Oh, to start my day reading the Psalms! I wish I had the fortitude and time to begin every day this way. This is like beginning a Sunday morning worship service with the praise team singing choruses and hymns. It puts your heart and mind in the proper frame.
Thank you for continuing on this marvelous journey. Today, we will read Psalms 15-18, but I will focus my comments on Psalm 18.
God’s “Extreme Ownership,”
In verse 2, we identify who God is. David had seen more than his share of war. Saul had betrayed him. He was hunted and suffered the loss of many comrades.
My wife and I watch many documentaries and dramas based on World War I and II. Not because we like violence—we don’t. Both of us turn our heads when the blood becomes too graphic. We watch because they show an aspect of courage and devotion you don’t see in all genres of cinema. When a strong colonel or general loses a member of their battalion, they suffer. Because they get to know these men on a deep personal level. More because it is their personal responsibility to deliver them to safety. This is what Jocko Willink refers to as Extreme Ownership.(1)
When a soldier dies in battle, the true leader accepts responsibility because they either should not have put him in that position, provided better protection, or prepared him better. The leader can’t just say the soldier was unlucky or messed up.
We watched a show called The Lost Battalion, starring Rick Schroder.(2) This was based on the actions of the US 77th Division, which was sent to fight German forces in the Argonne Forest in World War I. In one scene, Colonel Johnson claims there will be acceptable losses. Major Whittlesey, played by Schroder, disagrees. Because they are his men, he does not see these casualties as acceptable.
In The Dichotomy of Leadership, which Jocko Willink wrote with Leif Babin, we learn that while a leader knows there will be casualties going into a battle—a reality of war—he never accepts them. It is his responsibility to plan and prepare everything to account for all contingencies, minimizing losses.(3)
God feels this way about each of us. The Bible states, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9 NIV)
Our Fortress and Deliverer
He knows the nature of sin. To counter this contingency, he provides a path we can walk that will keep us safe. This path is solid; our feet will not slip on it, because it is based on the Rock. Jesus is the Rock (see 1 Cor. 10:4). When we stand on rock, we can stand firm.
While standing on this firm foundation, He protects us like a fortress. Picture a medieval castle high on a hill, protected by high walls; because it is on the hill, it would be difficult to build siege ramps against it. The wise leader prepares ahead of time for these situations so that his troops are as safe as he can make them. We can reference a book I have mentioned before, Upstream by Dan Heath, in which he states we can wait for a person to need rescuing from a river, or we can figure out how they got into the river.
This is not always enough.
Therefore, David says He is also his deliverer. Even the best plans can fail, and when they do, God is there to pull us from the raging waters. (4) In Psalm 18:16, we read, “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” (NIV)
This is that second level, Jocko, refers to planning for every outcome. Because of that, David takes refuge in the Lord, standing firm inside of Him. Leaving that safety zone exposes us to peril, but remaining in Him protects us. He is the surrounding shield.
In those days, the shield had an emblem on the front to show the men you were fighting who you were fighting for. This also prevented attacks from your comrades. In the heat of battle, many will perish from “friendly fire.” That symbol on the shield, along with the color, helped prevent these losses.
The Horn of Salvation: Strength and Refuge
What makes God David’s stronghold, however, is that He is the horn of his salvation. Here, we can see multiple meanings. For an animal, like a deer, its horns are part of its defense. Barnes’ notes on the Bible states, “Their strength lies in the horn.” (5)
Ellicott’s Commentary explains that the reference is not to a weapon, such as an animal’s horn, but to a mountain peak, often called a horn. (6)
Mountains surround the city we live in. As a youth, I would take my dog and hike into those mountains for no reason other than to sit on the top of the peak and enjoy the view. It was a full day’s hike up and back, but worth every minute. As I walked the path, I carefully placed my feet on solid surfaces. Sand would give way; if I was too close to the edge, it could fall away, sending me into danger.
God is that stable place. We can all take refuge. Are you trusting winds that can change? Place your faith in One who can deliver you.
Tomorrow, we will read Psalms 19-24.
Notes
Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2015).
The Lost Battalion. Directed by Russell Mulcahy. Aired October 15, 2001, on A&E.
Willink, Jocko, and Leif Babin. The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018.
Heath, Dan, and Chip Heath. Upstream: The Hidden Sins of a System that Stop Us from Solving Problems. New York: Avid Reader Press, 2020.
Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, comment on Psalm 18:2.
Charles John Ellicott, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, comment on Psalm 18:2.