Chapter Three
My Deliverer
We see here in Psa. 18:2 how a man of God, David, went through many problems and sufferings which a human being can go through. He began to see that every affliction every suffering, which was allowed by God, was intended to give him spiritual experience. Now he is saying He is my Deliverer. We saw already as in Psalm 34, how he was delivered from all afflictions, fears and troubles. Similarly we read in other psalm that he had experienced complete deliverance from fears troubles and afflictions (Psa 18:17-19). First of all he had to be delivered from his sinful nature. This is the greatest deliverance. We should have it if we want to have any share in the kingdom of God. None of us can be delivered from our sinful nature trying through any kind of human activity: neither by power, nor by long prayers, Bible knowledge fasting, following percept after percept. Only the life of God coming into us how wretched, sinful, corrupt is our nature.
See for example what Paul, the apostle in Rom. 7:17-25.He says, O, wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Verse 24). A man of God is testifying these words. He saw the light of God coming in to him and he is seeing the way of the old nature in him. Here the thought is that in those days when anybody was found killed and if the murderer also was found, then there was a very peculiar way of punishing him. They used to tie the murderer to the murdered body nose against nose, chin against chin, eyes to eyes and mouth to mouth. That is how he had to see his sin and he had murdered. That it-self would kill him consequently.
Here the apostle gives the same illustration. He calls his own body as dead body. Just as murderer had to carry the dead body wherever he went, the same way a sinner has to carry his sinful nature. Nobody has power to release him from that body. We cannot deliver ourselves from our sinful, wicked wretched body of death by any human effort. Even through David was a mighty man of God at the same time he had the very same kind of nature, which we have. But thank God he was delivered from that sinful nature by the mighty hand of God.
Going by the situations we can read his condition in 1 Sam 16:18. He was a mighty man, of war, cunning in playing music and also full of wisdom; he enjoyed God’s favor. Yet we find latter on his own sinful nature dragging him in to shameful sin. Only when he repented and asked God to delivered him and save him, in Psalm 51, we read of deliverance to him. In seventh chapter of the second Book of Samuel, we read about his true condition as a man. That is how God is showing, from His Word, how much cultured we may be outwardly, we all have the same kind of sinful ‘corrupt’ nature. That is why we are dragged constantly by this sinful nature. Unless we are delivered from the sinful nature we are bound to fall the same way.
We read in 2 Sam, 11:1-5 that David, being a mighty king, ought to have joined the army. But it says, “David tarried still at Jerusalem” (verse1). And that is how by one act of negligence he entered into sin He walked on the terrace: saw a woman washing. Being a king he could send for the women; and he fell in sin (Verse 4). In a very subtle way he became an adulterer, He was a might king. And she was a married woman. He called away Uriah, the Hittite, her husband from the army. In doing so he wanted to cover his sin by many clever ways. We think and device how to sin and then now to cover it up. Now David was thinking how to cover his sin and that the people may say the child is of Uriah (Verse6) that is how he became a hypocrite (Verse 7). He began to enquire from Uriah about Joab and the battle in order to show that he sent for him only to enquire about war. That is why he spoke so kindly and so politely he was not interested in the welfare of Uriar (Verse 8). All these outward kindness and words of hypocrisy were to cover his sin. And that is how a sinner tries devices very cleverly to cover his sin. Here a great king had become an adulterer, a deceiver, a hypocrite and a liar. Uriah being a God-fearing man did not go home (Verse 9-11). No soldier is granted leave during the days of war. All leave is cancelled but in this case without Uriah applying for leave, David the king was granting him leave. Even then Uriah did not go to his house for he was a God fearing man. He said, “How can I go home when my Lord is in war” (Verse11). The king thought he would not go home with ordinary mind, so he got him drunk. Even then Uriah refused to go to his house. Thus God’s Word is showing us in a clear picture what our condition and sinful nature is! When all these devices failed David wrote a letter to Joab (Verse 15). Now he became a murderer. He got this God fearing man to be killed in the war. With all his mighty deeds he was still in his sinful nature.
How true God’s Word is! God’s description of every human heart is that it is deceitful above all (Jer. 17:9). All of us have used not only one but many cunning devices to cover our sin. Then God of grace sent prophet Nathan to show David his sin. God’s Word says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper” (Prov. 28:13). God does uncover our sin to forgive, cleanse and bless us; but man uncovers our sin to put us to shame He began to repent and God forgave him and delivered him from his old sinful nature. By this failure he learnt a lesson that he had a sinful nature as others have (Psa. 51:5). True repentance always results in inward desire to claim God’s mercy and forgiveness. He was not trying to defend or justify himself. But he humbled himself. God’s mercies and compassion fail not. All those whoever have come to Him have learnt that He will never leave them, howsoever a great sinner he may be. Not only he asked forgiveness but also wanted to be delivered completely from his sinful nature.
In Psalm 51 David used three words for this purpose. “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity: and cleanse me from my sin” (Verse 2), “purge me with hyssop”(verse7). The three words are cleansing, washing and purging, ordinary clothes can be cleaned from the dust either by soap and water. But silver and gold require fire. That is why he used three words: cleansing, washing and purging. Not only he wanted forgiveness of all his sins but also he wanted the very memory of sin to be taken away. He wanted his sinful nature to be changed completely. He was longing for a complete deliverance (Verse 14). He wanted every stain caused by sin to be removed He wanted a new nature and to become new completely. That is how a sinner is delivered by coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now David could say, “The Lord is my Rock, He is my Fortress, and He is my deliverer. He delivered me from my sinful nature delivered from the power of sin, delivered me from the dominion of Satan, delivered me from all cunning devices of the Satan.”
Only the Lord Jesus Christ can accomplish such a deliverance from any sin. That is why he suffered, He died, and He rose again to become our strong Deliverer. Any man how-so-ever wretched, corrupt and sinful he may be, can be delivered from his sinful nature by receiving the power of the death of Lord Jesus Christ. He died in our stead with three purposes. First of all He died to pay the penalty of sin (Rom.4: 25). He was delivered for our offences and rose again for our justification, to deliver from our punishment and judgment, God must punish sin. Because He is a Just God. But as a loving God He is constrained to love us and to forgive us. He died in our stead to fulfill these two divine laws. He took upon Himself the judgment, for our sinful thoughts, words and deeds. For our sinful deeds He was spat upon; His hands were pierced; feet were pierced; side was pierced; back was scourged; hair was plucked. And He bore all that willingly.
Secondly, He died to deliver us from our sinful nature (Rom 6:5). Sinful nature must be crucified. That is the only way to victory. Otherwise we will never be delivered from our sin, neither by our will power nor by bible knowledge, nor by long prayers.
Thirdly, the Lord Jesus suffered, died, and rose again to give a new nature. Devine nature and make us righteous (Rom 6:8). The very same life, by which He rose again, coming into us by faith, will make us righteous and give victory over sin. That is how David saw the Lord as his deliverer. He was longing for a new heart, a new nature, a new life because he wanted complete deliverance ( Psa 51:10 ).
Those who want to see God’s glory; they have to fulfill some conditions. That is why God took Job, a righteous and a good man through many experiences to give him personal experience of holy and mighty God. His whole property was taken away; cattle, sheep, camels were carried away: his whole body was full of bruises, sores. That is how Job came to know God as his deliverer (Job 42). The same way Lord Jesus Christ wants to become your deliverer. He wants to forgive your sin and to take away the very memory of sin and wash you and purge you completely. He wants to give you a new nature in the heart, everything new for eternity. Then you will say to your friends or anybody else, “ He is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer.” All these can be your experiences, only when you come unto Him. Do not try to cover your sin. You will not prosper. If you go on covering your sins, one day you will be judged heavily in hell fire. Now God wants to be your savior. He wants to forgive your sin, and deliver you from your sinful nature. He will give you anew nature, entirely new. Call upon Him as David did, “Oh God! Have mercy upon me, I acknowledge my transgressions. I have sinned against thee. Wash me, thoroughly, create in me a new heart”.