Psalm 18 is a psalm that we can learn a lot from. It speaks about a very active God in heaven and about a wholehearted man on earth who really wants to do God's will.
It begins with this wholehearted statement from David: “How I love you, Lord! You are my defender. The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.” Psalm 18:1-2 (GNT).
You can really build something on such a foundation. David stood on this foundation in difficult times when Saul wanted to kill him. Then he cried out to his God, and God heard him. It was the prayer of a righteous man, pure and sincere, and God was quick to react: “Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered, because God was angry. Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.” Psalm 18:7-8 (GNT).
There was another very special reaction and action by God: “The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me out of the deep waters. He rescued me.” Psalm 18:16-17 (GNT). What an action and energy! The result was a great victory!
The whole psalm is a blow against false grace and false preaching—the preaching that takes away our personal responsibility to keep our side of the covenant. It is a false preaching that says that it doesn’t really matter what we do because “everything is by grace”. True grace leads to work and action. What God does is often a reaction to our actions and the desire of our heart. This is how God is honoured, for it is He who works both to will and to do (Philippians 2:13); but He cannot do anything without our obedience.
David understood this, and when he thought about God's mighty help and wonders, he said, “The Lord rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent.” Psalm 18:20 (GNT). For David, God's answer to his prayer was a reward for his wholehearted effort. He had kept the laws of the Lord; all His laws were before him, and he stayed far away from sinning. (Psalm 18:21-23.) What a great man of God in the old covenant!
In Psalm 18:25-26 (GNT) David repeats that it was the Lord's reward because he was pure before the Lord's eyes. “O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you; completely good to those who are perfect. You are pure to those who are pure...” But is very serious what he says next: “…but hostile to those who are wicked.” Another translation says, “You will lead the devious astray.” In other words, such a person is led astray and will never get to know David's God.
For David everything was so clear. Is it just as clear for me? How do I see my situations, my fellow men, my brothers, the church, even God Himself? The little wrongs that we see in the others are often the same wrongs that are in our own hearts. This was not so in David's heart; therefore God could be so totally one with him in His mighty power.
David was led from victory to victory. “God’s way is perfect,” David says in verse 30 (GW). In other words, he had nothing to complain about.
The rest of the psalm is a testimony of constant victory, of the total destruction of the enemy. He uses the strongest expressions, like running against a troop, leaping over a wall, going after the enemies till they were destroyed. All enemies were totally destroyed, with the result that the psalm ends with praises to God who had shown such mercy to His anointed, to David. David did not claim any honour for himself.
God has not changed during all these years. As He treated David, so He treats you and me. He treats all people the same. The only thing that matters is how we have it in our heart.
The whole psalm starts with: “How I love you, Lord! You are my defender.” Psalm 18:1 (GNT). If this is true in us, God will move heaven and earth for our sakes.