God in Psalm 18 seems unnaturally violent. In many references to God within the Psalms and other works, while God does cast down those who are unjust, God is seen in a good light; a light with no evil. In this Psalm, his entire image revolves around violence, and darkness.The first instance we see this is in line 3: my God, my rock where i shelter, my shield and the horn of my rescue, my fortress. Many times, God is shown as a protector but here, God is the destroyer also. The horn of my rescue shows that to protect him, God will destroy those around him. Many times, Heaven is seen with light. God is seen as being pure, while the underworld, devil, and darkness, many times, is represented by fire and smoke. Line 9: They heaved, for smoke rose from His nostrils and fire from His mouth consumed, coals blazed up around him. God in this image burns inside. Smoke comes from within.
Along with that, line 12: He set darkness His hiding-place round Him. Here, God's ever veil of light has disappeared. Instead of having light shine wherever he goes, instead, he is surrounded by darkness. Also, here he is hiding. He is hiding in darkness which is something very unlike him. All in all, the image of God he seems quite dark in comparison to the rest of the Psalms, surrounded by an unnatural
Why this post is very strange is that God is so scary and frightful. Could this be an aid for battle? I don't know, but it seems to me if God's power was so great, he would not need to scare. Any demonstration of power would be enough. Even if he never revealed himself, he could raise up those who fight for him so that they would be feared. Also, i don't think it is a problem that this God has been borrowed from other religious traditions. Being God is a complicated role, but God can do everything. Why can't he appear in all forms, whether or not the forms coincide with other religious traditions? Being borrowed from another tradition only increases the omnipotence of God.
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