God’s Response to Us

1. Read: 2 Samuel 22:26-28

2. About the Text:

1) David was known as the “sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1).

2) In the book of Psalms, he is attributed with writing 73 Psalms, but he wrote more.

3) The Psalm in 2 Samuel 22 was written “when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul” (2 Samuel 22:1).

4) This Psalm may also be found in the book of Psalms, number 18.

5) In this Psalm, David credits God with his salvation saying, “He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me; For they were too strong for me” (v.18).

6) In this Psalm, David also discusses God’s treatment of him according to his behavior.

7) We want to look at verses 26-28 specifically.

3. God’s response to us.

1) So many times we ask, “How will you respond to God?”

2) Today we want to ask, “How does God respond to us?”

3) These verses set forth how God responds to the actions of people.

4. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful.”

2. Mercy is the act of helping someone who cannot help themselves.

3. It is also not receiving a punishment that you deserve.

4. “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

5. “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).

6. Jesus showed mercy. “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47).

7. Do you want God’s mercy? Be merciful to others.

1. “With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless.”

1) The word “blameless” means not deserving blame; guiltless.

2) It seems odd that God would show himself blameless since he is without sin and guilt.

3) For the blameless man, there is no reason to make an accusation against God.

4) God will act justly with him.

5) In contrast, the guilty will often blame God for the consequences of their own actions.

6) A blameless man is one who takes ownership/responsibility of his life.

2. “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless’” (Genesis 17:1).

3. “You shall be blameless before the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 18:3).

4. “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51:4).

5. “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6).

6. In Christ, we are presented blameless before God (Colossians 1:22).

1. “With the pure You will show Yourself pure.”

2. Purity is a state of mind as much as a state of being; it means unmixed.

3. “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

4. God is pure – “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness” (Habakkuk 1:13a).

5. “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:15).

6. When we are pure, we will see God as pure and God will be pure with us.

7. We get purity through Jesus – 1 John 1:7 – cleanse means to purify.

1. “And with the devious You will show yourself shrewd.”

2. A person who is devious is twisted, perverted, not natural, not fulfilling God’s purposes.

3. God is not devious, but He is shrewd because God has all wisdom.

4. “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20).

5. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their own craftiness’; and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’” (1 Corinthians 3:19-20).

6. Christ is God’s wisdom today. “But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).

1. “You will save the humble people.”

2. Humility is thinking of others with no thought to self.

3. God saves the humble because He lives with them.

4. “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones’” (Isaiah 57:15).

5. “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:5-7).

6. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10).

7. Jesus humbled himself (Phil.2:5ff).

1. The word “haughty” means “high one.” Here it indicates pridefulness.

2. The defining characteristic of pride is self-centeredness.

3. “A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin” (Proverbs 21:4).

4. “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up—And it shall be brought low—” (Isaiah 2:11-12).

1. Consider God’s Response to you. Will He . . .

1) Be Merciful

2) Hold you Blameless

3) Be Pure

4) Be Shrewd

5) Save

6) Bring Low

2. Invitation