“The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” -Psalm 18:4–6
In verse six, David says “in my distress I called upon the Lord.” But we would not know the length and depth and breadth of David’s distress had he not communicated it so eloquently in the previous verses. In the most ornamental language, David testifies as to why he loves the Lord and why He is worthy to be praised. In verses four and five, we see his distress in the following poetic form—which immediately arrests our attention:
A) Cords a) death encompass
B) Torrents b) destruction assailed
A) Cords b) Sheol entangled
B) Snares a) death confronted
To meditate on the imagery is overwhelming. John Calvin says of this verse: “The Holy Spirit, to contend against and make an impression upon the wicked and perverse dispositions of men, has here furnished David with eloquence full of majesty, energy, and wonderful power, to awaken mankind to consider the benefits of God. “
The wonder of the passage, however, is that David’s prayer cried out from the pit of despair, reached the ears of the Lord who heard it in his temple (the pinnacle of the universe). We are reminded how low the Lord is willing to condescend to hear his children and relieve their distress.