seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Samuel 22:4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens[c] shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared[d] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark[e] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens[c] shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared[d] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark[e] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
c. 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
d. 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
e. 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
This is from Bible.org.
Verse 4 sets down a principle, based upon the truth that God is David's refuge, and demonstrated in God's various acts of deliverance. In verse 4, David does not merely say, “I called upon the Lord . . . and He saved me.” He says, in effect, “Whenever I call upon the Lord for deliverance, He saves me.” He then goes on to describe in dramatic imagery the danger he was in, and the deliverance God brought about in response to his cry for help.
David called to God for deliverance, and God responded in a way that signaled His sovereignty over all creation. When God heard David's cry, He responded, as evidenced by all of His creation. God is angered by the enemies who have endangered His anointed king, and all of creation reflects God's anger. This is not just a description of a God who is eager to save His king, but a God who is intent upon destroying the enemies who threaten His king.
The first indication of divine intervention is that of an earthquake. The entire earth shook and quaked . Smoke proceeds from the nostrils of God, and fire from his mouth consumes anything in its path. Coals of fire are kindled by it . As God descends, the heavens bow down, and He stands upon thick darkness, an ominous foretaste of things to come. He rides on the wings of the wind, thick clouds and darkness are around Him, and a white-hot brightness radiates ahead of Him. God's voice is heard in the thunder, and bolts of lightening shoot out like arrows. Upon His approach, the seas part, and the land below is exposed at His rebuke and the blast of His nostrils. God reaches down and plucks His servant from the waters, delivering him from his strong enemy, and setting him down in a broad place on solid ground. Though David's enemies are stronger, God delivers him from their hand. He is David’s support when they confront him.
David called to God for deliverance, and God responded in a way that signaled His sovereignty over all creation. When God heard David's cry, He responded, as evidenced by all of His creation. God is angered by the enemies who have endangered His anointed king, and all of creation reflects God's anger. This is not just a description of a God who is eager to save His king, but a God who is intent upon destroying the enemies who threaten His king.
The first indication of divine intervention is that of an earthquake. The entire earth shook and quaked . Smoke proceeds from the nostrils of God, and fire from his mouth consumes anything in its path. Coals of fire are kindled by it . As God descends, the heavens bow down, and He stands upon thick darkness, an ominous foretaste of things to come. He rides on the wings of the wind, thick clouds and darkness are around Him, and a white-hot brightness radiates ahead of Him. God's voice is heard in the thunder, and bolts of lightening shoot out like arrows. Upon His approach, the seas part, and the land below is exposed at His rebuke and the blast of His nostrils. God reaches down and plucks His servant from the waters, delivering him from his strong enemy, and setting him down in a broad place on solid ground. Though David's enemies are stronger, God delivers him from their hand. He is David’s support when they confront him.
This is from Bible-studys.org.
The one thing I want us to see in this is that this is not a description of the power of the devil; this is the wrath of God. When the wrath of God comes against an unrepentant people, there are earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms of every kind imaginable. We must remember that the fire and brimstone sent on Sodom and Gomorrah was from the LORD on a sinful people, who would not repent. Our God is a consuming fire, as well as a loving Father.
God is control of all of the elements of the world. He commands the wind and the rain. His presence with the children of Israel was known by the smoke by day and the fire by night. We do know the presence of God in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle had cherubims at each end of the mercy seat. God is a Spirit. He does not need to ride on anything, but this is David's way of expressing the omnipresence of God. He knows the presence of God is there when needed, but this is the way he explains His immediate arrival.
Ok... so when I read these verses.... I am reminded of Marty Robbins' songs. The characters are alive.... the trial is real... in one song the trial is a gunfight and in another the desert sun lies to the thirsty traveler. There were no videos when those songs were released... but people could see the gunfight that left that cowboy dead out in El Paso. There weren't any cameras back in David's day. He couldn't hire in a bunch of dancing extras and extol the glory of being rescued by God. All David had were words, beat, and heart. I think he did a pretty good describing God. We get the point, right?
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