Psalm 18:31-50; YHWH’s Anointed Rules The Nations

PastorRodney’s Weblog

2025 08/24 Psalm 18:31-50; YHWH’s Anointed Rules The Nations; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250824_psalm-18_31-50.mp3

We’ve looked at some of the Psalms over these summer months, learning to pray the Psalms, deepening our affections as the Psalms pre-figure and point us to Jesus.

We are in the final section of Psalm 18. Psalm 18 divides into three main sections; verses 1-19 record David’s prayer to YHWH and describe God’s awesome power as he bows the heavens to come down in response to our prayers. Verses 20-30 describe the righteous character of the one who takes refuge in the Lord, and the perfect character of the Lord, who consistently responds to all who hide ourselves in him. Verses 31-50 celebrate YHWH’s faithfulness to his Anointed, whom he equips and establishes to rule the nations.

Let’s look back at verses 20-30 as they point us to Jesus, the greater David, the Anointed Messiah who came to be what David never was.

Psalm 18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Verse 25 turns attention from the integrity of the Lord’s Anointed to God’s perfect character as it relates to the one who runs to him for refuge.

Psalm 18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

26 with the purified you show yourself pure;

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

27 For you save a humble people,

but the haughty eyes you bring down.

28 For it is you who light my lamp;

the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

29 For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

30 This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

The Uniqueness of YHWH

This Psalm began:

Psalm 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

Verse 31 continues in describing the uniqueness of YHWH God,

Psalm 18:31 For who is God, but the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?—

Who is Eloah, the supreme one; but YHWH, the I AM, covenant God of Israel. Who is a rock, firm, immovable, a secure refuge; but Elohim, the supreme God. The rhetorical questions emphasize that there is none like him. YHWH God is utterly unique, unrivaled in power, unlimited in sovereignty, fully capable of coming to the defense of all who take refuge in him.

The Lord Equips, We Fight

The first section of the Psalm describes God in anger bowing the heavens and coming down, wrapped in thick darkness and cloud, blasting his enemies with hail and fire. Here in the final section, David describes how YHWH God equipped and enabled his anointed to fight his own battles.

Psalm 18:32 the God who equipped me with strength

and made my way blameless.

33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Not always does God’s divine intervention look like a supernatural fireworks display. We might say not often. God most often uses what we might describe as ordinary means to accomplish his supernatural purposes. How does God supernaturally give victory to his anointed? By equipping with his strength. By making my way blameless (now that’s supernatural!) By keeping my foot from slipping. By training my hands and arms for battle. These may be ordinary means, but David recognizes and gives credit to the supernatural source.

Verse 35 he switches from the 3^rd person ‘he’ to the 2^nd person ‘you’ in addressing his God.

35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.

36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

What a gift, what spiritual armor; the shield of your salvation. It is a gift given, like the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6. It is mine, available for me to take up, to put on, and learn how to use. You have given me the supernatural tools to defend myself. But you have not left me to go figure it out myself.

And your right hand supported me; the right hand is the place of strength, the place of highest honor. The almighty invisible right hand of YHWH God is holding me, supporting me.

And your gentleness made me great; This is reminiscent of God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15;

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Your gentleness made me great; This is stunning gospel – God almighty stooping down in gentleness, in humility. Your humility makes me increase, fills me up, gives me abundance. Jesus said

John 10:10 …I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

This is Jesus’ heart toward us! He was willing to leave his Father’s side in glory, take the humble form of a slave, go to the cross and die, and be exalted back to the right hand of his Father in glory, so that he could bring us with him, and seat us in the heavenlies in him. Your gentleness made me great; he intends for us to multiply and bear much fruit.

Verse 37 the Psalmist moves from 2^nd person to 1^st person, from what God does to what he himself does, albeit empowered, equipped and enabled by God his rescuer.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.

39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

and those who hated me I destroyed.

God equipped me, made me, set me secure, trained me. I pursued, I overtook, I did not turn back, all because you equipped. I did it, but you caused it. He equips and enables; we fight.

Why God Doesn’t Answer (Unbelievers)

41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;

they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;

I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

This sounds like it contradicts verse 3, verse 6, verse 30; I cried out for help and you rescued, you heard, you are a shield for all those who take refuge in you. They cried out to you, but you did not answer them. But remember, the ‘them’ is the enemies of God’s anointed, (v.4-5) whose cords of death, Sheol, and destruction were seeking to drag down the Lord’s anointed. They are those who (v.17-18) hated the Lord’s anointed, who confronted him in the day of his calamity. These are those who (v.26-27) are proud, who are crooked, perverse, and twisted.

There is a time, a day of salvation when the Lord may be found (Is.55:6-7). But there is a time when we have too long presumed on God’s grace, when we have hardened our hearts, when God gives us over to our own desires as he describes in Romans 1. David is running to the Lord for refuge. His enemies are crying out to the Lord simply to escape consequences of the path they have chosen and refuse to leave.

The Ultimate Victory

This is decisive victory language; pursued, overtook, consumed, thrust through, fell, sank, backs turned, destroyed, beat fine as dust, cast out. The Lord giving triumph over our enemies.

Doesn’t Jesus tell us to love our enemies? The Lord says ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay’ (Rom.12:19). We think of Jesus meek and mild, Jesus inviting children to come to him, Jesus willingly surrendering to his enemies. Here’s a picture of Jesus maybe you don’t have.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 …when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

This is in the context of persecution as an encouragement to believers;

2 Thessalonians 1:6 …indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted…

God gave David victory over his enemies to an extent, but this psalm will find ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, the Lord’s Anointed.

43 You delivered me from strife with the people;

you made me the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

foreigners came cringing to me.

45 Foreigners lost heart

and came trembling out of their fortresses.

All the way back in Psalm 2 we saw YHWH speaking to his Anointed, his only begotten Son:

Psalm 2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

The picture in Psalm 2 and 18 is of the nations cowering in fear before the Lord’s Anointed King. But it is bigger than that. Verse 43 says ‘you made me the head of the nations’ and that could mean not only conquering enemies by force, but destroying enemies by making them friends.

We see in Psalm 22:

Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

Worship Among the Nations

The Psalm concludes:

46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation—

47 the God who gave me vengeance

and subdued peoples under me,

48 who delivered me from my enemies;

yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;

you rescued me from the man of violence.

49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,

and sing to your name.

50 Great salvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

to David and his offspring forever.

A cry for help from the Lord’s Anointed; God answered because he delighted in his Righteous one. The Lord equips and empowers his Anointed for global victory. This results in worship. Worship is what we were made for. Paul quotes this Psalm in Romans 15 in the context of the nations worshiping Jesus. He says to Jew and Gentile:

Romans 15: 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

This Psalm points us to David’s greater Son, the Anointed Messiah, the Righteous one, who conquers all his enemies and unites Jew and non-Jew in worship; ‘that together we may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org