Pastor Billington's Blog

Psalm 18:31-42 “For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God, the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect? He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great. You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped. I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed. I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet. For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me. They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he didn’t answer them. Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets. You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations.”

While God may not be preparing us for physical battle as He did with David, we ARE involved in a spiritual battle that He equips us for. Each day we deal with thoughts, forces, and even people that want us to forsake God and His Word. We just have to be like David and use what God has given us if we want to see victory.

Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace, above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.”

For additional worship: As Thou, Oh Lord Hast Made me Strong

As Thou, O Lord, hast made me strong
To overcome my mighty foe,
So now to fight against the wrong
And conquer in Thy Name I go.

From strife Thou wilt deliver me,
And make the nations own my sway;
Strange peoples, when my power they see,
Shall come with trembling and obey.

Jehovah lives, and blest is He,
My rock, my refuge and defense,
My Savior Who delivers me,
And will the wicked recompense.

For grace and mercy ever near,
For foes subdued and victories won,
All nations of the earth shall hear
My praise for what the Lord has done.

To David, His anointed king,
And to his sons upon his throne,
The Lord will great salvation bring
And ever make His mercy known.

Psalm 18:25-30 “With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect. With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd. For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down. For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness. For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. The LORD’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.”

Here David seems to indicate that the way we relate to God determines the way he relates to us. Jesus echoes this when He says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Most of the statements here are positive, except “with the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.” At the beginning of the Psalm David says that he is writing in response to God saving him from his enemies and specifically mentions Saul. Could David have Saul in mind with that statement? Saul was corrupt, and he ended up having a “torturous” (literal translation of shrewd) relationship with God. If we are pure, mature, and merciful, there is nothing we can’t handle, because God promises He will be our light and our fortress!

For additional worship: God Moves In A Mysterious Way – Hymns for the Church

Psalm 18:20-24 “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his ordinances were before me. I didn’t put away his statutes from me. I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.”

This seems like a very didactic formula. “If A then B.” However, we should realize that the Lord does reward us for our righteousness. He rewards us with His presence. He rewards us with His Spirit. He rewards us with His love!

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

If we aren’t living for Him, then we can’t expect to experience His Spirit and His blessing.

Ephesians 4:30 “Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

For additional worship: Gracious Spirit Dwell With Me

Psalm 18:13-19 “The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts. Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.”

Has God ever drawn you out of many waters? Do you feel that God delights in you? Maybe you aren’t in the place you think you should be with God. Israel frequently wasn’t, but God continued to be faithful and was always there when they turned back to Him. Why? Because they were His and He delights in His own! Which means God delights in you too.

Psalm 149:4 “For the LORD takes pleasure in his people. He crowns the humble with salvation.”

Isaiah 62:3-4 “You will also be a crown of beauty in the LORD’s hand, and a royal diadem in your God’s hand. You will not be called Forsaken any more, nor will your land be called Desolate anymore; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD delights in you, and your land will be married.”

Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD, your God, is amongst you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”

For additional worship: Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above

Psalm 18:7-12 “Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry. Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.”

Do you remember a time God helped you in the past? Can you imagine Him as a dragon swooping in to help? Can you imagine the crashing power of a thunderstorm as God rides in to save you? This is what He did when he brought you out of the powers of darkness and into His kingdom. This is what He does when He responds to your cries for help and safety. This is how He feels when someone threatens His children! C.S. Lewis pictures Jesus Christ as a lion (Aslan) who is not safe and not tame. That’s a perfect description of God from this passage!

For additional worship: O Worship the King (Chris Tomlin)

Psalm 18:1-6 “For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, I love you, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me. In my distress I called on the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.”

Psalm 18 is a repeat! It’s so important that we have it twice:

2 Samuel 22:1-2 “David spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul, and he said: ‘The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;'”

Who is the Lord? He is our protector and deliverer. We can run to Him for safety and help. He is our strength and high tower. We can rely on Him, so we should call on Him and praise Him!

For additional worship: I Will Call Upon the Lord (Shane & Shane)

Psalm 17:8-15 “Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround me. They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly. They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth. He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places. Arise, LORD, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, LORD, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life. You fill the belly of your cherished ones. Your sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children. As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.”

David is calling out for God to preserve and bless Him again. Do we have a little eschatological enlightenment here? Every Israelite understood that they couldn’t see God and live (Exodus 33:20). So how can David say that He will be satisfied waking up and seeing God’s form? If sleep is likened to death, then David is looking forward to the time he will be with God in eternity!

How about David’s plea to continue to be the apple of God’s eye? Or the description of a baby bird under the wings of a mother? Perhaps Jesus had this in mind when he said:

Matthew 6:26 “See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?”

Here’s the thing: we ARE the apple of God’s eye through salvation, and we should WANT to be the apple of God’s eye by our behavior.

For additional worship: His Eye is on the Sparrow (Keith and Krysten)

Psalm 17:1-7 “A Prayer by David. Hear, LORD, my righteous plea. Give ear to my prayer that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips. Let my sentence come out of your presence. Let your eyes look on equity. You have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me, and found nothing. I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey. As for the deeds of men, by the word of your lips, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths. My feet have not slipped. I have called on you, for you will answer me, God. Turn your ear to me. Hear my speech. Show your marvelous loving kindness, you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.”

Here David cries out to God for vindication based on his own righteousness. We may be tempted to do the same. “God, help me because I’m righteous. Look at me and reward me!” However, we understand that it’s not our own righteousness that we should plead, but Christ’s righteousness. All our righteousness is as filthy rags. We receive mercy because of Jesus Christ:

Romans 8:33-34 “Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

And maybe this gives us some additional insight into praying in Jesus’ name. Perhaps the reminder is that God owes us nothing, but Jesus died so that God could give us everything! We pray in His name, remembering His sacrifice, and asking for God’s mercy.

For additional worship: “The Lovingkindness of the Lord” (Samuel Medley)

Awake, my soul, in joyful lays,
And sing the great Redeemer’s praise;
He justly claims a song from me-
His lovingkindness, O how free!
Lovingkindness, lovingkindness,
His lovingkindness, O how free!

He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me, notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my lost estate-
His lovingkindness, O how great!
Lovingkindness, lovingkindness,
His lovingkindness, O how great!

When trouble, like a gloomy cloud,
Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood-
His lovingkindness, O how good!
Lovingkindness, lovingkindness,
His lovingkindness, O how good!