Faithfulness of God Shown to us and Through Us
[1] And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. [2] He said,
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, [3] my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. [4] I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
2 Samuel 22:1–4 ESV
David may have sung this song in the timeline where it is placed in 2nd Samuel or at some other time in his life, but if he sang it at the end, it’s the perfect retirement song for the warrior king. In the context, David has just been told by his men that he can’t go into battle any more. He is getting old and they are afraid of him getting hurt too bad in his old age.
Considering how man battles and close calls he has had, it is easy for him to look back and see the Lord’s hand in his life. He has fought giants, armies, wild animals and treacherous landscapes in his lifetime. As a boy he faced bears and lions, and as man he even faced war with his own son.
Some of these things he says about the Lord are things he has said all along. This is not a new song to David. The Lord has been his rock, deliverer, shield, and horn throughout all of his adventures. David knows for a fact that he can call upon the lord and be saved from his enemies.
It wasn’t always that way, of course. There were times when he didn’t know if God had rejected him or taken the kingdom away from him or what. Faithfulness is sticking with the Lord, whatever the circumstances. Faithfulness is knowing that whatever giants, armies, enemies, or landscapes may come and give us trouble, the Lord will be with us through the end.
Faithfulness is knowing that at the end of it all, we will have a song of God’s glory that He will sing along with us.