Restrung!

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by elizabethaudet

by elizabethaudet

Psalm 144:1-15

In Psalm 144 we see "the historical enemies of David are with the powers of chaos which threaten God's creation." There is a mythology about the God of death and the father of the god's, but we are well aware of the reality in Jesus Christ and in His Father God the creator of all things which exist for the benefit of mankind! He rules and reigns! There is no Demi-God in Christianity, but there is a Satanic power that tries to destroy what we have obtained through Christ. So we must cry out to God for help, "Rescue me from the many waters!" Warfare in ancient Israel was closely tied to their worship of God. Their battles were considered deeds accomplished for the purposes of God and overseen by God. The Battle of Jericho is a good example. The Battle of Ai shows what happened when they proceeded without orders and had sin in their camp.

Psalm 144 is written by David. He began verses 1-2 with, (CEB)-"Bless the Lord, My Rock, ". This is a strong feeling as we reason that this was used in the training of the Army of Israel. (Read Psalms 149:5-9; 18:46-49 which include this passage "...It is God Who avenges me, and subdues the people under me...Who taught my hands to fight, Who taught my fingers how to battle."; or 2 Samuel 22:35-"He teaches my hand to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.") David goes on in Psalm 144 with , "God is my loyal One, my Fortress, my Place of Safety, my Rescuer, my Shield, in Whom I take refuge, and the One Who subdues people before me." (Read 2 Samuel 22:36; and Psalm 18:2-"The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer;..."). Gentle Warrior? Oh, yes, David did not pick the fight, he found himself in, so he relied on God for the Battle skills. He subdued his enemies! We also have an enemy who comes against us unexpected, so we must go into our battle with the Armor of God fighting all the way. (Read Ephesians 6:10-18. This is a Spiritual Battle but sometimes it becomes physical.).

David wondered why God was considerate of him, so he wrote, (NKJV)-"Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Why do You care what happens to us? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." (Read Psalms 39:11 which says we are but vapor; 8:4 shows this question had been asked before; We ask " Why are we so frail. Why does God care."; 8:5 answers this for God created man a "little lower than the angels and You have crowned him with Glory and Honor."; Hebrews 2:6-13 shows what God intended for these frail humans that we are.) With Jesus we have gained His Glory and Honor! Read on in Psalm 102:2-3; Job 8:9; 14:1-2; 13:28)

David asked God in Psalm 144:5-8-(TLB)-:

1. "Bend down the heavens, Lord, and come." (How many times have you pleaded with God by saying, "Even so, come Lord Jesus!"-Revelations 22:20; Psalm 18:9)

2. "The mountains smoke beneath Your touch". (Psalm 104:32)

3. "Let loose Your lightening bolts." (Psalm 18:13-14)

4. "Shoot out your arrows, Lord, upon the enemies,...". (Psalm 97:4)

5. "Reach down from heaven and rescue me;". (Psalm 35:17)

6. "Deliver me from deep waters..." (Psalm 69:15)

7. "Deliver me from the power of my enemies." (Daniel 6:16-26)

8. "Their mouths are filled with lies; They swear to the truth of what is false." (Refer back to Daniel 6:21-22)

Psalm 144:9-11-(CEB)-"I will sing a new song to You, God." (Read Psalms 149:1 and 40:3). "I will sing praises to You on a ten-stringed harp,". Sounds like David had Restrung his harp which previously had hung on the willow. (Psalm 139:2). He is ready to use it for God! (Psalm 33:2-3 so he gets ready to play and sing again!). He went on in Psalm 144 -"To You-the One Who gives saving help to rulers, and Who rescues his servant, David, from the evil sword." This is one of the rare places where David uses his own name, because this was a personal problem. (Read 18:50 where we see another rare account where he used his name again.). God is so caring for His people that He uses our individual names and personally cares about ME and He cares about YOU.(fill in your name here). He cares!

No wonder David said in Psalm 144:11-14-(TEV)-"Save me from my cruel enemies, rescue me from the power of foreigners, who never tell the truth, and lie under oath." (Read Psalm 12 complete. David wrote this to the Chief Musician . It was played on a ten-stringed harp.)

David wanted God to intervene because of his family and needs:

1. "May our sons in their youth be like plants that grow up strong." (Psalm 128:3)

2. "May our daughters be like statues, which adorn the corners of a palace." (Pillars is used by one translation of health, beauty, and dignity.)

3. "May our barns be filled with crops, of every kind." (His family is represented as agricultural people.)

4. "May the sheep in our fields bear young by the tens and thousands." (David the shepherd boy now had younger shepherds, as this had always been a part of David's life. Psalm 23)

5. "May our cattle reproduce plentifully, without miscarriage or loss." (Keepers of livestock was part of their life.)

6. "May there be no cries of distress in our streets." (This amounts to a peaceful street scene.)

These are the prayers we need to pray today, "Lord, bless our sons and daughters so they will represent Christ to the unsaved; bless our food supply so we have enough to share; bless the work of our hands to be faithful servants; and, yes, Lord, bless the people of our families so our streets may be peaceful with no cries of distress, as when many are gunned down or beaten in our streets! This I pray with all my heart, O God!"

Last David remembered in Psalm 144:15-(NKJV)-"Happy are the people who are in such a state; " (This is a blessing on the outward well-being of the individual. In case you thought this meant a state of the USA- it is not just one of our 50 states of the USA . The Psalmist was referring to the state of "Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!" No matter where you live Psalm 33:12 says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance." These are the Blessed!) This is the inner-being blessing.

HE IS THE GOD OF JUSTICE, AND, AS WE HAVE FOUND USES HIS TWO-WAY STREET OF JUSTICE AS THE MEANS OF SEPARATING HIS PEOPLE FOR THEIR REWARD FROM HIS ENEMIES OF UNREGENERATE REBELLIOUS PEOPLE FOR PUNISHMENT! Pray for your families so they may be one of the chosen by God as His own. "BELIEVE ON THE LORD, JESUS CHRIST AND YOU WILL BE SAVED AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD."-(ACTS 16:31)

I have enjoyed writing this book on JUSTICE!

Next Book- 4 - Lament

Until next time...