Psalm 18:40-50 NKJV
40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried out, but there was none to save;
Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
You have made me the head of the nations;
A people I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
The foreigners submit to me.
45 The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts.
46 The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me;
48 He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.
50 Great deliverance He gives to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forevermore.
In the final verses of Psalm 18, David concludes His song of praise for the LORD’s deliverance, still teaching us who the Lord is and what His people can always expect from Him. But here David also speaks of himself as a type or pattern of the coming Messiah.
David had enemies who were literally trying to kill him, from the Philistines to the Moabites to King Saul and his men. God delivered David’s enemies into his hands, and David literally destroyed many of them, although we remember how he showed mercy to Saul on several occasions, refusing to lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Even when some of David’s enemies cried out to the LORD to take their side against David, the LORD refused to answer them. He rejected their prayers and upheld David, His servant, instead.
This is the same thing that would happen to David’s Son, the Christ. He would have enemies who not only hated Him, but who sought to kill Him. They would even be successful for a moment! They would cry out to the Lord against Jesus and claim to be on the Lord’s side. But in the end, the Christ would be victorious over all His enemies, because the Father was on His side from the beginning.
As a result of his victories, David became the “head of the nations.” Or did he? He surely became famous and great, but this is hyperbole when applied to David. It’s literally true when it comes to His Son, the Christ. The nations serve Him even now, as people from every nation call Him Lord. And one day, every knee from every nation will bow before Him, whether willingly or by compulsion. One day, the Son of David will put all His enemies under His feet, even death itself. And through His victory, all believers will share in His everlasting deliverance—deliverance given first to David, then to the Son of David, and then to all those who take refuge in the Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Blessed are You, O Lord, King of the universe! We praise You for the deliverance You have given us and have promised to give us through Christ, who lives and reigns, with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.