Psalm 18:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

NIV: For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.

NASB: For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not acted wickedly against my God.

CSB: For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not turned from my God to wickedness.

NLT: For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.

KJV: For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

NKJV: For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

Obedience to God's commands is a sign of someone who loves and honors Him (John 14:15). David testifies in this verse that he has kept the ways of the Lord and did not wickedly depart from his God. David can't be credited with perfection (1 Kings 15:5), but his habit was to follow God with sincerity (1 Samuel 13:14).

This commitment to godly principles was very different from that of the previous king, Saul. When Saul was selected to be Israel's king, he was humble. He said to the prophet Samuel: "Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?" (1 Samuel 9:21). When the day came to crown Saul, he was hiding (1 Samuel 10:22). However, late in Saul's reign he lost his humility and disobeyed the Lord's command: to utterly slay the Amalekites and their livestock. As a result of his disobedience, Saul was rejected by the Lord to continue as Israel's king (1 Samuel 15:26–29).

Jesus said, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). Saul and David show clearly what happens when humility is either absent from or present in a person's life.

Psalm 18:20–27 describes David's relationship with the Lord as the reason God rescued him. Second Samuel 22:21–26 presents a slight variation of the words found in this passage. Most likely, the words David originally spoke, as recorded in 2 Samuel 22, were adapted for use in a worship setting, as presented in Psalm 18. David began this psalm by telling the Lord he loved Him. Next, he described dire circumstances, such as when Saul and his men pursued him in the wilderness. He closed the first section of the psalm with a poetic description of how the Lord rescued him from his enemies.

In 2 Samuel chapter 22, David expresses praise for all the times in his life where God gave him victory. That prayer or song is copied almost identically here. Psalm 18, itself, might have been adapted for use in public worship. David remembers dire situations where God rescued him. He dramatically recounts how God provided rescue and power. David also credits God with rewarding his obedience by making him a powerful and successful military leader. For these reasons, David commits himself to the praise and worship of the Lord.

This psalm is David's prayer to the Lord in which David praises the Lord for making him victorious over his enemies. Second Samuel 5, 8, and 10 are companion chapters, and 2 Samuel 22 provides another version of this psalm. Second Samuel 22:1 tells us David composed Psalm 18 on the day the Lord delivered him from his enemies and Saul. Second Samuel 19 reports David's victorious return to Jerusalem after David vanquished his enemies.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.