Why is it that David receives this kind of treatment and deliverance from God? From reading past stories about David, we know that he received amazing promises. And it wasn't necessarily because of anything he did. He happened to be a part of Abraham's lineage, which eventually turned into Israel's royal lineage. There he was promised that his lamp would never be extinguished. He had his failures, but like we discussed, his close walk with God resulted in what I suppose was an ongoing dialogue with the Creator. And God forgave him, presumably constantly.
And lets not forget that David didn't have it easy, in spite of this close relationship with God. Quite the opposite, it would seem. When I read scriptures that depict David pleading with God to save him because of God's reputation, it appears that he has been in his share of potentially lethal trouble.
The truth is, David asked for deliverance, and God was inclined to deliver him. David had no magic words. He never had any footing to make a deal with God that bind God to deliver him.
And this makes me wonder, can I claim any of this? What can I expect when I ask God to deliver me from trouble? I believe God listens. But is what I perceive to be God's silence in any way related to the depth of my relationship with Him? If I spend as much time in communication with God as David did (impossible...right?....Right?) I would have a better understanding of just what it is God is doing.
I don't mean to ignore the text. David is in full-on teaching mode here in the 34th Psalm. He teaches that to fear the LORD leads to his protection, guidance, sustanence and deliverance. There will be trouble, make no mistake (v. 19), but God is the deliverer. Try a Google image search for "Psalm 34" and see how many pictures there are of troubled people with their heads in their hands.
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