Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand from those who rise up against them. (Psalm 17:7)

How could one do a study of the names and epithets of God without commenting on one of the most frequently used terms for God as Savior? Often Christians refer to Jesus Christ in this way, but this was not an uncommonly used nom de deguerre (i.e. name or alias) for God in the OT as well. The term itself can be translated as “One who saves” (as in the NIV), but also as a noun (Savior).

Most often we tend to think of the word “save,” from which the term Savior is derived, in terms of spiritual salvation, that is, an equivalent to redemption. We are saved from an eternity in hell. However, in the OT use of the concept, salvation can take on earthly connotations, as is the case of our passage today. God is the one whom His people trust to save them from particular difficulties, for example, physical harm from those who would oppress them.

In fact, God is referred to no fewer than 13 times in the OT as Savior. A simple concordance search reveals that title is reserved for Him only. God even asserts this about Himself: “I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me” (Is 43:11). “And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. (Is 45:21b). God saved them from bondage in Egypt (Ps 106:21, Hos 13:4), and He promised to save them from further captivity (Is 60:16).

So in his prayer to God, King David has absolute trust in the “Savior” of Israel and confidence that He will defend Israel against their enemies. Even more so, David could trust that God would be his personal savior against “my deadly enemies who surround me” (Ps 17:9). We can spiritualize this to refer to spiritual foes, but David lived in a rough-and-tumble tangible world. At times he feared for his life, and his prayers were down-to-earth cries for literal, physical salvation from the iminent threats against his life.

As Christians, certainly we are saved from the greatest threat to our lives: the eternal judgment of hell. But God is also interested in our earthly, physical lives. Do not our lives fill up with concerns about physical health, personal oppositions and threats to our financial well-being? God is the Savior in all these things as well. While He may not remove these difficulties, He saves us from being consumed by them and being knocked off our path of righteousness. We are secure in Him, because He is our Savior who loves us.

Lord, thank You for saving me from being overwhelmed by my circumstances.