Psalm 18:17-27 NKJV
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
19 He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23 I was also blameless before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
27 For You will save the humble people,
But will bring down haughty looks.
This Psalm, in ancient and inherited liturgical customs of the Christian Church, is a morning psalm. Why so? Because it was in the morning hours, from sunrise through early morning, that our Lord was brought to trial before Pontious Pilate (see Matt. 27:1), and many Christians have seen fit to pray Psalm 18 in the context of that trial.
Certain lines of the psalm clearly lend themselves to such a reading: “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies…He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support… The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.” (vss. 3, 17-18, 20-24)
Within the finest court systems of humanity then devised, the most just man in history could obtain no justice. Psalm 18 fits very well into that dramatic context. The real villains, however, are not the Sanhedrin and Pilate. These are but the agents of a higher intrigue. No, the far deeper malice of the hour is that of the satanic spirits, the true enemies who conspired against the Holy and Righteous One.
Those same satanic spirits are the ones pursuing you as well. But you have a champion who has won the war for you! And through faith in His fully atoning merits, they can hold nothing against you and are fended off through the strength of Christ and the sword of His Word. Praise God!
Let us pray: O Lord, thank You for enduring the unjust trials of this world and gaining the full victory for us! Amen.