20110709

Psalm 144:3, 4 Fleeting Shadow

Psalm 144: 3, 4 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
In this psalm of David first, David praises the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. The LORD is his loving God his fortress ... stronghold ... deliverer ... shield in whom he takes refuge and who subdues peoples under me. David is amazed at such care when he thinks what nothings we human beings are. He wants the God who has helped in the past, nevetheless, to part his heavens and come down (5) and do the sort of thing he did at Sinai (touch the mountains, so that they smoke; send forth lightning) and give David victory in battle. Deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters he prays from the hands of foreigners (7) who are full of lies. He then anticipates this victory and promises a new song ... on the ten-stringed lyre (9) to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers David. Verse 11 goes back to praying for this so that there may be a wonderful future - sons in their youth ... like well-nurtured plants ... daughters ... like pillars carved to adorn a palace. There will be abundant provisions and no breaching of walls ... captivity ... nor cry of distress in our streets. He concludes Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD. It is easy to take such a prayer for granted and not marvel at what is going on but what is man, after all, that God cares for him in such ways, the son of man that God thinks of him? As David says we are like a breath, our days are like fleeting shadows, so quickly they are over. How thankful should we be that in these brief lives God will give us the victory through Jesus Christ if we look to him. Sing it anew.

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