Why does David say the Lord rescued him from his enemies in this song?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He says they were too strong for him, but the Lord became his support and brought him into a large place because David pleased him. The song credits the Lord with rescue, strength for battle and mercy to David and his descendants forever.

Chapter breakdown

David speaks this song to the Lord on the day the Lord delivers him from all his enemies and from Saul. He calls the Lord his rock, strength and saviour. God is the strong one in whom he will trust, his shield, the horn of his salvation, the one who lifts him up, his refuge and saviour from iniquity. David says he will call on the Lord, who deserves praise, and will be saved from his enemies. He describes death’s pangs surrounding him, floods of Belial frightening him, the cords of hell encircling him and death’s snares coming before him. In distress he will call on the Lord and cry to his God, who will hear him from his temple and receive his cry.

The song describes the earth shaking and trembling and the mountains’ foundations moving because the Lord is angry with them. Smoke rises from his nostrils, devouring fire comes from his mouth, and coals are kindled by it. He bends the heavens and comes down with darkness under his feet. He rides on the cherubims, flies and moves on the wind’s wings. He makes darkness his covering, with water dropping from heaven’s clouds. Coals are kindled by the brightness before him. The Lord will thunder from heaven, and the Most High will give his voice. He shoots arrows and scatters them; lightning consumes them. At his rebuke and the blast of the spirit of his wrath, the sea’s overflowings appear and the world’s foundations are laid open.

David says the Lord sends from on high, takes him and draws him out of many waters. He rescues him from his mightiest enemy and those who hate him, because they are too strong for David. He comes before David in the day of his affliction and becomes his support. He brings him into a large place and delivers him because David pleased him.

David says the Lord will reward him according to his justice and the cleanness of his hands. He says he has kept the Lord’s ways and not wickedly departed from his God. God’s judgments are before him, and he has not removed God’s precepts from himself. He will be perfect with God and keep himself from his own iniquity. He repeats that the Lord will repay him according to his justice and the cleanness of his hands in God’s sight.

Addressing God, David says he will be holy with the holy one and perfect with the valiant; elect with the elect, and with the perverse, in the admitted wording, perverted. God will save the poor people and use his eyes to humble the haughty. David calls the Lord his lamp, who will light his darkness. In God he will run girded and leap over the wall. God’s way is without stain, his word is tried by fire, and he shields all who trust him.

David asks who is God except the Lord and who is strong except their God. God girds him with strength and makes his way perfect. He makes David’s feet like those of harts and sets him on high places. He teaches his hands to fight and makes his arms like a bow of brass. David says God has given him salvation’s shield and that God’s mildness has multiplied him. God will enlarge his steps beneath him, and his ankles will not fail.

David says he will pursue and crush his enemies, not returning until he has consumed them. He will break them so that they cannot rise and fall under his feet. God has girded him with battle strength and made those resisting him bow beneath him. He has made David’s enemies turn their backs, and David will destroy those who hate him. They will cry with no one to save them; they will cry to the Lord, who will not hear. David says he will beat them as small as earth’s dust, crush them and spread them abroad like street mire.

David says God will save him from his people’s contradictions and keep him as head of the Gentiles. A people he does not know will serve him. The sons of the stranger will resist him, yet at the hearing of the ear they will obey. The strangers are melted away and will be pressed in their distresses.

David blesses the living Lord and his God and says the strong God of his salvation will be exalted. God gives him revenge, brings people beneath him, brings him out from his enemies and raises him above those resisting him; he will deliver David from the wicked man. Therefore David will thank the Lord among the Gentiles and sing to his name. The song ends with great salvation given to God’s king and mercy shown to David, his anointed, and to his seed forever.

The story inside

The song moves from danger to rescue, then to the conduct David says he has kept, the strength God gives and thanks among the Gentiles. David names death’s threats and says God hears his cry. Images of shaking earth, fire, darkness, thunder and exposed foundations lead to rescue from waters and enemies too strong for him. David connects the promised reward to justice, clean hands and keeping God’s ways. He then credits God with light, sure steps and strength for victory. The final movement joins rule over unfamiliar peoples to praise of the living Lord and lasting mercy to David and his seed. This is the song’s course, without an added historical setting or doctrine beyond the admitted words.

Lessons worth keeping

1
David gives a reason he needs rescue: his enemies are too strong for him. The Lord draws him out, supports him and brings him into a large place. This connects his opening names for God—rock, strength and saviour—to the rescue he describes.
2
The statements about reward include what David says he has done. He names keeping the Lord’s ways, holding his judgments in sight, retaining his precepts and keeping himself from iniquity. Those details explain the repeated language about justice and clean hands without adding a claim of absolute sinlessness.
3
The ending reaches beyond the enemies first named. David speaks of his own people’s contradictions, unfamiliar people serving him, strangers resisting and obeying, and thanksgiving among the Gentiles. The last line names mercy to David and his seed forever; its exact scope should remain rather than an added account of later fulfillment.

Test your recall

How does David connect enemies too strong for him with the Lord’s rescue, and how does that lead to the song’s final thanksgiving?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 34124–34150
2 Kings Chapter 22 King David’s psalm of thanksgiving for his deliverance from all his enemies. 22:1. And David spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul, 22:2. And he said: The Lord is my rock, and my strength, and my saviour. 22:3. God is my strong one, in him will I trust: my shield, and the horn of my salvation: he lifteth me up, and is my refuge: my saviour, thou wilt deliver me from iniquity. 22:4. I will call on the Lord who is worthy to be praised: and I shall be saved from my enemies. 22:5. For the pangs of death have surrounded me: the floods of Belial have made me afraid. 22:6. The cords of hell compassed me: the snares of death prevented me. 22:7. In my distress I will call upon the Lord, and I will cry to my God: and he will hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry shall come to his ears.
Lines 34152–34176
22:8. The earth shook and trembled, the foundations of the mountains were moved, and shaken, because he was angry with them. 22:9. A smoke went up from his nostrils, and a devouring fire out of his mouth: coals were kindled by it. 22:10. He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. 22:11. And he rode upon the cherubims, and flew: and slid upon the wings of the wind. 22:12. He made darkness a covering round about him: dropping waters out of the clouds of the heavens. 22:13. By the brightness before him, the coals of fire were kindled. 22:14. The Lord shall thunder from heaven: and the most high shall give forth his voice. 22:15. He shot arrows and scattered them: lightning, and consumed them. 22:16. And the overflowings of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid open at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the spirit of his wrath.
Lines 34178–34188
22:17. He sent from on high, and took me, and drew me out of many waters. 22:18. He delivered me from my most mighty enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. 22:19. He prevented me in the day of my affliction, and the Lord became my stay. 22:20. And he brought me forth into a large place, he delivered me, because I pleased him.
Lines 34190–34203
22:21. The Lord will reward me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands he will render to me. 22:22. Because I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22:23. For all his judgments are in my sight: and his precepts I have not removed from me. 22:24. And I shall be perfect with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity. 22:25. And the Lord will recompense me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands in the sight of his eyes.
Lines 34205–34221
22:26. With the holy one thou wilt be holy: and with the valiant perfect. 22:27. With the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted. 22:28. And the poor people thou wilt save: and with thy eyes thou shalt humble the haughty. 22:29. For thou art my lamp O Lord: and thou, O Lord, wilt enlighten my darkness. 22:30. For in thee I will run girded: in my God I will leap over the wall. 22:31. God, his way is immaculate, the word of the Lord is tried by fire: he is the shield of all that trust in him.
Lines 34223–34237
22:32. Who is God but the Lord: and who is strong but our God? 22:33. God who hath girded me with strength, and made my way perfect. 22:34. Making my feet like the feet of harts, and setting me upon my high places. 22:35. He teacheth my hands to war: and maketh my arms like a bow of brass. 22:36. Thou hast given me the shield of my salvation: and thy mildness hath multiplied me. 22:37. Thou shalt enlarge my steps under me: and my ankles shall not fail.
Lines 34239–34255
22:38. I will pursue after my enemies, and crush them: and will not return again till I consume them. 22:39. I will consume them and break them in pieces, so that they shall not rise: they shall fall under my feet. 22:40. Thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast made them that resisted me to bow under me. 22:41. My enemies thou hast made to turn their back to me: them that hated me, and I shall destroy them. 22:42. They shall cry, and there shall be none to save: to the Lord, and he shall not hear them. 22:43. I shall beat them as small as the dust of the earth: I shall crush them and spread them abroad like the mire of the streets.
Lines 34257–34265
22:44. Thou wilt save me from the contradictions of my people: thou wilt keep me to be the head of the Gentiles: the people which I know not, shall serve me, 22:45. The sons of the stranger will resist me, at the hearing of the ear they will obey me. 22:46. The strangers are melted away, and shall be straitened in their distresses.
Lines 34267–34279
22:47. The Lord liveth, and my God is blessed: and the strong God of my salvation shall be exalted: 22:48. God who giveth me revenge, and bringest down people under me, 22:49. Who bringest me forth from my enemies, and liftest me up from them that resist me: from the wicked man thou shalt deliver me. 22:50. Therefore will I give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to thy name. 22:51. Giving great salvation to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed, and to his seed for ever.