He delivered me from my mighty enemy and from those who hated me, who were stronger than I.
David openly acknowledges that his enemies were stronger than he was. This confession does not lessen his courage, but rather magnifies the glory of God’s salvation. If he had been left to his own strength alone, he could not have overcome that danger. For this reason David does not say, “I was able,” but, “He saved me.” At the center of salvation is not human ability, but God’s power. Faith does not require a person to pretend that he is always strong. On the contrary, recognizing one’s own limitation teaches one to rely on the Lord more fully. When a person sees that the adversary’s strength surpasses his own, he understands more clearly that his hope is not in his own strength, but in God. This verse also teaches us to look rightly at deliverance. When the danger passes, a person can easily forget how powerless he was and how great God’s help was. David, however, remembers that his enemies were stronger than he was. Therefore he does not attribute his salvation to his own ability. The more clearly a person sees his weakness and God’s intervention, the more plainly he understands that all the glory of salvation belongs to the Lord.