PSALMS 17


     We will begin this lesson in Psalms 18:17 "He delivered me from
my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too
strong for me."

     The He, here, of course, is God. Jesus Christ defeated Satan on
the cross. The war is won. We are still in a few skirmishes here on
the earth, but the war is won. Most of the problems we have on this
earth involve the short comings of still being in this body of flesh.
We are no match for Satan at all, if we try to fight him ourself. We
must stand against him in the name of Jesus and through the power of
the shed blood of Jesus. Speak the Word to him. Tell him, he is
defeated. It is written, is a very good way to start on him.

     Psalms 18:18 "They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but
the LORD was my stay."

     Not only did God stay the hand of David's enemy, but He does the
same for us. Proverbs 16:7 "When a man's ways please the LORD, he
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."

     Psalms 18:19 "He brought me forth also into a large place; he
delivered me, because he delighted in me."

     Heaven is the largest place I know of. It is so large, it will
never be to overcrowded to receive you and me. What a wonderful thing
to be able to say, {He delighted in me}. Are you a sweet sound in the
ear of the Lord?

     Psalms 18:20 "The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me."

     Righteousness, as we have said over and over, is being in right
standing with God. The only righteousness  we have, that could stand
up to this standard, is our righteousness in Christ. I received my
right standing with God, when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour
and Lord. I traded Him my sin for His righteousness. We must continue
to walk in that righteousness we received, until we are called to
heaven.  I believe, {cleanness of my hands} means that my  work must
be acceptable. You do not have to work to be saved, but you will work
for Him to remain in the salvation you received. Our hands will be
doing good, or evil. To be pleasing unto God, the work must be pure.

     Psalms 18:21 "For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not
wickedly departed from my God."

     So many people, in our day, feel that all they must do is be
baptized, and they will go to heaven. To depart from God, after He has
saved you, would cause God to call you wicked. Baptism is burying that
old man of sin and living a new clean life in Christ Jesus.

     Psalms 18:22 "For all his judgments [were] before me, and I did
not put away his statutes from me."

     David is making a statement that we should live by, too. He says,
God I have not forgotten your law. I keep it on my mind and do it.
Look at the following Scripture with me. Joshua 1:8 "This book of the
law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein
day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is
written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then
thou shalt have good success."  Read your Bible and know God's will-
then do God's will.

     Psalms 18:23 "I was also upright before him, and I kept myself
from mine iniquity."

     The main thing we are to notice in this is that David kept David
from sinning. Temptation comes to all. We must not surrender to
temptation. We must stay strong in ourselves. The battle is between
the sinful things the flesh wants to do and the spirit which wants to
follow God. Let your spirit rule over your flesh.

     Psalms 18:24 "Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to
my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his
eyesight."

     Notice in this, whose eyesight it was important to be right in.
David, probably did not appear to be righteous in people's eyes.  Stop
worrying about what others think and start pleasing God.

     Psalms 18:25 "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful;
with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;" Psalms 18:26
" With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou
wilt shew thyself froward."

     When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He taught them {forgive
me my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me}. In
modern language, I can expect to receive from God what I dish out to
others. If I am merciful, I will receive mercy.  If I am upright in
all my dealings with others, God will deal uprightly with me. God will
deal with us, as we deal with others. If we want God to forgive us, we
must forgive others when they ask.

     Psalms 18:27 "For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt
bring down high looks."

     We must humble ourself to receive from God. Proud arrogant people
feel that they are self-sufficient. They do not feel as if they need a
Saviour. Jesus said in Mark 2:17 "When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto
them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that
are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance."  God will not force salvation upon anyone. The person
must need and want salvation, and then they can receive salvation.

     Psalms 18:28 " For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God
will enlighten my darkness."
     In the study on Revelation, we saw that each church had its
light. Not only, is Jesus the light for each church, but He is the
light for each individual, as well. The world that we live in is full
of darkness. We may live in a darkened world, but we can have the
Light of Jesus with us. The Light that Jesus shines in each Christian
is the only real Light in the world today. The beautiful thing about
our candle is the fact that the fire of God lights it. In this
terrible dark world that we are living in, we must let our candle
shine forth brightly, so that those in darkness will see the Light and
come to it.

     Psalms 18:29 "For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my
God have I leaped over a wall."

     Christians, how many times have your friends told you that the
job you are trying to do for God is impossible? When I first started
writing these Bible studies, many of my friends told me that this job
was too big for one person to do. They were right, I can not do this
job, it is too big, but PRAISE GOD! Christ within me can do the job.
The wall may be high and look like it is impossible to climb, but with
God's help, I can climb any mountain He puts before me.

     Psalms 18:30 "[As for] God, his way [is] perfect: the word of the
LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him."

     We may not always understand what God is doing at the moment in
our lives, but we can be assured it is the right thing. God is
perfect. He does not make mistakes. Whatever problem we are facing at
the moment, we can trust that our God can handle it. Our job is not to
question, but to trust Him. To have faith is one thing, but trust goes
beyond faith. Many married people, who have been together for many
years, will tell you that trust of their spouse, regardless of how the
circumstances look, is what has held them together. Remember, we got
into the meaning of buckler in a previous lesson, and found that it
went much further than just a protection. It means protector, but it,
also, means shield, armed, and defense.

     Psalms 18:31 "For who [is] God save the LORD? or who [is] a rock
save our God?"

     We find in this statement a truth almost too deep to comment
upon. I John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."  From
the beginning of time to all of eternity, we will still be trying to
understand the fullness of who God is. The Spirit is one. The
personalities of that One Spirit are three. We know that Jesus was,
and is, the Rock. He is the Rock that we must build our house upon. He
was the Rock in the wilderness that Moses struck to bring forth water.
He not only was the Rock, but is the Water that flows from that Rock
as well. I have said it before, but it has need to be said again. God
is everything good and wonderful. He is my all in all. Without Him I
can do nothing. With Him I can do all things.

     Psalms 18:32 "[It is] God that girdeth me with strength, and
maketh my way perfect."

     I would suggest that you read the 6th chapter of Ephesians
beginning with the 11 th verse to truly understand the help of the
Lord. All of the items that the soldier in Ephesians was to wear were
things God would have to give the soldier. The Israelites learned
first hand how easy it was to lose a battle when God was not with
them. If the Ark of the Covenant went before them, on orders from God,
they won the battle. If it were a battle of their own making, they
lost. God will make our way perfect, if we stay in His way and not our
own.

     Psalms 18:33 "He maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], and setteth
me upon my high places."

     A deer has feet that are swift and, also, they can jump over high
obstacles. If we are like a deer, we are not easily stopped. Notice,
that it is God who puts you on high places.

     Psalms 18:34 "He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel
is broken by mine arms."

     Some people are offended that we are soldiers, in a battle to the
death for the Lord. When David went into battle, it was a war that he
was fighting with the blessing of God. The Holy Spirit of God teaches
the Christian the way to win the war that we are in. Our weapons are
not carnal. II Corinthians 10:4 "(For the weapons of our warfare [are]
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds;)"  The weapon of the Christian is the twoedged sword, which is
the Word of God. Are you ready to do battle for the Lord? There is a
spiritual war, and there is a physical war. Christians are called to
the spiritual war.






















                             Questions 17

1.  Who has already defeated Satan?
2.  What are most of the problems we have in this earth caused by?
3.  How can a Christian come against the devil?
4.  Quote Proverbs chapter 16 verse 11.
5.  How large is heaven?
6.  What is righteousness?
7.  When does a Christian become righteous?
8.  What does cleanness of my hands probably mean?
9.  What would cause God to call you wicked?
10. Describe what baptism really is.
11. What does Joshua chapter 1 verse 8 tell us about keeping God's
    law?
12. Who kept David from sinning in verse 23?
13. What is the battle that we fight every day?
14. What lesson can we learn from verses 25 and 26, that Jesus taught
    the disciples in the Lord's prayer?
15. Who did Jesus come to save?
16. Not only is Jesus the Light for the church, but for
    each__________, as well.
17. What is the only light in the world today?
18. When you take on a big job for God, what will many of your friends
    tell you?
19. What does buckler mean?
20. Can you explain trust?
21. Quote 1 John chapter 5 verse 7.
22. What is one, in the verse above?
23. Who is the Rock?
24. Who is the Water that flows from that Rock?
25. Where do we find the Scriptures on the armour of God?
26. What does the Scripture mean that says, we have feet like hinds'?
27. Who teaches the Christian how to war?