Question 1

What does it mean that the Lord is my rock, fortress, and deliverer?

Accepted Answer

When David calls the Lord his rock, fortress, and deliverer, he is piling up pictures of safety. A rock is solid ground when everything else shakes. A fortress is a defended place where enemies cannot easily enter. A deliverer is the one who actually comes in and pulls you out of danger. David had real enemies and real battles, and he is saying that in every kind of threat, God himself was his protection, safe place, and rescuer. These words invite us to lean on God like that in our own troubles.

Question 2

What were the sorrows of death and hell that compassed David?

Accepted Answer

David says the sorrows of death and of hell surrounded him, and floods of ungodly people made him afraid. He is talking about times when enemies were so many and so hateful that he felt trapped, like a person tangled in ropes or caught in a flood. It was not a small worry but a sense that his life could end. The wording also fits the deep suffering Christ later faced. The point is that in the darkest, most frightening moments, God still heard and saved him.

Question 3

How did God answer David’s cry in this passage?

Accepted Answer

David describes God’s answer with powerful pictures: the earth shaking, smoke and fire, dark clouds, thunder, hail, and lightning. This does not mean all these things happened at once in a literal storm every time he prayed, but it shows how strongly God acted for him. God is pictured as coming down from heaven, pushing back waters, and reaching down to lift David from deep trouble. The lesson is that when David cried in distress, God really listened and really stepped in with great power.

Question 4

Why does David say the Lord rewarded him according to his righteousness?

Accepted Answer

David says the Lord rewarded him according to his righteousness and the cleanness of his hands. He is not claiming to be sinless in everything. He is talking about his honest walk in this situation, especially how he behaved toward Saul and other enemies. He had kept God’s ways before him, refused to turn aside to their wickedness, and guarded himself from a known sin. Because his cause was right and his heart was sincere, he could see his rescue as God’s just answer to a faithful life.

Question 5

What does this passage teach about God’s justice and mercy?

Accepted Answer

David says that with the merciful, God shows himself merciful; with the upright, he shows himself upright; with the pure, he shows himself pure; and with the crooked, he shows himself froward. He also says God saves afflicted people but brings down proud looks. This means God meets people as they are: he gladly shows kindness to those who show kindness, and he opposes those who are stubborn and proud. God is not unfair or careless. He notices hearts and ways, and he answers them with right judgment.

Question 6

Why does David talk so much about battle and defeating enemies?

Accepted Answer

Much of David’s life as God’s chosen king involved real wars. In this passage he speaks of running through a troop, leaping over a wall, learning war from God, and pursuing enemies until they are defeated. He is not bragging about his own skill. He keeps saying that God girded him with strength, taught his hands to war, held him up, and gave him the necks of his enemies. The point is that every victory, even on the battlefield, came from God, not from David’s power.

Question 7

Who is the violent man that God delivered David from?

Accepted Answer

David says God lifted him above those who rose up against him and delivered him from the violent man. In his story, this mainly points to Saul, who hunted him out of jealousy and anger. Saul had great power and used it harshly, so David could not have escaped by his own strength. By calling Saul the violent man yet also thanking God for rescue instead of boasting, David shows both the seriousness of the danger and his belief that God alone brought him through it.

Question 8

What does it mean that God made David the head of the heathen?

Accepted Answer

David says God delivered him from the strivings of the people and made him head of the heathen, with strangers hearing of him and obeying him. This reflects how God lifted David from being hunted to being king, not only over Israel but respected and feared by surrounding nations. Some of those peoples served him unwillingly, yet his rule over them showed God’s promise to raise up his chosen king. This also pictures the greater kingdom of Christ, who brings many nations under his rule.

Question 9

What does this passage show about God’s character?

Accepted Answer

The passage shows God as strong, faithful, and near. He is called rock, fortress, deliverer, strength, shield, horn of salvation, and high tower. He listens when people cry from deep distress. He is pure and upright, and he deals fairly with both the humble and the proud. He gives light in darkness, teaches, guides, and holds his people up. He is also a judge who can shake the earth and overthrow enemies. All of this together paints a picture of a God who can be trusted completely.

Question 10

How can this passage help someone who is suffering today?

Accepted Answer

Someone suffering today can see that even a king like David felt surrounded by death, fear, and enemies that were too strong for him. He did not hide his distress but called on the Lord honestly. God did not ignore him; he acted with real power and brought him into a “large place,” a picture of safety and freedom. This encourages us to bring our own troubles to God in prayer, to hold to integrity even when it is hard, and to remember that God saves the afflicted and lights their darkness in his time.

Psalm 18:1

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

The LORD Is My Rock

For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

The LORD Is My Rock

For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

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Psalm 18:1

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

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The LORD Is My Rock

For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

The LORD Is My Rock

For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

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