Useful Bible Studies > 2 Samuel Commentary > chapter 22
David was very desperate as he appealed to God to save his life. However, God’s attitude to this situation was completely different. God was fiercely angry about what David’s enemies were trying to do. Death and the devil had no right to claim the life of David, God’s loyal servant. Hell and the grave had no right to take him, as if he belonged to them. David was Israel’s king – but God was David’s king, and so David belonged to God. Therefore God alone – as David’s master – had the power to decide what would happen to David.
In his great anger, God acted in an extraordinary manner to rescue David. The first main word-picture here is of an earthquake, when the earth shakes (verse 8). This one is so severe because God shakes both heaven and earth. Nothing whatever can escape the message of this earthquake: God is angry. A person’s anger may cause his face to become hot and red; God’s anger is truly terrible (verse 9).
Then, in the main word-picture, God comes in a terrible storm with lightning. People cannot see him because of the dark clouds under his feet. However, he is there, above the cherubim (special angels, his holy servants who are the guards of the most sacred things). In the word-picture, the thunder (noise of the storm) is God’s voice, with which he declares his judgment against his enemies. Then God uses the lightning, like arrows, to attack and to defeat those enemies (verses 10 to 16).
Next part: God rescues David from the evil spirits that wanted to take his life (2 Samuel 22:16-17)
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