1. David’s Psalm of Deliverance
(2 Samuel 22 & Psalm 18)

2. Introduction
2 Samuel 22 & Psalm 18 are parallel songs of praise, spoken on the day when the Lord delivered David from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul (2 Sam. 22:1; cf. Psa. 18:1).

3. A Personal God
Depicting God in personal terms, David says, “The Lord is my God,” “my deliverer,” ”my fortress, ”my refuge,” ”my rock,” ”my savior,” ”my shield and horn,” and “my stronghold”(vv. 2-3).

4. Past & Present Duty
He denotes his past and present duty: “I call upon the Lord…” (vv. 4, 7).

5. Peril
Illustrating his peril as “waves of death,” “torrents of destruction,” “cords of Sheol,” and “snares of death,” the Psalmist said, “I cried to my God” and “He heard my voice” (vv. 5-7).

6. Power
After recounting God’s awesome power, David said, “He sent from on high, and took me,” “He drew me out of many waters,” “He delivered me,” “He also brought me forth into a broad place,” and “He rescued me because He delighted in me”(vv. 8-20).

7. Conditional Provision
Acknowledging the conditional nature of God’s provision, David said, “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness… according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me…”(vv ).

8. Personal Empowerment
The Sweet Psalmist of Israel offers a poetic description of his personal empowerment: “For by You I can run upon a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall…” (vv ).

9. Future Responsibility
Finally, David closes with an acknowledgement of his future responsibility: “I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Your name” (vv ).

10. Conclusion
When we are discouraged and downcast, let us be encouraged through David’s example: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, Yes, I cried to my God; and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears” (2 Sam. 22:7).