Praise Among the Peoples

Psalm 18

This psalm is also found in 2 Samuel 22. It is introduced there as a song David sang in response to deliverance from enemies. There is general thought that it was used by subsequent kings in temple worship, in grateful response to victories.

Verse 7 begins a section with the Lord’s own response to David’s thanksgiving. It is described in terms of supernatural appearance, in images associated with the Lord’s coming in judgment.

Toward the end, the grateful king states that he will praise the Lord among the nations (verse 49). Paul quotes this at Romans 15:9 as he celebrates God’s design to reach beyond Israel to all peoples. The essence of this vision is already in the Old Testament – and so Paul is building on something already present – since the rulers believed to have used this psalm were considered ‘messiahs,’ or ‘anointed ones,’ from would come a greater messiah who would summon all people to accept his reign a part of a whole new order of things.

This psalm that starts as a king’s response to victory becomes a reminder for us that the one whose coming we celebrate brings something far beyond the usual sentiment and nostalgia of the season we are now coming into.

Prayer:
Thank you for the old carols, Lord. Just don’t allow me to let their familiarity get in the way of the message, and its power, they are supposed to point to. Through Christ. Amen.