Psalm 144
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 144
When I was a kid there was a song that I heard somewhat often by tour groups from various Bible colleges that would visit our church.
I remember we used to have a cassette tape of one tour group that we would listen to a lot.
It’s actually an old hymn.
The song is: I Am on the Battlefield for My Lord.
Refrain:
I am on the battlefield for my Lord,
I'm on the battlefield for my Lord;
And I promised Him that I would serve Him till I die.
I am on the battlefield for my Lord.
As believers, we are on the battlefield whether we know it or not.
Just like a person blindly walking right through the middle of a battle waging between two ground forces, we are in just as much danger if we don’t look up and realize there is a war going on.
But the good news is: We have the Lord on our side.
Psalm 144 is another Psalm of David.
David was a man of war, This was God’s will for His life so that their land would be cleaned out, and prepared for His son, Solomon, to build the temple.
The battles that David, and Israel, faced are representative of the spiritual battles that we face every day.
Just as their victories were dependent upon the Lord, so are our victories dependent upon Christ.
In this Psalm we see Five Powerful Characteristics of God that enable us to trust in Him during our battles.
The first is:
I. His Military Strength
I. His Military Strength
1 Blessed be the Lord my strength,
Which teacheth my hands to war,
And my fingers to fight:
2 My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer;
My shield, and he in whom I trust;
Who subdueth my people under me.
This Psalm of praise begins by thanking the Lord who is his strength.
We sometimes tend to forget that it is God who is holding us up.
He is the one who gives us strength
He is the one who teaches us how to fight this battle.
He is the one who wins the battle for us.
But it’s not just with the offensive that he helps us.
He is our fortress - this refers to a stronghold, a wilderness or mountainous place for hiding, for defense and for gathering supplies for battle.
He is our high tower - A place that is fortified, a high cliff, or a rock. A safe haven, or place of refuge.
He is our deliverer - He takes us to safety.
He delivers us from threatening situations.
He is our shield - our protection
One who I trust - One I can put my hope in.
One Who subdued my people under me.
He caused the people of Israel to follow David’s leadership.
These are all battle images that David is using.
As the king he needed all of these things.
All of these things David needed in his physical battles, we need in our spiritual battles.
In the midst of a battle you need a stronghold you can rely on.
You need a fortress!
So the Lord, mighty in battle, will protect us, will give us strength, will be our shield in battle.
How many times have I felt the attacks of Satan, and cried out to Jesus, to feel the Peace of God flow over me and the attacks disappear.
But He is not just the Nation of Israel’s Military Power or help.
He is not just the Church of God’s Strength and protection.
The Second Powerful Characteristic of God, that helps us in this Spiritual battle is:
II. His Individual Concern
II. His Individual Concern
3 Lord, what is man, that thou Takest knowledge of him!
Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
4 Man is like to vanity:
His days are as a shadow that passeth away.
the words in these verses man, him, son, His…are all singular.
What is man that thou takest knowledge of him!
He is concerned about each man individually, not just all men as a whole.
We stand in amazement that God is concerned about us.
In fact we often doubt it if we are truthful.
I know God so loved the world…but does that mean me?
We know it does, but Satan likes to bring words of doubt in our heart.
Yes, it means you!
These verses tell us that God:
A. Knows you
A. Knows you
Lord, what is man, that thou Takest knowledge of him!
The words taking knowledge of comes from one word - yada
I wonder where the saying..yada yada yada comes from this…Maybe it means I know, I know , I know! lol
But the word means to know, to learn, to perceive , to discern, to experience, to consider, to know people relationally.
All of these words are a part of the definition of this simple word.
God knows you
God doesn’t have to learn about you, but yet he has studied you
God perceives you - he sees you
God discerns your heart
God experiences you
God considers you
God knows you relationally.
Don’t let Satan ever tell you anything different!
But not only does He know you…He
B. Tracks You
B. Tracks You
David continues… “or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!”
When you order online you can track how long your package is going to take to get here.
I got a notice today, we ordered something and my phone told me that my package was 5 stops away, I clicked on the notice and it showed me a map where the truck was, and how many stops until it got here.
If I had time, I could watch the little truck move closer and closer to me.
God not only knows us but he keeps account of us…
The word means to regard, consider, account, to plan for.
It’s not just a general knowledge but a continual watching and knowing.
God is stalking you!
In comparison to the Lord, man is nothing, and yet God is concerned about each and everyone of us.
The Lord is your rock,
He is Your fortress,
He is Your high Tower
He is Your Shield!
Man is like to vanity, David says…emptiness, meaningless.
We are just a shadow that just passes by.
If you ever get too high on yourself, and prideful…just take a walk through the cemetery.
Those dates on there, the birth date and the death date are like parenthesis around the life that was lived - it is the dash in the middle of them.
it passes that quickly too.
James tells us in James 4:14
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
in Job we are told:
(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
and in Job 14:2
He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
All throughout the Bible we are warned that this life is fleeting and small.
So we better get busy while we still have breath!
There are people hurting around us, there are people that are dying and have never heard the good news!
But even though we are nothing in the great skeem of history, we are not so to God!
He knows us, and He loves us!
We can praise God for his Great and Powerful Characteristics
His Military Power helps us in battling Satan’s forces
His Individual Concern helps realize that we are loved.
Then we see ...
III. His Power over Creation
III. His Power over Creation
In case we had any doubts over just how great and powerful God is David reminds us...
5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down:
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them:
Shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.
7 Send thine hand from above;
Rid me, and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of strange children;
8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity,
And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
Isn’t God powerful!
There is a sort of remembrance of Mt. Sinai here...
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
David was praising God for His great power.
He has great power...
A. Over Nature
A. Over Nature
He has power over the heavens
27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
He has power over the mountains
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt,
And the earth is burned at his presence,
Yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
He has power over the lightning
Hear attentively the noise of his voice, And the sound that goeth out of his mouth.
He directeth it under the whole heaven, And his lightning unto the ends of the earth.
He has power over all nature and all of his creation, which means he also has power...
B. Over Man
B. Over Man
Here in verse 7-8 he comes to the reasoning for his request for God’s display in nature.
7b Rid me, and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of strange children;
8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity,
And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
David was caught in a great water, but it was a water of foreigners…strange children…who were causing problems.
Their mouths were speaking vanity
there hand held deceit.
It seemed that he was drowning in their lies.
But David knew that the Same power that God had over Nature, would be the same power that He had over man, and he depended upon Him.
We too can depend upon God during our battles.
The same God who calmed the storm, or shook the mountains is the same God who can win our battles for us.
God has incredible power, and He wants to use that power through us!
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
A.W. Tozer said, “God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.”
Let’s trust in these Great and Powerful Characteristics of God, and get busy serving Him!
The Fourth Characteristic David mentions is...
IV. His Worth of Praise
IV. His Worth of Praise
And He IS worthy
9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
Upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings:
Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
He is worthy not to just sing a song, but a new song.
There hasn’t been a song written yet that is equal to His worth.
I love the old Hymns…and I want to continue singing them as long as I live…but something within me desires to find, create, and sing a new song.
To find a new way to praise him.
God is a creative God, and we are made in His image.
I have always wanted to write a song, I have tried many times.
For VBS this year we needed a theme song, and nothing seemed right, but I knew I would not be able to write one.
So I asked God if He would help me to write one.
I did write one, through much trial and tribulation, and it worked.
I would love to write some more…I don’t know if I ever will but there is a desire to find new ways to praise Him!
The old ways are not bad, or stale, or undesirable…there is just something built into the heart of man that wants to continue to find a new song.
Why because we are overflowing with gratitude for what he has done for us.
David says…It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
Can you relate?
He has saved us, he has delivered us, and continues to deliver us from the forces of evil that continually threaten us.
He is Worthy of our praise - Let’s find every way we can to praise Him!
So David has pointed out these powerful Characteristics that enable us to truly trust in God during our battles:
He is our Military power, and source of our strength
His Individual Concern about us.
His Power over Creation…not only over nature, but man who would harm us.
His Worth of Praise - and He is Worthy!
And then fifth, in verses 11-14 we see...
V. His Keeping of the Saints
V. His Keeping of the Saints
11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children,
Whose mouth speaketh vanity,
And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store:
That our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
14 That our oxen may be strong to labour;
That there be no breaking in, nor going out;
That there be no complaining in our streets.
David recognized that it was God who would be able to keep him.
It was only God who could rescue and deliver him from these liars.
If God could deliver Him, the King, the nations leader, than he knew that He would be able to help his people see...
Their sons grow up as plants - the image is a young strong tree. -Growth in their youth
Their daughters to be like cornerstones - The stability, all else built upon - the word polished ha also been translated as hewn - the cornerstone is hewn and just as beautiful and strong as the palace’s cornerstone.
Their garners (barns) may be fool - storing all kinds of food.
Their sheep multiplying bringing thousands and tens of thousands of sheep.
Their oxen are strong in order to labor, to plow the fields, to help build the town.
There would be no breaking in or going out - that the town walls would have no breaches. No fence falling over, no opening for the enemy to enter.
No complaining in our streets - peace, and contentment.
The picture of full all around peace and prosperity all coming through the blessings of the Lord!
OH how this ought to be our prayer for our families and our church.
That our sons will grow and mature in the Lord.
That our daughters would help stablish and support our homes and churches
that our provisions would be full to sustain us
that our meat will be plenteous to feed us all
That our workforce would be healthy and strong
that our walls of protection are sure and strong
that our people are are content and blessed enough that there will be no complaining in the streets.
What a wonderful picture and all accomplished by the Lord’s Keeping the Saints.
Contentment in Him - that is the key
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
It is easy to live a contented life when we we are trusting in a powerful God!
The Psalm ends with a statement that sums it all up!
Happy is that people, that is in such a case: Yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.
We can experience happiness only as we yield to God as our Lord!
I hope that is what your desire is today!
Life is much happier on this side of the battlefield!