Psalm 144
The LORD equipped David for victory in battle.
THE LORD EQUIPPED DAVID FOR VICTORY IN BATTLE
By David.
VERSE 1. Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to battle:
teaches my hands to war. The LORD trained David’s hands for war.
In those days, being a warrior meant fighting on the battlefield. The tools were the sword and spear, shield and armor.
In our day, being a spiritual warrior means fighting the good fight in the battlefield of prayer.
Our tools are Bible reading and prayer, righteousness and fasting:
1 Timothy 6:12. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.
VERSE 2. my loving kindness, my fortress, my high tower, my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I take refuge; who subdues my people under me.
my high tower. The high tower was a place of safety.
he in whom I take refuge. David trusts the LORD. He takes refuge in the LORD.
VERSE 3. LORD, what is man, that you care for him? Or the son of man, that you think of him?
VERSE 4. Man is like a breath. His days are like a shadow that passes away.
Man is like a breath. Our lives are very brief. For most of us, it spans seven or eight decades, and then it is over:
Psalm 90:10. The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, or it passes quickly, and we fly away.
VERSE 5. Part your heavens, LORD, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
VERSE 6. Throw out lightning, and scatter them. Send out your arrows, and rout them.
VERSE 7. Stretch out your hand from above, rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hands of foreigners;
out of the hands of foreigners. In this verse, as well as in verse 11 below, David’s enemies are from a foreign land.
VERSE 8. whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
whose mouths speak deceit. They are liars. Habitual liars.
Like a corrupt politician, they are insincere. Their words cannot be trusted.
VERSE 9. I will sing a new song to you, God. On a ten-stringed lyre, I will sing praises to you.
KJV translation: 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.
upon a psaltery and. This phrase is only found in the KJV translation. It is not found in other translations.
VERSE 10. You are he who gives salvation to kings, who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
salvation. In this verse, the Hebrew word means “victory.”
VERSE 11. Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners, whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
out of the hands of foreigners. In this verse, as well as in verse 7 above, David’s enemies are from a foreign land.
VERSE 12. Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants, our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
VERSE 13. Our barns are full, filled with all kinds of provision. Our sheep produce thousands and ten thousands in our fields.
Our barns are full. Back in the Old Testament era, people believed that if you walk with the LORD God, he will make you rich. And healthy.
VERSE 14. Our oxen will pull heavy loads. There is no breaking in, and no going away, and no outcry in our streets.
no breaking in. David says the enemy will not break through our walls.
That is a real comfort, since the enemy always tries to violate our boundaries, to breech our locks, to steal and kill and destroy:
The Enemy is a Thief. He steals and kills and destroys. Read more »
The Lord Jesus came that we may have life, and have it abundantly. Read more »
no going away. David says they will not be taken away into captivity.
VERSE 15. Happy are the people who are in such a situation. Happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
PSALMS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
Deuterocanonical chapter: 151
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, David’s Fasting
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.