#896 Trains

Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoples under me.

3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

4 Man is like a breath;

his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!

Touch the mountains so that they smoke!

6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;

send out your arrows and rout them!

7 Stretch out your hand from on high;

rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,

from the hand of foreigners,

8 whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;

upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

10 who gives victory to kings,

who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

11 Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand of foreigners,

whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth

be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13 may our granaries be full,

providing all kinds of produce;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

14 may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;

may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord! Psalm 144 ESV

A Psalm of David most likely after his ascension to king. A very national hymn, desirous of the well being of his people.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock - Just as David hid in the rocks and caves, he knows no surer foundation than God. He is a refuge and a strength to those in need. His word endures forever, even when all else fades away. 

…13 The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded. 14 and He will be a sanctuary. But to both houses of Israel He will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, a trap and a snare to the dwellers of Jerusalem.” 15 Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.”… Isaiah 8: 13-15

…16 He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.” And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!” 17 But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”… Luke 20: 16-18

…33 its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay. 34 While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.… Daniel 2: 33-35

…6 For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 7 To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.… 1 Peter 2: 6-8

Who trains my hands for war - When God calls a man, He also makes him ready. He makes us fit for the task. Remember, David was a little shepherd boy, but being a shepherd taught him how to lead sheep, to protect sheep. He used his time in the pastoral life to become great at his job, which incorporated the use of the sling. It was all the weapon he needed to take down  the giant Goliath, and he was already prepared by the lion and the bear. A little stone, a lot of practice, a mighty reverence for God. 

- Who trains my hands for war: If a man or woman feels that God is training him or her to use spiritual weapons – such as the sword of the Spirit, the word of God – then training must always continue. It is never “who trained my hands for war,” but always in the present: who trains my hands for war.

iv. Spurgeon wrote of the danger of using some weapons without adequate training – a danger in both the natural and spiritual realms: “Untrained force is often an injury to the man who possesses it, and it even becomes a danger to those who are round about him; and therefore the psalmist blesses the Lord as much for teaching as for strength.” Enduring Word and Spurgeon

Who subdues peoples under me - David's ascension to the throne was not uncontested. He waited for the Lord's time instead of killing Saul. He even served Saul well, both in his courts and in his army, more training in state, war and patience, for he would need all those things. He gives credit in all these things to God. Slowly it seems to us, but surely by God's design, all Israel came under his house, and eventually Israel's ancient enemies were destroyed. 

Man is like a breath - If you look at the Solar System like a clock, the earth orbiting the sun, spinning on it's access, the shadows are in one place in the morning, creeping across the lawn throughout the day, and in the evening they are gone. Memory looks back upon the places we can no longer go; I cannot get back what happened only seconds ago. Here I am, in this place and this time, and now that moment is gone. 

- "Lord, what is man, what a poor little thing is he, that thou takest knowledge of him, that thou makest account of him, that he falls so much under thy cognizance and care, and that thou hast such a tender regard to any of that mean and worthless race as thou hast had to me!’’ Considering the many disgraces which the human nature lies under, we have reason to admire the honours God has put upon mankind in general (the saints especially, some in a particular manner, as David) and upon the Messiah (to whom those words are applied, Heb. 2:6 ), who was highly exalted because he humbled himself to be found in fashion as a man, and has authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man. A question to this purport David asked (Ps. 8:4 ), and he illustrated the wonder by the consideration of the great dignity God has placed man in (Ps. 8:5 ), Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. Here he illustrates it by the consideration of the meanness and mortality of man, notwithstanding the dignity put upon him (v. 4): Man is like to vanity; so frail is he, so weak, so helpless, compassed about with so many infirmities, and his continuance here so very short and uncertain, that he is as like as may be to vanity itself. Nay, he is vanity, he is so at his best estate. His days have little substance in them, considering how many of the thoughts and cares of an immortal soul are employed about a poor dying body; they are as a shadow, dark and flitting, transitory and finishing with the sun, and, when that sets, resolving itself into all shadow. They are as a shadow that passeth away, and there is no loss of it. David puts himself into the number of those that are thus mean and despicable.III. He begs of God to strengthen him and give him success against the enemies that invaded him, v. 5-8. - Matthew Henry

5 For it is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But somewhere it is testified in these words: “What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him? 7 You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor… Hebrews 2: 5-7

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood - This line is twice put forth, almost like a chorus. The strength of his enemies is that they are not bound by truth, and this is the disadvantage for those that deal with them. Once we find ourselves to be liars we need to confess this to God, learn to hold our tongues, and be slow to speak, not for fear of getting caught but for fear of the sin itself. We must also not put ourselves in league with such who practice these things. The preceding lines indicate a need for God's intervention, because falsehood cannot be the weapon of our warfare, and we are unable to change men's hearts. The right hand is a symbol of power, and David will use the gifts of His hands to praise the God Who made them. He wants his enemies to see Who God is, the truth revealed. 

15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17 For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”… Romans 1: 15-17

Who gives victory to kings - 

- This intimates, 1. That great kings cannot save themselves without him. Kings have their life-guards, and have armies at command, and all the means of safety that can be devised; but, after all, it is God that gives them their salvation, and secures them by those means, which he could do, if there were occasion, without them, Ps. 33:16 . Kings are the protectors of their people, but it is God that is their protector. How much service do they owe him then with their power who gives them all their salvations! 2. That good kings, who are his ministers for the good of their subjects, shall be protected and saved by him. He has engaged to give salvation to those kings that are his subjects and rule for him; witness the great things he had done for David his servant, whom he had many a time delivered from the hurtful sword, to which Saul’s malice, and his own zeal for the service of his country, had often exposed him. - Matthew Henry

Our daughters like corner pillars - I want my girls to do well with the gifts God has given them, but above earthly comforts I desire that they walk with God, that Christ is their chief affection.

- When we see our daughters well-established and stayed with wisdom and discretion, as corner-stones are fastened in the building,—when we see them by faith united to Christ, as the chief corner-stone, adorned with the graces of God’s Spirit, which are the polishing of that which is naturally rough, and become women professing godliness, —when we see them purified and consecrated to God as living temples, we think ourselves happy in them. - Matthew Henry

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered on behalf of all men 2 for kings and all those in authority, so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,… 1 Timothy 2: 1-3