Fear Not

The Names of What We Do

Chapter 39

December 15

2 Samuel 22:5-7

The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came to His ears.

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Preface

The descriptors we give to God are born from the actions He performs for us. This is the most direct way He reveals Himself to us.

Every time He moves in a person's life He reveals an aspect of His character, adding an object to the "I Am" sentence. And for the longest time, memorial sites were built, many as altars, commemorating what God did for someone at that spot. If God saved, He was called 'Savior.' If He protected, they called Him 'Protector.'

For just a few of the numerous examples provided to us:When the Lord heard Hagar's misery, "She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me'" (Genesis 16:13).When Jacob "struggled with God and with humans and ha[d] overcome," Jacob said to the Angel with whom he wrestled, "Please tell me your name." The Angel replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then He blessed Jacob.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, which means "Face of God," saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared" (Genesis 32:28-30).

When God provided to Abraham a ram to sacrifice in the place of his son Isaac, "Abraham called the place The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:13-14).

God reveals Himself to us in this way, letting us know who He is and what He can do for us by what He's done for others. He revealed Himself to David so often, in response to the numerous challenges David encountered, that David came to know first hand many of God's attributes. These he sang in songs, like this:

"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" (2 Samuel 22:2-3).

This intro to David's song is the introduction to today's verse, in which "violent people" are metaphorically described in ways to inspire us to likewise see our own challenges: as opportunities to call out to God, allowing Him to reveal Himself anew in our lives today as He did in times past.

But to call out to God and have Him hear us and respond, we first have to gain a better understanding of what righteousness and forgiveness are.

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>> Righteousness 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 (2 Samuel 22:1). (See Also Psalm 18, a repeat of this song.) First, David lists a number of God's attributes, saying "The Lord is my ": rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of salvation, stronghold and savior.