Samuel Thru Solomon Lesson 29-2 Samuel 21:1-22:51 There is no record in 1 Chronicles of these events In lesson 28 we saw the return of David to Jerusalem following the defeat of Absalom. We saw his encounter with Shimei, and his pledge of forgiveness to him. We saw his encounter with Mephibosheth and the confiscating of half of his lands to be given to Ziba. We also saw how David mismanaged the march to Jerusalem and allowed the tribe of Judah to take precedence. This alienated the other tribes, who deserted the march and returned home after a man called Sheba voiced his feelings and said, "We have no share in David, no part in Jesse's son! Every man to his tent, O Israel!" We also saw David's treatment of his concubines who had been raped by Absalom. Having settled back into his palace, David decided that Sheba should be pursued and arrested for his proclamation. David commanded his newly appointed commander of the armies, Amasa, to raise a muster in Judah. When Amasa was too slow in coming, he sent out Abishai with the troops he had. When Amasa finally arrived, evidently without any troops, to take command of the army, Joab approached him as if a friend, and killed him. Joab then took command of the army, and led the pursuit of Sheba, who was trapped in a town on the northern border, and subsequently killed. Next in the book of 2 Samuel, we have the story that we mentioned earlier in connection with Shimei. You will note that the account only puts it as "during the reign of David." All we know for sure is that it actually happened sometime between the time that David took Mephibosheth into his palace about (19 years after the death of Saul) and the rebellion of Absalom. Clearly, from the remarks of Shimei as David fled Jerusalem, [a] the events in this story had happened before that day. 2 Samuel 21:1 During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." 1 / 28
It is interesting, that at the time of this judgment of famine, Saul had been dead for nearly 20 years. To us, this seems a little late. Obviously, the LORD does not think as we think, nor does he bring his judgments on our timetable. 2 Samuel 21:2 The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to [spare] them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) You should note that the Lord does not tell David, "Ask the Gibeonites what you should do." The LORD also never sanctions what the Gibeonites ask David to do. You may remember the story of the Gibeonites in Joshua 9. They were inhabitants of the land, who deceived the children of Israel into believing they were from a neighboring land. The Israelites made a treaty with them, and swore on oath that they would let them live. When they found out that they were inhabitants of the land, they were still bound by their oath to let them live. Instead, they were denied land ownership. Since they could not live by the land, they were given the job of being woodcutters and water carriers for the community to make their living. Although the persecution of the Gibeonites is not recorded in the history of Saul's reign, we can deduce the origins of Saul's prejudice against them. Saul's hometown was Gibeah which was right in the middle of the former kingdom of Gibeon, [b] and the concentration of Gibeonites there must have been higher than nearly any place else in Israel. However, an oath is an oath. [c] 2 / 28
2 Samuel 21:3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?" Instead of asking the LORD what to do, David asked the Gibeonites. They had no power to "bless the LORD's inheritance." You will note that after their request was granted, the famine did not cease. 2 Samuel 21:4 The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death." "What do you want me to do for you?" David asked. From a human viewpoint, it was understandable that the Gibeonites, who had seen so many of their sons killed by Saul, would want to see Saul's family pay the price. However, in the law, the principal of an eye for an eye [d] does not extend to a person's innocent children. The Law of Moses says: Deuteronomy 24:16 "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin." 3 / 28
Ezekiel expounds on this principal: Ezekiel 18:1-4 "The word of the LORD came to me: What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son--both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.'" 2 Samuel 21:5-6 They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul--the Lord's chosen one." So the king said, "I will give them to you." What the Gibeonites asked for was vengeance. Remember what the LORD said about vengeance in the Law. Deuteronomy 32:35 "To me belongs vengeance and recompense." The drought on the land was the recompense from the LORD. The Israelite farmers could grow no crops, but the Gibeonite woodcutters and water haulers still had a living. 4 / 28
2 Samuel 21:7 The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. Clearly, this was after David had discovered the existence of Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9). 2 Samuel 21:8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. Some have suggested that these sons and grandsons of Saul shared in Saul's guilt because they were old enough to help him carry out his actions against the Gibeonites. This is not true! We know for sure that the five sons of Merab were the children of the older daughter of Saul that had originally been promised to David after his victory over Goliath-(1Samuel 18:19). Since David could have been no more than eighteen when he was promised to Merab. He was thirty at the time of Saul's death. So, the oldest of Merab's five sons could have been no more than eleven by the time Saul's offenses against the Gibeonites ceased with his death. These five children were too young to be complicit in anything. It is also probable that Rizpah's children were also young, since Rizpah herself was young and attractive enough to Abner for him to jeopardize his standing with Saul's son to have an affair with her after Saul's death.(2 Samuel 3:7-10). It does not speak well of David that after letting Joab murder Abner, who had arranged for David's accession to the Kingship to the Northern tribes, he here allows the murder of the children of Rizpah who Abner loved and for whose sake he made the arrangement with David (2 Samuel 3:7-10). 5 / 28
2 Samuel 21:9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. By killing the Gibeonites, Saul had violated an oath made before the LORD to the Gibeonites 400 years before. Because of this God had brought judgment on Israel. Now David was breaking an oath he had personally sworn before the LORD that he would not cut of Saul's house. 2 Samuel 24:20-22a "I (Saul) know that you (David) will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. Now swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family." So David gave his oath to Saul. The Gibeonites not only killed them by David's authority but they refused them burial, an obscenity in Israelite culture. [e] 6 / 28
2 Samuel 21:10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. So Rizpah, the mother of the two sons of Saul, despite the danger to herself from the wild animals, the discomfort of living in the open under the baking sun, and the ceremonial and physical uncleanness to herself, stayed out and protected the rotting corpses from what indignities she could. She evidently had stayed out there from the beginning of the harvest till the start of the winter rains, which was about six months. 2 Samuel 21:11-12 When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done, he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) [f] Remember, Gibeah was not far from Jerusalem. Eventually, David heard about what Rizpah was doing, and kept doing month after month. We aren't told what David's thought processes were here. He could have finally understood that he had done the wrong thing. Or, he could have just realized how bad it made him look. At any rate, he decided to give the bones an honorable burial. 7 / 28
2 Samuel 21:13-14a David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. David decided to combine the burial of these seven young men with the burial of the bones of Saul and Benjamin which had been buried in Jabesh Gilead for the last 35 years. I cannot help thinking that David decided that if he moved the bones of Saul and Jonathan, it would give him an excuse to also bury the bodies of the young men, without making it look like he had repented of his earlier decision. It had evidently been at least six months. Evidently there was nothing but bones left. 2 Samuel 21: 14b After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land. [g] You will notice, that only after this burial were the prayers on behalf of the land answered (i.e. the famine ended). 8 / 28
2 Samuel 21:15-16 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new [sword], said he would kill David. I believe that this next action also took place in the interim before the Absalom revolution. One of the reasons I believe that was that this was when David quit going out to battle, a policy which seemed to have been in place during the Absalom revolution. 2 Samuel 21:17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, saying, "Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished." The policy in place at the battle of the forest of Ephraim, from which David was absent. Next, we have an account of some of the prominent heroes from this period, which is repeated in 1 Chronicles. 2 Samuel 21:18 In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. [h ] At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha. 9 / 28
1 Chronicles 20:4 In the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines, at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites, [i] and the Philistines were subjugated. 2 Samuel 21:19 In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of [j] Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod. [k] 1 Chronicles 20:5 In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod. 2 Samuel 21:20-21 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot--twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him. 10 / 28
1 Chronicles 20:6-7 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot--twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. [l] When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. 2 Samuel 21:22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men. 1 Chronicles 20:8 These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men. Some have speculated that these four giants had been among the Philistine army when David had fought Goliath thirty or forty years before, and that was why David picked up five stones from the brook before he went into battle (1 Samuel 17:40). That is just speculation. If true, it would have made these giants pretty old when they were killed. 2 Samuel 22:1 David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 11 / 28
Here, 2 Samuel inserts a song that David sang whenever he was delivered from his enemies. It also appears in scripture as Psalm 18:1-50 2 Samuel 22:2-51 In the study of the Messianic Psalms which are written in the first person (I, me) and speak of Jesus Christ, there are two groups. First there are those which are attested as speaking of Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ himself, or the Apostles. Secondly there is another group of Psalms, which I believe are also speaking of Jesus Christ in the first person. Unfortunately, they are not attested to as such by scripture. However, I believe, that they follow the same pattern as those that are attested, and can be rightly described as Messianic. They include almost a dozen Psalms. 1 Samuel 22:2-51 (Psalm 18) is one of those Psalms. It fits the pattern of the attested Psalms in that they closely describe what we know of Jesus life, yet do not fit what we know of the writer's life, who may be David. [m] I believe that having been advised by the Lord himself that all the Old Testament speaks of Jesus [n] we have permission to look for Him throughout the Old Testament, not just in those passages that are quoted and attested elsewhere in the New Testament. 12 / 28
There is so much in this Psalm that describes the experience of Jesus Christ that it is hard to deny its Messianic nature. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit from the pen of David, and there are some aspects of the person who is the subject of the Psalm that fits David. However, there is so much of it does not fit David and fits Jesus Christ, that I have to conclude that He is the subject. In Romans Paul quotes verse 49 of this Psalm: "Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name." There Paul indicates that the meaning of this passage should be understood in the light of the coming of the Messiah: Romans 15:8-9 "For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: Therefore I (Christ) will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.'" Therefore, Paul is making the argument that, according to Psalm 18, the Messiah was prophesied to have a ministry of bringing praise to God among the Gentiles. This also supports the view that the Psalm is Messianic. Psalm 18:1-59 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song in the day the L ord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: [o] Psalms 18:1-2 I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 13 / 28
This is certainly the attitude to which LORD calls us. At times it was the attitude of David. At times it was not. It was always the attitude of Jesus Christ. Psalms 18:3-5 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. Although David faced danger many times, it is never recorded that he was even wounded in battle or even seriously ill until his last days, much less, with "the cords of the grave coiled about him." However, this did describe Jesus Christ. Psalms 18:6 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. This was fulfilled in Christ: Matthew 27:46 "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud [p] voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'-which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" 14 / 28
Psalms 18:7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. This was fulfilled in Christ: Matthew 27:51,54 "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." --- "When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God!'" Psalms 18:8-9 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. This certainly is something that did not apply to David. We know that coals of fire speak of the judgment for sin. The coals of the symbolic altar in the Temple spoke of that. The altar in the Temple that was Christ's life was the cross. This image seems to be speaking of the judgment of our sins carried by the person of Christ when He was on the cross.. Psalms 18:10-11 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him-- the dark rain clouds of the sky. 15 / 28
This was fulfilled in Christ: Matthew 27:45 "From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land." Psalms 18:12a Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, This will be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ: Revelation 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him," Daniel 7:13-14a "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him." Psalms 18:12b with hailstones and bolts of lightning. 16 / 28
This will be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ: Revelation 16:21 "From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men." [q] Matthew 17:24 "For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other." Psalms 18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. This will be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ: Revelation 19:5-6 "Then a voice came from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!' Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the voice of many and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.'" Psalms 18:14 He shot his arrows and scattered [the enemies], great bolts of lightning and routed them. 17 / 28
The destruction at Armageddon. Psalms 18:15a The river (or channel) of the waters was revealed [r] At just after the end of the Tribulation and the second coming of Christ, the river of living waters will flow from the tree of life and the throne of God (Revelation 22:1). Psalms 18:15b and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. This is probably speaking of the splitting of the Mt. of Olives when Christ returns: Zechariah 14:4 "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south." 18 / 28
Psalms 18:16-17 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. This returns to the first advent. In the obvious Messianic Psalm 69, Jesus speaks of being rescued from the "deep waters" in verse 14. Psalms 18:18-19a They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; This is reminiscent of the Messianic Psalm 31:8 "You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place." Psalms 18:19b he rescued me because he delighted in me. 19 / 28
Jesus was the one in whom the Lord "delighted" as confirmed by Matthew where Isaiah 42:1 was quoted describing Jesus: Matthew 12:17-18a "This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 12:18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight.'" See also Psalm 22:8. Psalms 18:20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. Among all the members of the human race, this could only refer to Christ. Psalms 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. Not David. Psalms 18:22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. 20 / 28
Not David. Psalms 18:23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. Not David. Psalms 18:24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. This song is clearly not about David! David was not sinless. The Lord did not rescue David from the grave or from the deep waters (judgment for sin). Neither did he make darkness his canopy when he rescued him. All these things, however, were true of Christ. 21 / 28
Psalms 18:25-28 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. [s] Those who have crooked souls do not see God as loving, merciful, and gracious, but as manipulative and cruel. They judge God by the standards of their own soul. Thus the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day did not see Jesus as the bringer of God's free gift, but as a rival for power. Psalms 18:27-29 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. These truths were not only a guide and encouragement for Jesus, the Son of Man, but for each of us who trust in Him. Psalms 18:30-34 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 22 / 28
More words of truth and encouragement for all who have joined the fight. Psalms 18:35-36 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. The shield of victory is faith (Ephesians 6:16 "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." 1 John "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.") The LORD also gives stability to our feet. Psalms 18:37-42 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them-- to the LORD, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets. This sees not only the Jesus' victory at the cross, but His final victory when He reclaims his throne. The enemies were not only Satan and his angels, but even Jews who thought they could call on the LORD for relief, who's Messiah they were persecuting. [t] 23 / 28
Psalms 18:43-45 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me. [u] As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners (their) sons [v] cringe feign obedience before me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. This describes the reaction of unbelievers as they see the power of God unfurled. Revelation 6:16-17 "They called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'" Psalms 18:46-49 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. The victory song of Christ. As He saves us from judgment, so the Father saves Him from the grave, and accepts His sacrifice for us. Because He is accepted, we are accepted. ] Psalms 18:50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, [w] to David and his descendants seed [x 24 / 28
forever. This rejoices in the fact that God has (will) keep his covenant to David, to send a seed of David, who will also be Abraham's seed, and the seed of the woman. He will be the LORD's "anointed." The Hebrew word for anointed is j'yvim; {mä shä ' akh}, or "Messiah." In Greek it is the word χριστος { khrä -sto's}, or "Christ." After eleven chapters of chronicling, what were mostly David's failures, perhaps the insertion of this Psalm here in 2 Samuel, is to remind us that the greatness of David is not because of David, but because of the promised seed, Jesus Christ, who would come through him. That is also a principal that applies to each of us who have believed in Him. We are not great because of who we are, but because of who Jesus Christ is, and all of us, because we are in Him, share His greatness. [a] 2 Samuel 16:8a "The LORD has repaid you (David) for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul." [b] Joshua 18:21-27 [c] Numbers 30:2 "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." [d] Exodus 21:23-25 [e] There are no specific commands about burial in the Law of Moses, but dead bodies were considered unclean, and rendered those around 25 / 28
them unclean, so disposal by burial was obviously implied. However, it cannot be Biblically contended that cremation or burial at sea is wrong. [f] 1 Samuel 31:13 [g] Prayers were answered not after Saul's descendants were killed, but after David buried the bones of Saul, Jonathan, and the bones of the seven were gathered up and buried with them. [h] 2 Samuel says "Gob," 1 Chronicles says "Gezer." There is no place called Gob mentioned in scripture although the word means "cistern." Gezer was a prominent town in this early period. Considering that "Gob" occurs in the 2 Samuel passage that already seems like it was corrupted, I think it is possible that "Gezer" was in the original in both accounts. However, it is also possible that the battle was called by two location names, like many of the battles of the American Civil War (example the battles of Chancellorsville, also called the battles of the Wilderness). [i] Also sometimes translated Rephaim. In other words, a giant according to Deuteronomy 2:21. [j] It seems likely that the phrase "the brother of" was erroneous skipped over by some early copyist. [k] This was said of the Goliath that David had killed years earlier (1 Samuel 17:7). [l] A Rephaite [m] Beth Moore asserts that this song which is also recorded as Psalm 18:1-50 was sung many times by David at the time he was delivered from his enemies. I believe it may have been a pre-existing Psalm. Certainly, it did not specifically refer to David because David certainly did not have "clean hands" (2 Samuel 22:21). [n] Luke 24:27 "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." 26 / 28
Luke 24:44 "He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.'" [o] Beth Moore asserts that this song was sung on many occasions by David at the time he was delivered from his enemies and was a pre-existing Psalm. I believe that may be true. Note that the superscription does not say that David wrote it, only that He sang it. It is certain that the Holy Spirit inspired it. We can be sure that it did not apply to David personally, because David certainly did not have "clean hands" as is asserted of the voice of the Psalm (Psalms 18:20). [p] Lamentations 2:19 [q] See Isaiah 32:19. [r] It is my belief that this channel was first revealed when the spear thrust of the Roman soldier revealed a miraculous gush of blood and water out of the side of Jesus. This flow was so unusual that John, who reports this in John 19:34, reassures his readers that he was an eyewitness. [s] See Luke 19:21 and Matthew 25:24 for illustrations of this teaching in Jesus' parables. [t] Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" [u] This clearly does not describe David when He was delivered from Saul. This describes Jesus Christ, the ruler of the world. [v] The Hebrew word here is Ÿ {bän} which means sons. The "their" is implied. [w] The anointed (Messiah) is Jesus Christ who is the descendant of David, and the answer to God's promise to David that one of his descendants would be the Messiah. 27 / 28
[x] Literally "seed" from the Hebrew word 39' {zeh'-rah}. It is in the masculine singular. This refers not to descendants, but one descendant, Jesus Christ. 28 / 28