The section of Psalm 18:1-9 expresses David’s love for God and his praise to the Lord for delivering him from his enemies. We see similar expressions from David in 2 Samuel 22, as well as Psalms 3-5.
As we break down this verse, there are five metaphors that David uses to describe God’s relationship with him.
1) He views God as his rock
2) He views God as his fortress
3) He views God as his shield
4) He views God as the horn of salvation
5) He views God as his stronghold
What is important about these metaphors?
They identify David as a warrior. He fought enemies, often much stronger than him (remember Goliath?). Yet, he relied on God for protection.
God as the rock: We see examples of these same metaphors used to describe God throughout the Psalms, such as in Psalm 19:14; 28:1; 62:2; 94:22 which all describe God as a rock.
God as David’s Fortress: What is the purpose of a fortress? It’s meant to protect against enemies. Throughout Scripture there is an incredible truth to be seen here: no fortress built by human hands could ever provide as much protection for David as the fortress of the Lord.
God as David’s Shield: We see the Lord protecting David from his enemies on several accounts throughout the Old Testament. David recognizes this as he writes in the Psalms, calling God his shield, covering him as a soldier.
God as the horn of salvation: This one may be tricky at first to fully grasp without some cultural context surrounding this phrase. In David’s era, horns were a symbol of strength. This is why we see them being used as metaphors for kings in rulers (Daniel 7:8; Revelation 17:12). Therefore, as David’s horn of salvation, he is saying that the Lord empowered and delivered him.
God as David’s stronghold: For believers today, we have Jesus Christ as our stronghold – our refuge and shield. The apostle Paul refers to our lives as “hidden with Christ in God” in Colossians 3:3.
As you go about your day today, keep in mind these incredible truths from this Psalm. It is only through our belief and acceptance as Jesus as our savior for us to be “hidden with Christ in God,” and through this belief, we are Scripturally able to rely on God to be all of these same things for us.
