April 10, 2021 -- Psalm 18:1-3 -- Delivered

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and 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,
and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 18:1-3 English Standard Version

Sometimes, when looking up the root meaning of a word in the original language, the meaning is pretty surprising. The focus today is on the title: Deliverer. David declares his love for the LORD “my Deliverer”. In Hebrew the word ‘deliverer’ means a number of different things—like it does in English.

In Job 20:21 Job notes that “their cows do not fail to deliver (to calve)”. So to deliver can mean to be delivered from the womb. Later in Psalm 18 the sense of the verb is to be delivered from one’s enemies (verses 43 & 48). Both of these senses of the verb ‘to deliver’ are combined here in the title the Spirit revealed through David’s prayer, My Deliverer.

The LORD our God delivers all those who cry out to Him. He is the Deliverer, all the work is His. Like an infant in the womb cannot deliver itself, but is delivered from the mother’s body—so the one who cries out to the LORD is delivered by the LORD—He alone is the Savior and He alone deserves the credit and the praise. The LORD delivers and brings from the place of danger and conflict to the refuge, the strong tower of defense on the craggy heights. The Deliverer is ‘my Deliverer’. Though many billions of people populate this planet, the LORD of heaven and earth is ‘my Deliverer’—He hears your cry and mine and He answers perfectly. Blessed be His Name.

Our prayer today are the verses 46-48 of Psalm 18:

The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from the man of violence.

The song of praise is often associated with Christmas. This is appropriate, but far too narrow. It celebrates the Deliverer this Psalm of David anticipates. Enjoy it!

https://youtu.be/K8-NxI_IWd0