Psalm 18 is a psalm of David expressing his concept. The title of this psalm says that David talked to Jehovah with the words of this song after God delivered him from all his enemies and from Saul. This psalm is not merely a prayer or praise but a talk with God.
I would like to ask if we have had times to talk with the Lord. To talk means to open yourself up and release all your opinions. Have we ever had such a talk with the Lord Jesus? Psalm 18 is a human talk with the divine God. This is wonderful. Just to have the opportunity and the privilege to talk to God is a very great blessing. To talk with someone implies intimacy. We must be face to face, having eye contact with the one to whom we are talking. We need such an intimate, human talk with the divine God. In David's talk to God, he begins by saying, "I love You, O Jehovah, my strength" (v. 1). This is a very sweet talk.
Psalm 18 reveals the improvement of David's concept in his enjoyment of the saving God as his strength, his crag, his fortress, his Deliverer, his God, his rock, his shield, his salvation's horn, and his high tower in whom he took refuge (vv. 1-5). A crag is a steep, rugged rock. David said that Jehovah was his crag and his rock, in whom he took refuge. David loved Jehovah because Jehovah was so much to him. He enjoyed Jehovah as his saving God.
In verse 6, David realized that God heard his voice from His temple, not because of his righteousness. This is an improvement from David's relying on what he was and what he had to what God is and what God has.
Even though David realized that God heard his voice from His temple, he portrayed God not as in His temple but as in His fury and His terrifying majesty (vv. 7-15). This shows that David improved in his concept, but then he went back to his natural concept.
In verses 16-28 David turned to his righteousness and cleanness because of which God delivered him from his enemies. Do you believe that God delivered David from his enemies because of his righteousness and cleanness? David was wrong to think this. God is not good to us because of our righteousness. He is good to us because of His compassion. We need not only His mercy but also His far-reaching compassion to preserve us.
Anyhow, David recognized that God was the One who strengthened him, shielded him, supported him, and enabled him to war, who had made his feet like hinds' feet, and whose condescending gentleness had made him great (vv. 29-36). God is transcending, but God's gentleness is condescending. God is on the throne, but He shows us His gentleness by coming down to us. Thus, David testified that it was by such a God that he overtook his enemies and defeated those who hated him (vv. 27-42). This shows us again the mixture in David's concept.
Eventually, David praised God that God had rescued him from the strivings of the people and had made him the head of the nations, who served him, obeyed him, and came cringing to him; and he blessed God his rock and exalted the God of his salvation, who had exalted him above his enemies (vv. 43-49). On the one hand, we see much improvement in David's concept here. On the other hand, we see the mixture in his concept.
The conclusion of Psalm 18 is that God magnified salvation to David as God's king and executed lovingkindness to him as God's anointed and to his seed forever (v. 50). God's magnifying salvation to David was not just to save him but to save him for making him the king. He was not worthy by his righteousness to be God's anointed. But God anointed him because of His lovingkindness. Christ is the seed of David to inherit God's covenant made to David.