One of my favorite
expressions is “we tend to find what we’re looking for.” One of the places that is especially true is
finding Jesus woven all through the Old Testament. Today’s study is about finding the gospel nestled
neatly inside Psalm 18. I’m in awe of
the step-by-step parallelism of the verses in the psalm and how they perfectly
reflect the truth of the gospel.
Psalm 18:19
“…He rescued me because He
delighted in me.”
Things to think about:
·
David
is singing, praising, celebrating his rescue by God from Saul
o
Psalm
18:3 – I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved
from my enemies.
o
In it
we find really strong parallels to the gospel
·
David
was victorious over his enemy, not because of his superior merit but because of
God’s mercy, power, and love.
o
This
story isn’t just for David but for you and me too.
·
Psalm
18:5 – “The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted
me.”
o
And that’s
just the condition each of faces without the saving grace of Jesus.
o
Ephesians
2:1-2 – “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which
you used to live when you followed the ways of this world…”
o
Before
you accepted Christ, do you have a recollection of the desperateness of your
situation?
·
Psalm
18:5 – “In my distress I called to the Lord, I cried to my God for help. From
His temple he heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears.”
o
Romans
10:13 – “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
o
Where
were you when you first called out to Him for help?
o
Did
you have the feeling that He heard you?
o
If
you aren’t sure if you’ve ever done this TODAY is an excellent day to do this.
·
Psalm
18:7 – “The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the mountains shook;”
o
Matthew
27:51b – “…The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open.”
o
At
the very moment Jesus died, the literal foundations of the earth trembled and
shook!
·
Psalm
18:9 – “He parted the heavens and came down.”
o
Matthew
27:51a – “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
o
The
visual representation of the separation of man from God because of sin was
dramatically and permanently torn.
·
Psalm
18:11 – “He made darkness His covering.”
o
Mark
15:33 – “At noon, darkness came over the whole land”
·
Psalm
18:16 – “He reached down from on high and took hold of me.”
o
Phil.3:12
– I press on to take hold off that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
·
Psalm
18:17 – “He rescued me from my powerful enemy…”
o
1
Cor.15:26, 54-55 – “The last enemy to be destroyed is Death.” “Death has been
swallowed up in victory. Where O death is thy victory, where O death is thy
sting?”
§
1
Cor. 15:57 – “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
o
The greatest
fear the enemy has to threaten us with has been defeated. Let’s meditate on that when we’re inclined to
worry.
·
Psalm
18:19 – “He brought me out into a spacious place, He rescued me because He
delighted in me.”
o
John
3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
o
God
has prepared a place for us that is wonderful infinitely beyond our ability to
comprehend it.
·
And
God’s love and grace don’t stop with our salvation, they are just getting started!
·
Today,
whatever is confronting you, remember that God is present, caring, capable, and
active. He will see you through to
victory. Amen and amen!
