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¹ The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
    How great is his joy in the victories you give!

² You have granted him his heart’s desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.
³ You came to greet him with rich blessings
    and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
⁴ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him –
    length of days, for ever and ever.
⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
    you have bestowed on him splendour and majesty.
⁶ Surely you have granted him unending blessings
    and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the Lord;
    through the unfailing love of the Most High
    he will not be shaken.

⁸ Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
    your right hand will seize your foes.
⁹ When you appear for battle,
    you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and his fire will consume them.
¹⁰ You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
    their posterity from mankind.
¹¹ Though they plot evil against you
    and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
¹² You will make them turn their backs
    when you aim at them with drawn bow.

¹³ Be exalted in your strength, Lord;
    we will sing and praise your might.

This is prayer after the battle. When David showed up on the battlefield, the God to whom he had prayed also showed up (see v.9a). In fact, He was there first! It’s been pointed out that in verse 3 the verb ‘to get there ahead of/get there first’ is used of the Lord ‘anticipating’ our needs. Where we maybe expected trouble, He meets us with ”rich blessings”. Also note that what is life for the king (God’s presence on the field: compare verse 6 – it’s the same word) is death to his foes.

In answering David’s prayer God gave him a form of glory as king (5). But the thrust of this psalm is David and all the people saying, ‘To God be all the glory.’ Read through the psalm again, and you will see that the emphasis is totally upon the Lord and what He has done. For sure, David played his part, but all that he did was in the ”strength” of his divine enabler (1,6).

May we never neglect to give the Lord the thanks and glory that are due to His Name (Lk.17:11-19).

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
    may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
² May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and grant you support from Zion.
³ May he remember all your sacrifices
    and accept your burnt offerings.
⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart
    and make all your plans succeed.
⁵ May we shout for joy over your victory
    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

⁶ Now this I know:
    the Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
    with the victorious power of his right hand.
⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
⁸ They are brought to their knees and fall,
    but we rise up and stand firm.
⁹ Lord, give victory to the king!
    Answer us when we call! NIVUK

Make the king a winner GOD; the day we call, give us your answer. (9) The Message

It is evident that the writer of this psalm (David again) believes in the power of prayer because he believes in the prayer-answering God (see e.g. vv.6/9). The whole psalm exudes confidence in the Lord. David has the assurance that he and his armies will be victorious in ”the name” of the LORD (1,5,7). The ‘Name’ represents all that God is.

It is believed that this psalm is a prayer before battle. ‘David was going out to battle, and he and his people gathered to pray. His secret of victory was in the name of the Lord (v.1)…’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

Alec Motyer makes the important point regarding verse 3 that ‘Prayer must happen in the context of the sacrifices God has authorized, i.e. for us, prayer resting on Calvary.’

What battles lie ahead of you this day? You can pray before you enter them, and trust God to be with you. He has a good Name – a great Name – and He will not let you down.

‘In the Name of Jesus we have the victory.’

By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from wilful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. NIVUK

In the ‘New Bible Commentary’, Alec Motyer provides this outline of Psalm 19:

• The voice of creation: paradox (1-6). This paradox is that ‘The notion of a Creator is conveyed but there is not the verbal revelation we need’;
• The voice of the word: perfection (7-10);
• The voice of the sinner: praying (11-14). He says, ‘Here is one who has come under the influence of the divine word.’

I find myself keeping company with David in this nineteenth psalm:

• I need forgiveness: I can say that I am aware of sin (sins) in me, or potential sins, the thought of which is distressing to me. But I also have other sins that are currently hidden from me. I’m not aware of them; but God is, and I need His forgiveness for every sin. We can thank Him that 1 John 1:9 is true: ” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”;
• I need freedom: Not only do I need cleansing for what I am, for what I have done, and do, I also need the freedom to live differently. Freedom from sin’s penalty, certainly. But also freedom from its power. I need God’s grace imparted so that I don’t persist in doing what I ought not to do. This freedom is ours in Christ. See, e.g. Rom.6:12-14: ”Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

As the psalm ends, we can see that a fundamental element of the pursuit of godliness involves a heart soaked in God’s written revelation.

” Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Rom.12:2

You may want to use this prayer as your own today:

”There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
    and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
    Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
    Keep me from stupid sins,
    from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
    scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
    these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
    on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
    God, Priest-of-My-Altar.” The Message

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward. NIVUK

God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The Message

Although there is this glorious revelation of God in the natural universe (1-6), His fullest revelation of Himself comes to us in His written Word (and ultimately in Jesus, the living Word, who we meet at the heart of the written Word). If David could say all these lovely things about the incomplete Bible in his hands, how much more can we say them of both testaments of Scripture which are now in our possession? Oh what ‘soul’ refreshment we find here! What wisdom, joy, light, sweetness in its pages! How it gives us a firm footing!

The word ”trustworthy” (7) stood out as I read this morning. In this ‘information age’ We are subjected to a barrage of sources: so many news outlets, comments, opinions – plus lots of conspiracy theories. I wonder whether, like me, you sometimes find yourself asking, ‘Can I really believe this? Is it true or am I being deceived, lied to? Is there another agenda at play here, bending the truth to fit with some powerful person’s ideology?’

It is such a relief to know, living in an unstable world such as ours, that there is a ”firm” place for our feet. The chorus I learned in Sunday School is true: ‘The best book to read is the Bible.’

Best by far!

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, wrote many books, read many books, and often recommended books to others. But he said that he wanted to be a man of just one book, the Bible. This quote is from his ‘Preface to standard sermons:

‘To candid, reasonable men, I am not afraid to lay open what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have thought, I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: just hovering over the great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end He came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be “homo unius libri.” ‘

 The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth. NIVUK

The ‘Rev Creation’ has been in his pulpit for the longest time, preaching the longest sermon ever, and everyone, everywhere can understand him. The paradox is that without the use of spoken words he speaks. Surely no one could be bored by this glorious preaching? Yet the sad fact is that not everyone heeds:

 ”The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” Romans 1:18-21 NIVUK.

As I write these words on a breathtakingly beautiful morning in Coverdale, I know that all nature is proclaiming the reality of God. I wonder how many are listening?

At the centre of the ‘preaching’ ”heavens” there lies ”the sun”. Many years ago, I had a book about the sun. When I read just a part of this volume, I thought back then (and I still do) that for someone to merely pause and think about the sun must lead them to a sense of awe and wonder.

But as wonderful as God’s revelation of Himself in nature is, we need the fullness of His unveiling in Christ to complete the picture.

‘The created order both tells and does not tell: it speaks to our intuitions, that there is a glorious God who created such marvels, but its message is limited – it cannot tell about him – and confusing, for the beauty of the hills tells one truth and the storm and volcano another.’ Alec Motyer

I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ 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.
⁷ The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him –
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
¹³ The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²² All his laws are before me;
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³ I have been blameless before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶ to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
²⁷ You save the humble
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
²⁸ You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.
²⁹ With your help I can advance against a troop;
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect:
    the Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
³⁶ You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I crushed them so that they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
³⁹ You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them –
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.
⁴² I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
    I trampled them like mud in the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁴     foreigners cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵ They all lose heart;
    they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be God my Saviour!
⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me,
    who subdues nations under me,
⁴⁸     who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.

⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
    to David and to his descendants for ever.

It seems to me that verse 29 encapsulates a central truth of this wonderful psalm: namely, that although David was fully engaged in the fight, he only achieved what he did by the grace of God. Psalm 18 is so God-focussed, so God-glorifying, that we are a long way into it before David starts to speak of his own involvement. We might say from the description at the top of the psalm, that this one was written at the height of David’s ‘success’. But it is not an exercise in self-promotion. David is saying, ‘To God be all the glory.’ This is the psalm’s heartbeat.

In 1 Cor.3:9 Paul writes, ”For we are God’s fellow workers”. Again, in 2 Cor.6:1 he says, ”As God’s fellow workers…” (ESV).

Someone said, ‘Without Him we cannot; without us He will not.’

Similarly it has been said, ‘Work as if it all depends on you, and pray as if it all depends on God.’

It most certainly does! David knew this well. Listen to his testimony in Psalm 18. Feel his spiritual pulse

‘David did not take credit for his victories; he gave all the glory to the Lord. Whatever David had, God gave it to him; whatever he was, God made him; whatever he did, God enabled him. Blessed be the name of the Lord!’ Warren W. Wiersbe

¹ Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer –
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.
² Let my vindication come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.

³ Though you probe my heart,
    though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
    my mouth has not transgressed.
⁴ Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.
⁵ My steps have held to your paths;
    my feet have not stumbled.

⁶ I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
⁷ Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.
⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

¹⁰ They close up their callous hearts,
    and their mouths speak with arrogance.
¹¹ They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
¹² They are like a lion hungry for prey,
    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

¹³ Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;
    with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
¹⁴ By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
    from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
    may their children gorge themselves on it,
    and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

¹⁵ As for me, I shall be vindicated and shall see your face;
    when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness. NIVUK

‘The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble…The human condition teeters on the edge of disaster. Human beings are in trouble most of the time. Those who don’t know they are in trouble are in the worst trouble. Prayer is the language of the people who are in trouble and know it, and who believe or hope that God can get them out.’ Eugene Peterson

This psalm opens and closes with the idea of ‘vindication’. At the outset David prays for his vindication, and at the end he is sure of it. He has the conviction that his prayer will be answered.

It seems that David was not only in danger, but was also being falsely accused at the time he wrote this psalm. However he was confident of his integrity – that he was not guilty as charged -because he was ‘Bible man’. God’s Word had kept him on the right path; prevented him from veering to the left or the right. He had followed God’s revealed way.

I’m not trying to get my way
    in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get your way,
    your Word’s way.
I’m staying on your trail;
    I’m putting one foot
In front of the other.
    I’m not giving up (vv.4,5 The Message)

The keeping power of Scripture is referenced elsewhere. For example, ps.119: 9,11:

”How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word…I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Someone observed, ‘This Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Book,’

(Just after writing this piece, I read an article by James Mumford, about his experience in a ’12 step programme’. I thought these words were relevant to the above. See what you think: ‘This may not be true of all therapy, but the therapeutic intervention I experienced as a patient in a psychiatric hospital I found profoundly demoralizing. Being told by a psychologist that “values are subjective” made me feel worse, and left me more depressed. Why? Because in the grip of depression, the only things I knew to be true about the world were certain orienting convictions about right and wrong – that abuse is always wicked, and goodness not merely a matter of perspective. But these were convictions my psychologist was inadvertently contesting when he – with all the authority of his credentials – informed me that morality is merely “externally imposed by society.” He was taking a sledgehammer to my moral compass; I was left reeling, bereft of coordinates, consigned to the position of those the psalmist speaks about: “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?” (Psalm 4:6).”)

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.’
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    ‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. NIVUK

‘God gives wisdom if you will ask Him (James 1:5). God teaches you in the darkness as well as in the light.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

If we want to be guided by God – to hear Him speaking to us in the day (and even the night) the set of the life is vital. It must be towards God:

”I keep my eyes always on the Lord.”

”Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” Col.3:1,2

When we do this we also, for example:

• find all our safety and satisfaction in God (1,2);
• treasure the fellowship of other believers (3);
• live joyfully (9);
• live hopefully, and expectantly, of the glorious future ahead of us (9-11)

It has been pointed out that, as with psalm 15, this one is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, and in us through Him.

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose way of life is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbour,
    and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person
    but honours those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken. NIVUK

The ‘Westminster Shorter Catechism declares: ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.’

It is important to say that this psalm is not teaching salvation by good works. Nevertheless, it does underline the point that we are saved by a faith that works. Righteous living is expected of those who claim to know God through Jesus. Furthermore, our enjoyment of fellowship with God will be adversely affected by careless living. (The idea behind ”dwell’ in v.1 is ‘stay as a guest’). If we want to ‘enjoy’ God, we must carefully order our steps. (We know from the New Testament especially, that the Holy Spirit will enable us).

Maybe ‘The Message’ carries a sense of this:

”God, who gets invited
    to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

² “Walk straight,
    act right,
        tell the truth.

^3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend,
    don’t blame your neighbour;
        despise the despicable.

⁵ “Keep your word even when it costs you,
    make an honest living,
        never take a bribe.

“You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you live like this.”

‘Here is the holiness without which no one sees God (Heb.12:14), covering conduct, conversation and relationships (2-3), values, integrity and financial contentment (4-5).’ Alec Motyer

All of life matters to God, and is to be offered to Him as worship.

It should be said that, ultimately, this psalm is fulfilled only by Jesus; but to the extent that it is fulfilled in us, it is because of Him.