After decades of drama, war, and turmoil, the great King David of Israel finally has peace. In 2 Samuel 22, he is so happy, and he breaks out in song to God. In today’s post, and the next two, we’ll observe how David crafts his song using chiastic structure (which I introduced in the previous post).
Before the song begins, 2 Samuel chapter 22, verse 1 is a quick intro to give us the context of why David wrote this song,
“David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”
In other words, David is like so many of us will be this week as we sit around Thanksgiving tables and share what we are thankful for from this past year. God has delivered him! And David breaks into worship.
Now let’s look at the first matching points. A and A’, the beginning of the psalm and the conclusion of the psalm. If my professor David Dorsey is right, then we should clearly see matching words and phrases between the beginning and the end. The beginning and the end of the song should essentially say the same thing.
First of all, the beginning, Point A, covers verses 2 through 4.
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.”
Notice the concepts David talks about: God is his Rock, his salvation, his deliverer who has rescued him from his enemies. Rock, Salvation, Deliverer who rescues.
Now scan down to the conclusion, verses 47-51, Point A’, and let’s see if we can find those words. Here’s what David says,
“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”
Remember the key words from Point A (verses 2–4) that we are looking for in this section? Rock, Salvation, Deliverer who rescues. Does David describe God as a Rock in those verses? Yes, three times! Does David describe God as savior? Yes! Does David mention God as deliverer? Uh oh. No. Maybe Dorsey is wrong. Except Dorsey is not wrong. See that phrase in verse 49 “sets me free from my enemies”? In the parallel passage, Psalm 18, which Dorsey studies, David uses the same Hebrew word for “deliver” or “save.” So the match is preserved.
What is more important than observing the match is observing the content. David’s purpose in both the opening and closing sections of the psalm is to praise God, to exalt God and declare God’s power, strength and faithfulness. That action of praising God with words and songs is a major reason why churches gather weekly as church families to direct everyone’s hearts, minds, and bodies to God and who he is. Therefore, Christians do well to make regular gathering for worship a priority, so we can remember that God is our Rock, our Savior, our Deliverer! Amid the craziness and difficulty and frustration of each week, we can allow our minds to get lost in the overwhelm of it all. When we praise God like David does, we are recentered, refocused on what is true. God is true.
In the next post, as David continues his song of praise to God, David talks about…superheroes?
Engaging Scripture 
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