Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · 2 Samuel · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII.
ANd David spake unto the Lord the words of this song, in the day that the Lord had V. 1.delivered him out of the hands of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. By all Davids enemies are meant the Philistims, who were last subdued, ch: 21. and Sheba, ch: 20. and Absalom and Achitophel, and the Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites, the Jebufites, and Ishbosheth with Abner, and before all them Saul, who ceased not to persecute him from the 10 yeare of his raigne, as long as he lived, who is named in particular, because hee was longest and most endangered by him, and he is named last, because hee acted his part against him long before his other enemies, who were more fresh in minde and therefore named first. This is put amongst the Psalmes, being the 18, committed to the chiefe Musitian to be sung to the praise of God in the Congregation. And it is called a song, because in Hebrew it is metricall, and it was a point of singular commendation in David, that in his old age, (for he is thought now to have beene 67.) when hee was free from all trouble of enemies, that hee studied how to set forth the praise of God best by compiling this, and as may bee well conjectured, many other heavenly songs, and spent not his time now in rest and idlenesse, and setting up, as others doe, some trophees of his victories to his owne praise. And the singular providence of God towards David in exempting him from warre and troubles, whereof hee was full all his life time before, is most remarkeable, that in his old age hee might the more quietly prepare for his end, by setting his minde upon things heavenly, by giving instructions to his sonne Solomon and to his Princes for the better establishing of his kingdome, and by disposing his worldly treasures to the building of a Temple to the honour of God.
The 18 Psalme hath one Versicle before this, I will love thee O Lord my strength, and then followes, The Lord is my Rocks, in him will I trust. It is the same almost verbatim with Ps. 18. saving that for these words, my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler and the borne of my salvation and my high tower, v: 2. of Psal. 18. here it is, the God of my rock, in whom I will trust, bee is my shield and the horne of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, and my Saviour, thou savest mee from violence. But this, and whatsoever small difference there is more shall bee considered in expounding that Psalme amongst the rest, to which the explanation hereof doth properly belong, and therefore here omitting it I hasten to the next Chapter.