Let's begin reading in verse
34 and read down through verse 37. 2 Samuel chapter 22. He maketh my feet like hinds
feet. That's a deer. He gives me the
feet of a deer. And setteth me upon my high places
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken
by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield
of thy salvation, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast
enlarged my steps under me, so that my feet did not slip. Let's pray together. Our merciful heavenly Father,
we come into your presence in Christ's name. And Lord, we ask
in his name that you would be pleased to meet with us and to
speak in power to our hearts from your word. And Lord, we
ask that you would teach us thy gospel. We ask that you would
cause us to believe thy gospel. We ask that you would cause us
to hear the gospel as good news in power and afresh. Lord, we
ask that you would deliver us from those things that would
hinder us in hearing your word. We ask that you would forgive
us of our many, many sins and cleanse us. Lord, you said if we confess
our sins, you're faithful and just to forgive us of our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And Lord, we confess our sins
and we look to you to be faithful and just to your covenant to
forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Give us grace to love you more and to love one another more
and truly seek to be servants one to another. Be with all your people wherever
they meet together. And Lord, those in our midst
that are sick, we pray for your healing hand to be upon them
according to your will. Now bless us for Christ's sake.
In his name we pray. Amen. Now I want to spend just a few
moments speaking on these being the words of the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. And then I want us to look at
them as the words of David. Verse 34, he maketh my feet like
hind's feet. Now deer, how fast is a deer? How quick is a deer? He was quick
to obey God. He sets me upon my high places,
the right hand of the throne of the majesty on high. What
a high place that is that our Lord Jesus Christ possesses. He teaches my hands to war. so that he defeated all of our
enemies, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms." Now,
in all the other translations I read, it's bent. And I don't
know much about bows, but Rick uses them. He was telling me
about them, and I was thinking about it. I don't know if I've ever
shot one. Matter of fact, I guess I haven't, because I'd remembered
if I had. But from what I understand, it
takes a lot of strength to bring them back, so many pounds of
pressure. But he had a bow of steel. He
broke, and His arrows never miss. Verse 36, Thou hast given me
the shield of Thy salvation, and Thy gentleness hath made
me great. Think of the greatness of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Thou hast enlarged my steps under
me, so that my feet did not slip. You know, as a man, he trusted
God to enable him so his feet would not slip. Now, somebody
says, well, could his feet have slipped? No. No, but he trusted
God that it would not happen. Now, I see these as the words
of Christ, but most especially, I see these as the words of David.
Now, David says, he makes my feet like Heinz' feet. A deer. Now, what is a deer? A deer is an undomesticated animal,
isn't it? Religion tries to domesticate
people. And a deer is prey. Men like to eat deer, don't they?
Venison? The lions were after the deer. So what is the deer's
one way of defense? Run. Run. Get to a place of safety. That's the one defense they have
their prey. They can't defeat their enemies.
They can't take on a lion. They can't take on men. The only
thing they have to do is to run for safety. What about a believer? The one
thing to do is to run for safety. And where's the safe place we
run to? The Lord Jesus Christ simply being found in him. Now every believer, they all
have this in common. We all find our only place of
safety in Christ. So that all God sees is Christ
and we're running there constantly. Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in him. That's what every believer does.
He runs to Christ. He has nowhere else to go. He
doesn't have any other options. That's the only place he has
to go. He can't go to the law. He can't
look to his own strength. The only place he has to do is
get quick into Christ because he knows he's prey and he's no
match for his enemies. And the only way he can be saved,
the only way he can be safe, the only way he can be secure
is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he makes my feet like Hines'
feet. I know what a deer does. He's
running for safety. He knows he's no match for his
enemies. That's what he does. Now look
what it says next in verse 34. He setteth me upon my high places. Now, I didn't climb up into this
high place. He sets me in this high place. Salvation's of the Lord. He sets
me in this high place. And where is this high place?
Well, this high place is the place at the right hand of the
majesty on high where Christ sits. And He sets me in Christ. This is His work. He does this.
He sets me in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Ephesians
chapter 2. What a high place of safety this
is. You know, I love the proverb,
the name of the Lord is a high tower. The righteous run into
it and are safe. Now look here in Ephesians chapter
two. Verse four, There's the Gospel right there.
You were dead, but God. But God intervened. But God did
something. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
you are saved. Now listen to the language. When
Christ was quickened, When Christ was made alive, when Christ was
resurrected, you know who else was? Everybody in Him. God said they live. When did
your spiritual life begin? Well, somehow it's connected
with the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. I love
thinking about this. Before there was ever a sinner,
there was a Savior. And, well, I just like it that
way, don't you? The blood of the Lamb flamed
from the foundation of the world. I was quickened, I was given
life when God raised Him from the dead. Well, how did that
happen? You weren't even born yet. I know that, but I still
was because I was in Him. I was united to Him. And I was
quickened when He was raised from the dead. And I was quickened
when He gave me life. But let's go on reading. Verse
5, even when we were dead in sins, He hath quickened us together
with Christ. What that means is by grace are
you saved. And look at verse 6, and hath
raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus. I'm sitting in heaven right now.
You look at me and say, I don't see you in heaven. I'm still
sitting in heaven. Because in Christ Jesus the Lord,
I am right there already glorified, perfected, completely safe and
secure. I'm sitting in my high places. Now, once again, mystery. It
isn't something you can understand. It's just something we believe.
I'm as sure for heaven as if I'm already there. Not me, I'm
there. That's how secure I am. I'm there
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I love the way David says,
he made me to sit. I didn't climb up there. He made
me to sit in my high places. Verse 35, he teaches my hands
to war so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. That
takes supernatural strength, doesn't it? A bow of steel, that
takes supernatural strength. But the point is, we have supernatural
strength in this warfare that we have. And the believer's life
is compared to a warfare, a struggle, a fight. I think the best illustration
of that is found in Genesis 25. Verse 20. And Isaac was 40 years old when
he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel, the Syrian,
of Paddan Aram, the sister to Laban, the Syrian. And Isaac
entreated the Lord for his wife because she was bare and she
had no life in her. And the Lord was entreated of
him and Rebekah, his wife, conceived. She was given life. She now had
life in her. And the children struggled together
within her. Now there was no battle. There
was no fight until life was put in her. And once she had life,
there was a struggle going on. These twins, she didn't know
they were twins, but she knew something was going on in her
that she'd never experienced before. And I know this, you're
not really gonna struggle with sin until you have life. Do you
understand that? It takes life even to see what
sin is. An unbeliever has no idea what
sin is. They know there are wrong things
that get them in trouble and they can go to jail for and so
on, but they have no idea what an evil nature is. It takes a new nature to see
the evil nature. Once she has life, this struggle
is going on within. And the children struggled, fought
within her. And she said, if it be so, why
am I thus? What's wrong with me? Things
are worse now than they ever been. I don't understand this.
And she went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord said unto
her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall
be separated from thy bowels. And don't you know that's true
regarding you? Two different nations, two different manner
of people. The old man that you were born
with, and the new man. The new nature given in the new
birth. Two manner of nations are in thee, and the one shall
be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the
younger. Now, the new nature is stronger
than the old nature. You know why? Because it's divine. It's divine. And that old nature
is going to serve the new nature. And I don't know of anything
that I find more comforting than this. The Lord uses everything
about my old nature to drive me to Christ. I don't have any
way. There's the hind's feet. That
old nature turns my new nature into hinds feet and I'm running
to Christ to find my security and my refuge and safety in him. Now this is the battle that every
believer fights. And we have, we've got the sword
of the spirit, we've got the new nature, we've got God the
Holy Spirit. Oh, greater is he that's in you
than he that's in the world. But let me turn to 2 Corinthians
chapter 10. You know, the New Testament has
so much imagery about this battle. Galatians 5, 17, the flesh lusting
against the spirit, the spirit lusting against the flesh. Romans
7, Paul says, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
You can go into Ephesians chapter 6 and it talks about the weapons
that were given to fight this war. But look at this passage
in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 3. For though we walk in
the flesh, we don't war after the flesh. For the weapons of
our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high
thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Now I used to read that as bringing
every thought into captivity to obedience to Christ. But that's
not what it says, is it? Every thought is to be brought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ. His obedience is my
standing before God. And I'm to be brought to that
continually. No matter what's going on, that's
where I'm brought to. And what a mighty weapon that
is in our warfare. You know why I'm going to win
this war? Because the obedience of Christ is my obedience before
God. Now that's Him teaching me to
draw back that bowl of steel. supernatural strength that causes
us to always look only to the obedience of Christ. Verse 36, Thou hast also given me the shield
of thy salvation. Now, the salvation, thy salvation,
how thankful we are for Matthew 1.21. That's why I call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Now, that's His salvation. So,
simply put, He shall save His people from their sins. And that's what I need to be
saved from. My problem is not flesh and blood. You know, I've
got folks who aggravate me, you do too, but they're not your
enemy. They're not your enemy, your sins are your enemies. You
believe that? Your personal sins are your enemies. And here we have this promise,
he shall save his people from their sins. He's promised, I'm
saved from my sins, from the penalty, no condemnation in Christ
Jesus, from the power given in the new birth when I'm now unable
to do what I couldn't do, I can believe, I can repent, I can
love. One of these days from the very presence of sin, I'm
going to be sinless. I'm not even going to remember
what it is to be a sinner. Isn't that glorious to think
about? And He is the shield of that. Now what's a shield? A
shield's what takes the blow. I hold up a shield in front of
me, the shield takes the blow so I don't have to. And that's
exactly what Christ Jesus the Lord did on Calvary's tree. He
became my shield. He took the blow so I would be
saved from my sins. What a Savior. Thou hast also given me the shield
of Thy salvation, and Thy gentleness hath made me great. Thy gentleness. Now, let me tell you what that
word means first, and then we're gonna go to the great part, and
then we're gonna go back to gentleness. But the word gentleness means
my depression, my going down. my going down. It's not just
a gentle spirit. It's my going down, my condescension. His gentleness has made me great. Now, every believer is a son and daughter of God. God's my Father. I've got God
for me. Is that great? If God be for
us, who can be against us? I am the righteousness of God
in Christ. This is true of every believer.
I am the very righteousness of God. You know, it's hard to say
that, but it's what the Scripture says. For He hath made Him to
be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. I'm a partaker of the divine
nature. Every believer is. Now, is that great? Now how do
I have this greatness? Because of the depths he went
to. Thy gentleness, thy depression,
thy being brought down. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 8, 9. You know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ that though he were rich, yet for your sakes. Boy, it's a hard thing to get
hold of, isn't it? For your sakes, for your sakes, yes, for the
glory of God, but out of love to his bride, for your sakes,
he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich. Thy Poverty, thy being brought
down, is what made me great. It had nothing to do with anything
that I've done. He did it all. I love the way David here, as
an old man, is writing this psalm, his last psalm. He's reviewing
his life and I love the things he says and the things we can
learn from. He did it all. His poverty made me great. Look at verse 37. Thou hast enlarged my steps under
me, so that my feet did not slip." Now there's another couple of
Psalms where, for instance, it says, Thou hast set them in slippery
places. In due time, their foot will
slide, but not with regard to the believer. Why? Because he, has enlarged my steps
under me, so that my foot did not slip." Proverbs 16, 9 says
a man's heart devises his way. I've already, when we were driving
over here, I was asking him, what are we going to do for lunch?
What are we going to eat? That's always my question. What
are we going to eat? What are we going to do? We were
making plans. I'm thinking of the ball game this afternoon. Aubrey is
sick and Lynn's gonna try to get her food. All these plans.
Man devises his way. You got plans about tomorrow.
You got plans for... Man devises his way, but the
Lord directeth his steps. The Lord directs every one of
my steps. Turn to Psalm 37. Verse 23, the steps of a good man. I think
it's interesting if you have a King James Version, you'll
note that that good is in italics. Every believer, by the grace
of God, could be called a good man because they have the goodness
of God toward them. They have a new nature and all
that stuff. But still, when David is speaking, He doesn't say the
steps of a good man, the steps of a man. A believing man, a
saved man, but look what it says, the steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. And he delighteth in his way,
though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the
Lord upholdeth him with his hand. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. I love that proverb where it
says, the righteous fall seven times a day, but he rises up. Now why the term seven? What
seven means is completely. The number of completion and
perfection. You know what that means? That
means the righteous falleth all the time. Don't you know that
so? but the Lord raises him up. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. Now, how quickly, how surely
would you fall away if the Lord didn't keep you? How quickly, how surely would
you fall away into perdition? Leave Christ, deny Christ, deny
everything, become an apostate. How quickly would that happen
to you if the Lord doesn't preserve you? The scripture says we're
kept by the power of God. Now unto him that's able to keep
you from falling and to present you faultless before his presence
with exceeding joy. Now, that is why we'll persevere
all the way to the end, because we're preserved. David understood
this so clearly. Thou hast enlarged my steps under
me, so that my feet did not slip. The only reason my feet have
not slipped is because he has prevented it from happening.
Now, here's just another example of what the Lord does for His
people. He gives us feet like hind feet.
So we're running away from our enemies to Christ. He sets us on the high place. He teaches us in our warfare
and gives us supernatural strength. We're given his salvation, we're
made great by his humiliation, and he enlarges our steps under
us, so our feet do not slip. Now that's David as an old man,
musing. And I hope if the Lord, I guess
maybe I am an old man already, but I don't think of myself that
way, but when I'm up, if the Lord lets me go into my, eighties
or whatever uh... i hope this is going to be the
music of my heart that i'll just be thinking about what the lord
has done