Psalm 18 and Wilderness

Friday I had the opportunity to go down to the are of the Dead Sea with a few friends. After a bit of a fiasco involving faulty alarm clock and a flat tire, we headed out of Jerusalem at about 3:30am. We started hiking the snake path at Masada at 5am sharp, arriving at the top in plenty of time to watch the sun rise through the haze. From there we stopped briefly at the Dead Sea to slather ourselves liberally in the black mud found along its banks. We then raced along steep and winding paths to the source of the David Wadi, wondering at the fertility of the region in the midst of such a desolate wilderness.

Some of the scenes and experiences from the day reminded me of Psalm 18, especially since such scenes and experiences were probably fresh in David's mind when he wrote the psalm.

Verses 1-2

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

This is the stronghold of Masada. Today it is mostly known as a fortress built by Herod the Great and one of the last holdouts of Zealots in the rebellion against the Romans. However, as most things in this land, its history goes back much farther. While one cannot say for sure, considering its position and tactical advantages, it is as likely as any place to have been the stronghold that David was at in 1 Samuel 22:4 "And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold." At very least David is certain to have been familiar with the sight of this hill and would have recognized its defensibility. In spite of the advantages of such a spot, though, David relied on God, realizing that true safety is only found in Him.

Verse 28

For it is you who light my lamp;

the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

Here's the view as we began hiking. With the moon and stars and the sun beginning to think of making an appearance there was enough light to be able to make out the trail without the need of flashlights. If it were in the middle of the night with clouds and no moon, it would be very dark indeed.

Verses 29-36

For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God--his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
For who is God, but the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?--
the God who equipped me with strength

and made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

In the first picture in this section one can discern a tiny path, winding its way up the mountain. While I did not personally walk on this path, on this trip I did climb on one of the more hazardous trails that I've gone on in Israel. Most of the "dangerous" paths I've been on have had railings and/or hand holds. This one did too, but not as many. In addition to being steep and winding, the rocks had been smoothed by thousands of people traversing it, making the footing treacherous. It wasn't bad, really, but it does give an idea of the danger of wandering around the wilderness wadis that David called his home when he was hiding from Saul. There are always rocks just waiting to betray your footing, and there is no stop before the bottom of the wadi. One does indeed need deer's feet. Though we didn't see any on this trip, it is usually a common sight to see ibex leaping about the hills, heedless of the danger. In contrast, the second picture has a very broad and pleasant path.

Verses 37-42

I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

I thrust them through,

so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.
For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.
You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

and those who hated me I destroyed.
They cried for help,

but there was none to save;

they cried to the LORD,

but he did not answer them.
I beat them fine as dust before the wind;

I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

The wind was blowing from the east, carrying a very fine dust on it, so fine that it would not have been discerned, but for its irksome effect of obscuring vision. To make such a dust David's victory must have been complete indeed.

It's always good for me to get out into the land, to see what the Bible writers saw and walk where they walked. Things have changed much between their time and mine, but there is still enough left to begin to get a glimpse of what life was like and to start to understand their thoughts and images.