We pick up at verse 31. "As for God, His way is perfect. The Lord's word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?" (2 Samuel 22:31-32) I'm reminded of what the Apostle John, who knew the Son of God personally during His earthly life, said about the Lord: "God is light; in Him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5b) Those who heed His call to come out of the darkness into the light, He will shield. David can attest to that, for the Lord shielded him in many battles with foreign enemies and shielded him from many attacks from domestic enemies. "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way secure." (2 Samuel 22:33)
The Lord has helped David in every way that he's ever needed help: spiritually, emotionally, politically, militarily. "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make Your saving help my shield; Your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet so that my ankles do not give way. I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them completely, and the could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; You humbled my adversaries for me. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them---to the Lord, but He did not answer. I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets." (2 Samuel 22:34-43) The Lord enabled David to successfully fight against enemy invaders, such as the Philistines. He also enabled him to successfully fight against enemies within his own country, such as King Saul and his own son Absalom. David knows he could not have done it without the Lord and he credits the Lord with every victory.
When David speaks of his enemies crying out to God for help and being met with silence, he's not saying his enemies turned to the Lord for salvation and were rejected. No, what these men were doing was calling upon the Lord to help them in their fight against David---God's anointed king! They were praying for the wrong thing and that is why they didn't receive the answer they wanted. James, a brother of Jesus of Nazareth, stated that one reason people don't receive the answers they want from God is because they are asking for something that is against God's will. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives." (James 4:3a) We wouldn't expect the Lord to answer the request of King Saul, for example, when he sought David's life. We wouldn't expect the Lord to answer the prayers of Absalom when he tried to usurp David's throne. The Lord does, however, answer sincere prayers of repentance. He answers the prayers of those who seek His will and who want to do what is right in His eyes. He answers the prayers of those who love Him and who want to obey Him. As David said in Psalm 145:18-20, "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy."
The Lord preserved David's life and David's kingship from every conspiracy against him. "You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples; You have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me, foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds." (2 Samuel 22:44-46) The wicked King Saul wanted David dead so he could never ascend to the throne but the Lord deposed Saul and put David in his place as king of Israel. The Lord made sure that Saul's son Ish-Bosheth never became king over all Israel after he was illegitimately declared king, against the Lord's will, by Saul's army general Abner. The Lord kept Absalom's plot against David from being successful; Absalom lost his life and David was restored to the throne. The Lord also protected David and the people of Israel from the nations around them. The nations of Canaan would have loved to have made a complete end of the people of Israel but the Lord did not allow them to swoop in and swallow up His people. In David's day the other nations trembled in fear at the name of King David, at the name of Israel, and at the name of Israel's God.
It's at this point that David breaks into the "hallelujah chorus" of his song to the Lord. "The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!" (2 Samuel 22:47) It's difficult, if not impossible, to begin listing the times the Lord has delivered without wanting to shout the Lord's praises. We've been told that David encouraged himself in the Lord when he found himself in difficult situations. I believe this is how he encouraged himself in the Lord---by reminding himself of all the times the Lord had already come through for him. It's hard not to be encouraged in the Lord when we think back on every time He's healed us, every time He's provided for us when we weren't sure how we were going to make ends meet, every time He's worked out a situation with a friend or loved one, every time He's protected us from harm, every time He's given us the upper hand over the enemy.
David concludes his song with these words: "He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man You rescued me. Therefore I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of Your name. He gives His king great victories; He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever." (2 Samuel 22:48-51) David says, "You have helped me and I will praise You for it. I will give credit where credit is due. I would have nothing without You, Lord. I would be nobody without You. Nothing would mean anything to me without You in my life and in my heart. I cannot keep silent about how good You have been to me. I will shout Your praises from the rooftops! I will give my testimony about You to Your people Israel. I will declare Your name to the heathen nations. You are God and there is no other! Praise be to Your holy name!"
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