The Source of David’s Boldness
Psalms 138
September 4, 2022
Tonight I want us to begin by considering
The boldness and courage of David.
• We think of this young man who literally begged to fight the giant.
• This man whose resume included killing both a bear and a lion.
When my dad was in his final days
We were talking about the glories of heaven and I asked him aside from Jesus and his grandfathers, who was he most eager to meet?
He said, “David, the way he smack-talked that giant!”
David was a picture of strength and boldness.
1 Samuel 17:45-47 “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.”
• That is boldness.
• That is courage.
• That is strength.
This David goes on to earn a reputation.
“Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten-thousands”
• He battles Philistines.
• He handles the persecution of Saul.
• He handles the revolt of Absalom.
He is a tremendously bold and courageous man.
And many times we have the tendency to look at men like him
And just assume it’s because they are just wired differently.
BUT THAT IS A MISTAKE.
For I can also tell you about a time when David was anything but bold.
Do you remember when he fled to the Philistine city of Gath and had to fake insanity just to escape their grasp?
David’s boldness WAS NOT
Just some natural genetic predisposition that he had.
David’s boldness came from God.
More specifically: David’s confidence came from THE WORD OF GOD.
Consider a few stories from David’s life.
There was the time when David was on the run from Saul but he received word that the Philistines had attacked Israel:
1 Samuel 23:1-5 “Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are plundering the threshing floors.” So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah.” But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?” Then David inquired of the LORD once more. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.”
Why was David bold?
Why was David confident?
Because God had told him that he would win.
God’s word gave David confidence.
Then there was the time while David was exiled to the Philistines for 1 year and 4 months as he ran from Saul and David tried to go to war with the Philistine army.
• However many of the Philistines didn’t want David there so they sent him home.
• On the way home he found out that his Philistine city had been attacked and his wives had been kidnapped.
1 Samuel 30:1-8 “Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way. When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. Now David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all.”
There it is again.
David was confident because God had assured him that He would deliver his enemies into his hand.
Or how about the time after David became king that the Philistines attacked Israel?
2 Samuel 5:17-19 “When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. Then David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”
And there you see it yet again.
David is confident and bold
Because God has told him that He will grant him victory.
Any of those 3 scenarios
Could have been the backdrop for the Psalm we study tonight,
Or it could have been a completely different incident.
What we know however is that David is IN TROUBLE.
(7) “Though I walk in the midst of trouble…”
• Someone has threatened him.
• Perhaps it is one of those battles with the Philistines or perhaps it is a different incident,
• But either way, David is in trouble.
He is facing “wrath” from his “enemies” (8)
In the middle of that troublesome moment David has cried out to God.
(3) “On the day I called…”
• David sees the enemy.
• David sees the trouble.
• And David called on God for help.
And God has answered David.
(3) “On the day I called, You answered me;”
• There was no delay.
• God was quick to respond.
And in that response we find the secret to David’s boldness.
(3) “On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.”
So in the day of David’s trouble
His boldness and strength came from God.
Now that we might say is OBVIOUS.
We are well-acquainted with that famous verse in Philippians:
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
• We know that strength comes from God.
• We know that boldness comes from God.
BUT LET’S GET MORE SPECIFIC.
What was the means through which God conferred His strength upon David?
What was the means through which God made David bold?
That is found at the end of verse 2,
And it is the purpose for this song.
(1-2) “I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.”
David said that God had “magnified [His] word according to all Your name.”
That is to say that God had elevated the glory of His word
To the same status as the glory of His name.
Just as David had found grace and strength in who God was.
Now David has found grace and strength in what God said.
It is God’s word which had granted boldness and strength to David.
And this song is a testimony to that reality.
So let’s break this song down into 3 points as David pays tribute to the word of God which granted him boldness and strength.
#1 DAVID’S PUBLIC COMMITMENT
Psalms 138:1-3
We have already seen the reasoning behind the statement.
• We have seen that David was in trouble,
• That he called on the Lord,
• And God answered.
And we have God answered David
• Granting him the boldness and strength he needed to face his trouble.
INCIDENTALLY (and it is a good point to be made)
Often times we go to God in the midst of troublesome circumstances
And our prayer is that God will change the circumstances.
But it is not always God’s plan to change the circumstances.
Sometimes God’s plan is to change the man in the circumstances.
In David’s trouble God did not remove enemy.
God instead gave David the boldness and strength he would need
To face that enemy.
That is a good lesson for the church.
• It cannot be our prayer that God will always calm the waters for us.
• It cannot be our prayer that God will always remove every hurdle or obstacle.
• It must also be our prayer that God strengthen us to brave the crashing waves.
• It must also be our prayer that God embolden us to rise over every hurdle.
Paul told the Philippians:
Philippians 1:27-30 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
Just as we talked about last Sunday morning
When we took a quick look at those 7 churches of Revelation.
Jesus talked to churches like the church at Smyrna
Which faced intense persecution, but He did not remove it.
Instead He told the church at Smyrna to overcome it.
It’s not always about God changing the circumstances.
Sometimes it is the plan of God to change the man.
AND THAT IS WHAT GOD DID HERE.
He gave David boldness and strength through His word.
Whatever God said to David was all it took to make David bold.
And that boldness is on display in the first 1 ½ verses.
• And incidentally if you want to the best understanding of how this song goes
• Then you should put emphasis on the word “You” or “Your” every time it is used.
“I will give thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth.”
The idea here is that David is going to
Publicly put on a massive display of gratitude.
He isn’t just going to thank God in the silence of his bedroom,
He is going to put on a grand display.
He is going to “give thanks with all my heart”
It’s going to be a big deal.
And I should think that if we know anything of David it is that
He knows how to make a big deal of God.
I mean consider David dancing before the Ark.
David is going to make a scene as he gives thanks to God.
He’s going to do it by “sing[ing] praises to You before the gods.”
• I’m going to walk right in front of that pagan temple
• And I’m going to sing about Your greatness.
• I’m going to put on a display about the greatness of God
• And I want every pagan god and every pagan worshiper to see it.
And then, “I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name.”
With every pagan idolator watching
• I will announce my gratitude to God,
• I will sing to Him,
• Then I will turn my back on their temples and bow myself toward Jerusalem.
WHY?
“for your lovingkindness and Your truth”
• “lovingkindness” because You so quickly answered me.
• “truth” because of the words You spoke.
DO YOU SEE THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY
NO TIMIDITY IN DAVID’S WORSHIP?
David is not responding like a man who is afraid.
David is not responding like a man who is in hiding.
David is out in the open, publicly worshiping God,
And even making a mockery of the false gods.
ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD HAS SAID TO HIM.
Whatever the message was which he received from God,
It made all the difference.
Can I just remind you that God’s word has this ability?
Consider:
Psalms 119:98 “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine.”
There is something empowering that occurs
When you study God’s word and it becomes yours.
• When you open it and read it
• And realize that what God said, He said FOR you
• And what God said, He said TO you.
• When you face various circumstances
• And you cry out to God for direction and help
• And then you open His word
• And there you find a passage which speaks directly to your situation,
• THAT IS YOURS.
And it makes all the difference in a life.
I have seen this so many times in my life.
When I wanted to preach, but I didn’t know if God was calling me.
So I prayed and I turned to read the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:
1 Timothy 3:1 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”
That verse became mine.
It directly addressed the desire God had placed within me.
When I faced times of persecution, specifically slander very early on in my ministry at Crawford and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I called on God and opened my Bible.
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Perhaps of all the books the one that is the most personal to me is 2 Timothy.
• I’ve never preached through it.
• I think it’s because it’s mine.
But I read about this preacher and how Paul seeks to encourage him
To press on and endure and to preach the world faithfully.
And I hope you understand what I’m talking about.
When you face your burden or your dilemma and you run to God
And then God’s word speaks directly to you
It produces such strength and such boldness.
That is what David received from God.
And his immediate response was:
THERE’S NOT ANOTHER GOD IN THE UNIVERSE WHO CAN DO THAT.
• And so David turned his back on every so-called god.
• He held a worship service right outside their temple.
• And he gave all glory and honor and praise and thanksgiving
• To the God who speaks and to the God who gives strength and boldness.
I’m telling you friends, there is conviction to be found in God’s word.
There is BOLDNESS to be found in God’s word.
There is a direct correlation between weakness and neglect of Scripture.
There is a direct correlation between timidity and neglect of Scripture.
If you want boldness.
If you want confidence.
If you want strength.
Then read God’s word, let Him shape your convictions.
And you might find yourself publicly proclaiming God’s glory too.
David’s Public Commitment
#2 DAVID’S PROPHETIC CLAIM
Psalms 138:4-6
I picture David looking around at people
Who are sort of captivated by his public worship service.
• Perhaps he looks a little odd…
• Perhaps they think he’s a little over the top…
But David knows that the worship he is giving to God
Is but a taste of what is to come.
(4-5) “All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O LORD, When they have heard the words of Your mouth. And they will sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD.”
David speaks of that glorious day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
David’s worship isn’t strange.
That will one day be the behavior of the entire planet.
(Bold worship is the rule not the exception)
But aside from a prophetic announcement
David again GIVES TESTIMONY to the greatness of God’s word.
It is God’s word that filled David
With gratitude and praise and boldness and strength.
And notice what he says about God’s word here.
“All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O LORD, When they have heard the words of Your mouth.”
In other words, God’s word would have this same effect
On anyone who would listen to it.
The reason I worship is because I have heard the words of God.
And anyone who would hear the words of God would join right with me.
If every king of every nation would be listen to what God has to say,
They would shut these pagan temples down for good.
They would all join with me in my song.
“For great is the glory of the LORD.”
And then David takes the opportunity
Even to PREACH THE GOSPEL to those who stand around.
(6) “For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar.”
You’ve heard that a time or two haven’t you?
Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 66:2 “For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
Proverbs 3:34 “Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.”
David proclaims to the world the greatness of the mercy of God.
He is “exalted”.
In fact, He is the highest and preeminent and only sovereign.
• The youth have seen it the last couple of weeks.
• “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
• From the dawn of creation God has positioned Himself as the head and the
highest.
• Everything is made by Him and for Him and it’s all coming to Him.
He is “exalted”
None can stand before Him.
None is His equal.
Over and over in Scripture we read, “Who is like the LORD?”
He is above us in every conceivable way.
And yet, despite His perfection and glory and holiness and preeminence.
“Yet He regards the lowly”
• He hears and listens to and responds even to the lowest of men.
• He would take on human form and come to earth to walk among sinners.
And anyone who is broken and contrite in heart He will accept.
His mercy is beyond fathom.
And this is David’s prophetic announcement as he worships.
I am glorifying God for His word to me.
And if you would listen, you would glorify Him too.
For I found strength in trouble,
And YOU would find mercy in your low estate.
And then you would join in worshiping Him with me.
That is also the power of God’s word.
It gives boldness and strength to those who are in danger, and it even gives confidence even to those who are sinful and undeserving.
• How many of us have rejoiced to find that our God grants forgiveness to sinners who confess their sin?
• How many of us rejoice that we can now boldly come before God’s throne?
• How many of us have breathed a sigh of relief when we see Jesus save the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery or the tax collector?
How many have found strength from passages like:
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
My wife would rejoice in:
Lamentations 3:22-23 “The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
David’s call here is not just to warriors who need strength in battle.
His call is also to sinners who need mercy in judgment.
And David reminds that you can find both in the word of God.
There’s a 3rd thing we see from David.
David’s Public Commitment, David’s Prophetic Claim
#3 DAVID’S PECULIAR CONFIDENCE
Psalms 138:7-8
Here we see that David is in trouble.
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble…”
Here we see that David has enemies.
And yet, in peculiar fashion
David doesn’t seem concerned about any of them.
• Where is his worry?
• Where is his anxiety?
• Where is his nervousness?
His enemies haven’t retreated.
His trouble is not gone.
And yet, David is filled with confidence.
(7) “You will revive me; You will stretch for Your hand against the wrath of m enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The LORD will accomplish what concerns me.”
How does he know that?
Now we see WHAT GOD SAID to David in His word.
When David spoke of God giving him boldness and strength,
It was because God had promised deliverance.
Indeed, we read those 3 accounts earlier.
God had said, “I will surely deliver them into your hand.”
And that was enough for David.
• No longer was he afraid of the battle.
• No longer did he need to hide from the enemy.
• He could boldly enter the streets for His God had promised to deliver.
He knew God would do what He says.
“Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;”
• It is the phrase repeated over and over in the previous Psalm
• But somehow this time it feels different for it is personal.
God is not just loyal in general, God is loyal to me!
And that is the confidence that comes from
Reading God’s promises to you in His word.
STRENGTH COMES!
David closes with the request:
“Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”
• It is not a doubt or a lack of faith.
• It is merely a statement echoing what God has promised.
• David is confident because of God’s word.
He is not the only one in this boat.
Consider Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 1:17-19 “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. “Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”
Consider the apostle Paul:
Acts 18:9-10 “And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
Acts 27:21-25 “When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, “Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. “Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. “For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”
2 Timothy 4:16-18 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
And this is the encouragement to you.
In times of trouble.
When enemies rise.
It is not always that God desires to change the circumstance.
But God will change the man who listens to what He has to say.
His word produces strength.
His word produces confidence.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
The secret to boldness is not your genetic disposition,
It is a consequence of hearing and believing the word of God.
• It gives strength to the weak.
• It gives mercy to sinners
• It gives hope to those in trouble.
Spend time in God’s word
And find the source of strength and boldness like David did.
