship God! No doubt!

God gives men and women the words that declare His glory! “Wonderful Words of Life,” was the song I woke to this morning. The harmonies of this song were playing in the background as I prayed today, a hymn of my youth. I can still hear my Grandpa Lacquement leading the congregation in my mind!  I hear the tenor and bass from my dad and uncle. I hear the strong alto voice of my mom while my aunt carried the melody. Both were piano players.  I hear the rest of the congregation lift their voices in praise to our King of kings and Lord of lords!  Yes, these are wonderful words indeed on repeat in my mind!

Sing them over again to me
Wonderful words of life
Let me more of their beauty see
Wonderful words of life
Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty

Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life
Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life

Christ, the blessed One, gives to all
Wonderful words of life
Sinner, list to the loving call
Wonderful words of life
All so freely given
Wooing us to heaven

Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life
Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life

Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty

Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life
Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life

David was a great king, chosen by God because David was first a man “after the heart of God” as a lowly shepherd boy.  But David was not always a perfect man. David knew when he had grieved God with his sins and would repent. But there was a time when God used Nathan to admonish proud, arrogant David of his sin with Bathsheba and of her husband Uriah—first adultery followed by murder.  David was repentant to God first, “I have sinned against God” and knew consequences would follow.  David strayed but knew to come back to God, repent of his sins, and “inquire of God” once more before doing anything of significance for God and the people he led.  

We love David because he was gifted as a musician who wrote many songs of repentance, praise, holiness, the goodness of God, and many other wonderful, honest words of a life lived for and with God!  Here is one of David’s best; tucked into 2 Samuel for all to “sing” as we pause to just praise God!

2 Samuel 22

David’s Song of Praise

David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. ² He said:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
³     my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

⁴ “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
⁵ The waves of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁶ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁷ “In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came to his ears.
⁸ The earth trembled and quaked,
    the foundations of the heavens shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁹ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
¹⁰ He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
¹¹ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹² He made darkness his canopy around him—
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹³ Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning blazed forth.
¹⁴ The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁵ He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁶ The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
    at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

¹⁷ “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁸ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
²⁰ He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²¹ “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
²² For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²³ All his laws are before me;
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
²⁴ I have been blameless before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁵ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to my cleanness in his sight.

²⁶ “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁷ to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
²⁸ You save the humble,
    but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
²⁹ You, Lord, are my lamp;
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
³⁰ With your help I can advance against a troop;
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³¹ “As for God, his way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
³² For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
³³ It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
³⁴ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
³⁵ He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁶ You make your saving help my shield;
    your help has made me great.
³⁷ You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁸ “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁹ I crushed them completely, and they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
⁴⁰ You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.
⁴¹ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴² They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.
⁴³ I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
    I pounded and trampled them like mudin the streets.

⁴⁴ “You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples;
    you have preserved me as the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁵     foreigners cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁶ They all lose heart;
    they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁷ “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!
⁴⁸ He is the God who avenges me,
    who puts the nations under me,
⁴⁹     who sets me free from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁵⁰ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.

⁵¹ “He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
    to David and his descendants forever.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

What God did for David; He does for us! “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” writes Paul, (Romans 3:23). No one is good. “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this; while were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Every human on earth has sinned.  God knows because He sees our hearts. God knows each one of us by name.  In fact, God’s Word, the words of life and beauty of truth, tells us our name is written on the very palm of His Hand! (Isaiah 49:16)

God also knows our propensity to sin.  God created a plan from the beginning of creation to save us.  Jesus was there with Him and knew the plan.  That Plan was to remove our sins once and for all.  For centuries, sin was “covered” by animal sacrifice; but did not remove sin. The better, more complete way to deal with sin was Jesus, the perfect human sacrifice.  Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God, was the only one without sin.  He was the only one perfectly qualified and worthy to take our place of punishment and take our sins upon himself.  He became our sin and carried those sins willingly to the cross of shame and humiliation—all for us. 

“Come down from the cross and save yourself,” the crowd shouted with jeers to Jesus. These were people who knew not what they were doing.  But Jesus knew.  Jesus had each one of us on his mind and that is why Jesus held firm and did not come down although He had the power to do just that! How do we know?  Just before fulfilling His mission to save us; He prayed for his current disciples and followers, then He prayed for us—to be one with God as He was, He prayed that we would be One with each other. (John 17)

Jesus was/is/always will be the only Way to reconcile us back to God. Jesus’ death on the cross was payment in full for the removal of all the sins of the world. “Whoever” believed and repented of sins would have their sins removed! Forever! It is not God’s desire for anyone to perish but have eternal life with Him!  Can I get an amen?!

We have a God who loves, forgives, removes, and restores! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” –Jesus, John 3:16-17  God also gave His Holy Spirit to help us throughout life here as we prepare for life forever there with God!

These are the wonderful words that give Life! 

This is a reason to pause to praise right now!  To God be the glory, honor, and praise forever and ever, Amen