2 Samuel 22 Commentary
This song of praise here seems to have been written during the good old days of King David. For in the song he says, “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.”
David’s later years were different, and he would write: “Surely I was sinful at birth.”
Many psalms were written during David’s golden years. Take note that these were years of persecution and general difficulties. Or days spent under the hot desert sun tending sheep. Otherwise, it would be the heavenly tranquility of the countryside – a picture fully displayed in Psalm 23.
There is something negative about affluence: it is strangely never good soil for great spirituality. While running away from Saul, David thinks of God as his refuge. The saint on the throne may think of God as his ATM or simply a good friend to have.
The key theme centers on the thought that the LORD has delivered David from more powerful and stronger enemies. Praise still remains an acknowledgment of the works of the LORD. Importantly, it is a celebration of God’s faithfulness. He had promised to grant Israel victory against stronger nations.
David looks back and compares the LORD’s presence with him to the time when the LORD descended on Mount Sinai. Of course, David is talking too much by comparing his scraped escapes from Saul to the glorious experiences at Mount Sinai. But he is right!
This psalm encompasses numerous themes that are further developed in the broader collection of David’s literature, the Psalms. (A significant number of them are attributed to David)
This psalm presents a transcendent God. He shields all who take refuge in Him. Verse 31. No one should feel permanently disadvantaged. You, too, can take refuge in Him!
We are reminded of the times when Joshua marched into Canaan with victory after victory in a single campaign. David’s victories rewrite Israel’s history. Through David, the LORD achieves the promised greatness for Israel.
No one reads the great psalms of David without being interrupted by Chapter 11, the Bathsheba chapter. In essence, the chapter interrupts a period of peace, prosperity, and increase. It is a minus on the blessing of the LORD. In essence, it subtracts from our hopes and aspirations. At the same time, it tells us that man’s problem isn’t exactly oppression from external enemies like the Philistines. It’s not even a lack of a consistent income or physical wellbeing. Humanity’s problem is sin.
Look at the praise song again. It celebrates David’s victory over Israel’s enemies. See how one enemy lurks and successfully conquers David in Chapter 11! The good news of the LORD Jesus is that we can experience victory over this special enemy.
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