32 “For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
33 This God is my strong refuge
and has made my way blameless.
34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your gentleness made me great.
37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip;
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;
they fell under my feet.
40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat them fine as the dust of the earth;
I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
Comment: v 32 is a clear statement of David’s commitment to the only True God. It is not popular today to claim a fact to be true truth and beyond question. David says God is the only God and He is the Foundation of life for me! vv 33-41 speaks of how God has prepared David to be the warrior and leader that he became. I understand what David is saying but I’m glad that God didn’t long term send me into the army; I am thankful for our defence forces but I hate the fact that war is ‘necessary’ in our fallen world. vv 42-43 are worth a lot of thought. Because I believe the Bible to be the Word of God I don’t wish to scrub these verses from the page but I want to understand them. The enemy was desperate, they were being conquered by a God ordained army under David. It says that they ‘cried to the Lord’, but what does that mean? Was it a similar cry to that which godless people often mouth when stressed -‘God’ they say – almost as a swear word. There are not certain words that God only listens to, but there are certain attitudes. This is a fact which is important for me to remember. Specifically v43 confuses me. It seems that I have to balance in my life humility, thankfulness, delight in success, acceptance of the humanity of my foes. If I read this as David vaingloriously blowing his own trumpet, then I think that he could have done better! Maybe it is here to show us how not to rejoice?
Prayer: You are not ‘my’ only God, but ‘the’ only God. Help me to help me to build my life on the truth that you are both ‘the’ and ‘my’ only God!
As I read it! 