Psalm 18:1  
I love You!
     Well, these daily thoughts have become more than just a study of spiritual warfare, haven’t they? There is so much truth to explore and this Psalm of David is no exception. At first reading it appears to be solely written to exemplify the attributes of Almighty God, by using picturesque and symbolic language. Is this really what is happening or are some / all of these images to be taken literally?  The ancient cultures of the day saw their various deities in similar guises, as their statues, plaques and images have shown. It will be fascinating to dig deep and see what the Holy Spirit has to show us.  One thing’s for sure, we will have a better knowledge of who God is by the time we reach the end of Psalm 18!

V1   David is celebrating his deliverance from all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.  He writes, in the introduction to this Psalm, not as the supreme, royal commander of his people, but as the “Servant of the Lord.” This is a humble beginning. David saw himself as just an official in a much bigger kingdom! We do not know if he wrote these words immediately after his victories or at a much later date. One of the unsolved mysteries is that the Psalm is repeated, often word for word, in I Samuel 22 which is placed right at the end of David’s life. Whatever the timing of the authorship, the opening words are startling coming from the pen of a mighty warrior king, “I love you, Lord, my strength.” There has been a great deal of discussion about this phrase by translators and wordsmiths. “Love” in this text is an ancient Hebrew word, it is more than just a declaration of emotional endearment. For a start it is correctly interpreted, “I will love You.” David is not saying that love may describe his relationship with the Lord at some future time, he’s making a declaration of strong and permanent intent.  “I will always love You.” Yet, the word “love” here also conveys devotion and tenderness and a depth of feeling that is rarely expressed; it is found nowhere else in all of Scripture.  Can we join with David and cry from our hearts, “I love You, Lord, my strength?” Has our intimacy with the Lord reached a point beyond knowing about Him, to actually knowing Him? And have we, over the course of time, become so close that we can cry from the heart, “I love You.” It will happen if  we give Him time and let Him become the true Lord of our lives. 

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