Psa 18:4-5 | KingComments | STEP | These verses describe the feelings of David during the time when the enemy was out to kill him. They are also the feelings of the faithful remnant of Israel during the great tribulation. We see something similar with Jonah when he is in the stomach of the fish ( ). Above that, these verses describe in particular the feelings of the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane, where the suffering of death is presented to Him in the cup of suffering that the Father shows Him there. Of Him we read that “in the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death” ( ). This is Gethsemane. In what David experienced – he describes his experience as of someone in the process of drowning ( ) – we see what Christ experienced in perfection and far deeper than David. No one like Him knows what “cords of death” are. David felt these cords in regard to physical death. In 2 Samuel 22 he speaks of “waves of death” ( ). These are strong powers that wanted to pull David into the depths of the realm of the dead. Christ felt these cords and waves in the fullest sense of the word: being separated from God. The same applies to the “torrents of ungodliness” that “terrified” David. In a literal sense, these are the sudden, fast-flowing waters in the wadis in the wilderness that drag everything along and destroy it. The torrents of ungodliness, or destruction – literally it says “streams of Belial” – refer to the endless stream of corrupted people who, led by satan, hunted him down to kill him. Christ was not afraid of all physical suffering and physical death. Otherwise He could never have encouraged His own to “not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul” ( ). He had no fear of what people would do to Him. What made Him fearful was the anger of God that would come down on Him in the three hours of darkness, during which He would be made sin. The “cords of Sheol”, – Sheol is the realm of the dead – surrounded Him in a way that was far more intense than David could ever experience ( ). The same is true of the “snares of death”. David felt like a bird caught in a snare. The more he tried to pull away, the tighter the snare was tightened. Death could make its appearance at any moment. The snares of death also threatened and distressed the Savior (cf. ). That is why in Gethsemane He called upon His God in His distress. And He heard Him and delivered Him – not of death, but – from death, and this because of His piety ( ), that is, because of His full devotion to God David, after describing his distress, speaks of calling upon the LORD in his distress and crying “to my God” ( ). His distress was so great that he despaired of life, for death threatened. The enormous powers he faced were beyond human control. All he could do was cry to God, for he had a God to Whom he could cry. The call for help is followed immediately, without pause or hesitation, by God’s answer (cf. ). This answer is the awareness that his voice, which cried from the depths of the dead ( ), is “heard” by God “out of His temple”, the house of His government in high heaven. God was not too busy with other things. The cry for help had His full attention. David knew that he was making his cry for help before God, that is, in His presence. Therefore, it came into His ears that were open to the distress call of His chosen king.

‏ Psalms 18:4-5

The Distress Brought to God

These verses describe the feelings of David during the time when the enemy was out to kill him. They are also the feelings of the faithful remnant of Israel during the great tribulation. We see something similar with Jonah when he is in the stomach of the fish (Jona 2:3-10). Above that, these verses describe in particular the feelings of the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane, where the suffering of death is presented to Him in the cup of suffering that the Father shows Him there. Of Him we read that “in the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death” (Heb 5:7a). This is Gethsemane.

In what David experienced – he describes his experience as of someone in the process of drowning (Psa 18:4) – we see what Christ experienced in perfection and far deeper than David. No one like Him knows what “cords of death” are. David felt these cords in regard to physical death. In 2 Samuel 22 he speaks of “waves of death” (2Sam 22:5). These are strong powers that wanted to pull David into the depths of the realm of the dead.

Christ felt these cords and waves in the fullest sense of the word: being separated from God. The same applies to the “torrents of ungodliness” that “terrified” David. In a literal sense, these are the sudden, fast-flowing waters in the wadis in the wilderness that drag everything along and destroy it. The torrents of ungodliness, or destruction – literally it says “streams of Belial” – refer to the endless stream of corrupted people who, led by satan, hunted him down to kill him.

Christ was not afraid of all physical suffering and physical death. Otherwise He could never have encouraged His own to “not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul” (Mt 10:28). He had no fear of what people would do to Him. What made Him fearful was the anger of God that would come down on Him in the three hours of darkness, during which He would be made sin. The “cords of Sheol”, – Sheol is the realm of the dead – surrounded Him in a way that was far more intense than David could ever experience (Psa 18:5).

The same is true of the “snares of death”. David felt like a bird caught in a snare. The more he tried to pull away, the tighter the snare was tightened. Death could make its appearance at any moment. The snares of death also threatened and distressed the Savior (cf. Lk 12:50). That is why in Gethsemane He called upon His God in His distress. And He heard Him and delivered Him – not of death, but – from death, and this because of His piety (Heb 5:7b), that is, because of His full devotion to God

David, after describing his distress, speaks of calling upon the LORD in his distress and crying “to my God” (Psa 18:6). His distress was so great that he despaired of life, for death threatened. The enormous powers he faced were beyond human control. All he could do was cry to God, for he had a God to Whom he could cry.

The call for help is followed immediately, without pause or hesitation, by God’s answer (cf. Mt 14:30-31). This answer is the awareness that his voice, which cried from the depths of the dead (Psa 18:4-5), is “heard” by God “out of His temple”, the house of His government in high heaven. God was not too busy with other things. The cry for help had His full attention. David knew that he was making his cry for help before God, that is, in His presence. Therefore, it came into His ears that were open to the distress call of His chosen king.