Credits

Psalm 18:16-29

          Do you sit through the full credits when you go to a movie in a theater? What is a gaffer, a best boy, a key grip, a wrangler? Does a dolly grip stand around and hold a toddler’s doll? Are there that many cattle on a movie set that you need a wrangler? Did the worst boy get fired? Does everyone have to turn in their car keys when they walk on the set? And if you are an extra, doesn’t that just mean that you weren’t needed, or only needed in case the first one got broken?

          I always wondered if I were in a movie, would I need my name in the credits. Would I want to watch my name slide upward, or fade in and out? What if I were expendable crewman number 5, or gum wrapper collector? Would I want it then? And if I were the star, they would know who I was already, so seeing my name in the credits wouldn’t add much, would it?

          The author of our psalm, David, has survived a series of attempts on his life. The current king, Saul, has repeatedly set his military elite after him, forcing him to hide in caves. Sounds like the final days of Saddam Hussein’s life, living in a hole in the ground. But Saddam had been on the run from his own people for years. He slept in a different place almost every night. He had 80 palaces built to accommodate this mobile lifestyle. He would kill the architects and contractors to ensure no one knew about the secret safety features. You would not want to get awarded a government contract when he was in power. The best you could hope for were construction delays.

          David had been on the run, but David trusted the LORD. What I find interesting is that David doesn’t take credit for his rescue. He knows his own heart. He has struggled even with trusting. It has not been an easy journey for David. He has had his questions. He has had to wrestle with them and live without direct answers. He has had to continue believing and trusting even in the face of contrary evidence.

          David credits the power that rescued him to the LORD, and not to anyone else. He doesn’t really acknowledge his part in what happened. He continues to point to the LORD. When the enemy confronted David, he would have been like a limp wet noodle if the LORD had not been his support. I imagine his knees were weak and he could barely breathe. David knew it wasn’t him, it was the LORD. David had used up his reserves and he was running on empty. David was brought to a place of rest and refreshing.

          Some might read verses 20-24 and see a proud man, someone with little self-awareness. How could anyone claim to have any righteousness or cleanness on their own? But I don’t think David is claiming these things on his own. The only way to be righteous and clean is to do what David did. He didn’t try to do it on his own. He relied fully on what the LORD did in and through him. He was not running around taking credit. He knew it wasn’t his doing. He gave credit where credit was due.

          David was not a perfect man. He did his share of dirty deeds. But he seemed to be able to bring himself to a humble place before the LORD and get a clean slate. Confession and forgiveness was part of his normal life. He applied the Word of God to his life and situation. He made choices consistent with the character of God and the revelation of godly living found in the Scriptures.

          Because the LORD was with him, no military obstacle was too great. A troop of soldiers or an enemy’s defenses could withstand David and the LORD. Or as David would put it, the LORD and David. The character of the LORD is such that when we align ourselves with His character and purposes, we can’t fail. Faithfulness, blameless, purity, and humility are all characteristics of people who are in right relationship with the LORD.

          If these aren’t part of our daily experience, then I want to encourage each of us to draw in close to the LORD. Make confession, an honest appraisal before the LORD of our failures and foibles, a regular part of our spiritual journey. Keep a clean slate with Him. Don’t let our cache become so clogged with history that we slow down and crash.

          It is the LORD who keeps our lights on. It is the LORD who brings light into our darkness. Are you willing to let Him be the light in your life?