What did it mean for an Old Testament saint to love God? Psalm 18:1
The question has already been asked on ebible.com, "What does it mean to love Jesus?" But what did it mean for an Old Testament saint, like David (who wrote Psalm 18:1) to love God? David said, "I love you, O Lord, my strength." What did he mean by this?
Psalms 18:1 - 50
ESV - 1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 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.
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Asked August 03 2022
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
In my opinion, in both the Old (Deuteronomy 11:1,22) and New (John 14:15,23) Testaments (and even up until today), people loved/love God by obeying Him and His commandments. That obedience did not (and still does not) save them, but flows from gratitude to Him for salvation that He had/has already granted as a result of faith -- in the Old Testament, faith in the future fulffillment of God's promises; in the New Testament, faith in the completed fulfillment of those promises in Christ.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
First, see the big picture: "I. DAVID'S DELIGHT (Ps 18:1-3): David expresses his deep love for the Lord. II. DAVID'S DISTRESS (Ps 18:4-6): David is threatened with death and cries out to the Lord for help. III. DAVID'S DELIVERANCE (Ps 18:7-49)" -- Harold Wilmington David tells God he loves Him. Deuteronomy 6:5 gives Israel the command to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and might. So David expresses his love for God, honoring the command to love God with all your heart, soul, and might. (Ps 18:1). David finds safety in God, who is his rock, fortress, and deliverer (Ps 18:2). I can too!. Remember, David was stressed in vv. 4-6. Who wouldn't be stressed when threatened with death? As a pastor I was once threatened by a man with a gun. David trusts in God as his strength and shield, and calls upon him with confidence. We can too! It is no wonder that David, an Old Testament saint, tells God he loves Him: AMPC "I love You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength." (Ps 18:1). Or, perhaps, more explicitly: GNT "How I love you, Lord! You are my defender." (Ps 18:1). I personally love God because he helps me. My body is wasting away but my inner man is being renewed day by day. He strengthens my inner man. Psalm 18:32 (NIV) “It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” Psalm 18:30 (NIV) “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” --"30. God’s perfection is the source of [my] own [perfection], which has resulted from [my] trust on the one hand, and God’s promised help on the other. tried—'as metals are tried by fire and proved genuine' (Ps 12:6). Shield (Ps 3:3). Girding was essential to free motion on account of the looseness of Oriental dresses; hence it is an expressive figure for describing the gift of strength."~ Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
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