Psalm 144
Of David. 1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples[a] under me.
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples[a] under me.
3 LORD, what are human beings that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath;
their days are like a fleeting shadow.
mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath;
their days are like a fleeting shadow.
Back in the day, war was fought by hand. Hand to Hand Combat was the largest part of a mans weaponry. It could have been a sling with a stone thrown by hand. War could have been fighting with a sword. It could have been fighting with a spear. War was ugly and physical. Nowadays war is antiseptic. It is long range and is done with electronic weapons and bombs from miles away. So these verses don't have as much meaning as they used to. We don't know much about shields.
I'm not a fighter. I remember getting in one fight at school when I was in early middle school, it was hand to hand. Now most of my fights are with words. There is the same power struggle with words as you have with fists. You don't have muscles to flex, you have position and power. The only way for someone to WIN a war of words is if one person gives in. In our society that usually happens by the person with the least amount of power. The lowest man on the totem pole very rarely wins. That doesn't mean the person with the power is right, but POWER beats the POWERLESS. The one exception is when God is on your side.
God is the great equalizer for the lowly vs the powerful. A person of low standing who believes in the Lord has all the power they really need. They don't need spears, swords, slings, guns, bombs or any other weapon of war. The greatest weapon you could ever have is God himself. "If God is for us, who can stand against us." There are many times in my life I feel powerless. It is easy to get depressed losing battle after battle to the powerful. But, take heart. I know who wins in the end. Praise God he is victorious.
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