April 6: 2 Samuel 22, Psalm 18
These passages are almost identical. Both talk about how
God delivered David from his enemies and they vividly portray God’s power and
might. In fact, it made me think of the song, Awesome God, by Rich Mullins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w2b033DXCw).
However, there are some key differences. First, 2 Samuel
22 is a personal prayer of thanksgiving to God, while Psalm 18 is instead a
song of praise to God for his deliverance. Second, the psalm is longer than the
Samuel passage. Verse 16, 19, 30, 34 and 46 are unique and they highlight
David’s trust for God and his acknowledgement that God equipped him and saved
him. Third, the wording of verses are occasionally a bit different. Psalm 18 is
often more poetic and uses more metaphors. And finally, the order of some of
the verses is different, but the overall structure is the same.
Some researchers
believe the psalm was changed to make it more conducive to public worship, but
that can’t be proven. There are very few psalms included in the recorded
history of David – the vast majority are segregated in the Book of Psalms. Why
do you think this one was included in 2 Samuel?
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