Psalms 144:1-15
1 Blessed be the LORD my strength,a which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
2 My goodness,b and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
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.
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.
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 salvationc unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
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, polishedd 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.
15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
This is a song of triumphant assurance. Its placing at this point in the book suggests the invincible experience of trusting souls. In order to appreciate all its value, the nine psalms immediately preceding must be borne in mind. Five of them celebrate the sufficiency of God. These are followed by four which declare the utter helplessness of man. The present one immediately follows, and in it the two facts are present; but the Divine sufficiency is seen encompassing the human helplessness until it is so lost sight of as hardly to be discoverable.
The opening affirmations thrill with the singer's confidence of ability in the might of Jehovah. There is a conflict, but fear is banished, because Jehovah teaches the hands to war and the fingers to fight; and He is all that the soul in conflict needs. This affirmation is followed by an exclamation of surprise that Jehovah so high, should take any account of man, who by comparison, is vanity. There is no shadow of doubt in the exclamation, for the song immediately becomes a prayer for the operation of Jehovah's might, for the rescue of the trusting soul. It then climbs to the higher level of praise in the new song of confidence which ends in a repetition of the prayer for rescue. Finally the singer describes the peace and prosperity of the people whose God is Jehovah.