Psalms 18:1. To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,
Notice that, though David was a king, he does not say so, but he prefers the higher title, "The servant of Jehovah." He served his God by his song. Oh, that all who led our psalmody would serve God in it! It should always be with deep devotion that we sing the praises of God. "Who spake unto the Lord the words of this song." He did not speak them to us; he spoke them to the Lord. Singing is peculiarly an address unto God; but neither prayer nor praise should be addressed to men. David "spake unto the Lord the words of this song, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies." It is always well to sing when a deliverance is yet new; if we do not praise the Lord in the day of our deliverance, we are not likely to praise him many days afterwards. We remember how it is written that, when the Lord delivered Israel at the Red Sea, "Then believed they his words; they sang his praises." So do thou time thy psalm as God times his mercies.
Psalms 18:1 . I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
Not only, "I do love thee," but "I will love thee." Some resolutions are rash, and should not be made; but this is a resolution that we may well make. We are bound to make it if we have experienced the lovingkindness of the Lord. If God be our strength, then in the strength of God we may say, "I will love thee, O Lord. I will love thee, if others do not. Whatever else I may have to love, I will love thee. My relation to thee shall never be a cold one: ‘I will love thee.’ My whole nature shall go out towards thee."
Psalms 18:1. To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,
Notice that, though David was a king, he does not say so, but he prefers the higher title, "The servant of Jehovah." He served his God by his song. Oh, that all who led our psalmody would serve God in it! It should always be with deep devotion that we sing the praises of God. "Who spake unto the Lord the words of this song." He did not speak them to us; he spoke them to the Lord. Singing is peculiarly an address unto God; but neither prayer nor praise should be addressed to men. David "spake unto the Lord the words of this song, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies." It is always well to sing when a deliverance is yet new; if we do not praise the Lord in the day of our deliverance, we are not likely to praise him many days afterwards. We remember how it is written that, when the Lord delivered Israel at the Red Sea, "Then believed they his words; they sang his praises." So do thou time thy psalm as God times his mercies.
Psalms 18:1 . I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
Not only, "I do love thee," but "I will love thee." Some resolutions are rash, and should not be made; but this is a resolution that we may well make. We are bound to make it if we have experienced the lovingkindness of the Lord. If God be our strength, then in the strength of God we may say, "I will love thee, O Lord. I will love thee, if others do not. Whatever else I may have to love, I will love thee. My relation to thee shall never be a cold one: ‘I will love thee.’ My whole nature shall go out towards thee."