Reflections on Psalm 144

After looking through this text that we had initially planned for this morning and talking with Grant, we decided to remain in Psalm 144

But we're gonna do it in a much smaller way than before. Lord willing, we'll cover this Psalm in greater detail soon

but for now we're gonna focus our attention on a

foundation point of theology within this Psalm and that's this

God's sovereign care for his people

Now I'm gonna ask for your grace ahead of time because as Grant noted I've only had an evening to prepare so expect a shorter teaching

Than usual some of you are like amen. He's not going an hour

But I pray it will still be of some encouragement and help to orient our hearts to understand God even better

So within this song we have this view of God's sovereign care for his people

Amidst the difficulty of enemies the difficulty of going to war now Pastor Jeff walks through the entire thing

He will clarify the nature of the war here with a proper understanding of the context within a Davidic Psalm

Because we are far less familiar with the idea of war and a theocracy

Than in those days of David's reign, but for today we're gonna focus on God's sovereign care

Now around the world today if you were to look at the news there are several large-scale wars being fought

Currently Ukraine is battling Russia who seeks to gain some resources maintain a buffer with NATO

I'm not talking politics. Those are just the headlines in

Yemen a civil war continues with numerous influencers outside of that nation in

Ethiopia there was a civil war that officially ended last year, but there continues to be skirmishes and

instability to this day in

Myanmar the ramifications of a military coup again

Continues to destabilize the country

And if you were to turn on any news outlet focused on international affairs

The most talked about conflict today is in the Middle East with Israel continuing its efforts against Hezbollah in Lebanon

Now while we watch this we may think it's indicative of the end times being at our front porch

and in many ways proportionally the world

isn't as

Broken as we'd like to think

That may shock you to hear me say that

Today I think the world is more at peace than it has ever been

But these wars

They dominate our news cycle you hear about why?

because fear sells

Fear of instability fear of rising prices and inflation fear of encroachment fear of what if

Fear dominates the hearts and minds of mankind and rightfully so

We have so much to fear because we're not in control

We should rightly be afraid when we recognize we have no influence regarding the course of this world

in fact every unbeliever should be frozen in fear by what they see

Because it should look like chaos to them

But for the believer

When we look at a world ravaged by wars and hatred

Jealousy and selfishness

We remember that there is one

Above all these things and that no missile

No bullet

No hurricane

Arrives without permission from the Almighty

There is not one molecule out of place

According to the sovereign one who holds all things together by the word of his power

And this is the hope this is the claim

Hope this is the clarity that David brings to Psalm 144

Hopefully you've already turned your Bibles there. We're gonna dig in in just a moment, but quick background

This is a royal song when David was king

And it emphasizes the well-being of God's people through war through conflict because God is for his people

Because he's for his people they can be confident in battle

Because he's for his people they know that God delivers them from their enemies

Now we're only gonna focus on three verses today

Verses two three and four

We're gonna look at the wonder of mankind

At God as a creator who cares so intimately and so purposefully for his creation and God willing will see some application

after that

Now verse two picks up after verse one

Some of you are following along. Yes

David has just recognized that the Lord God Yahweh is

The source for his strength and war and in battle his rock

Now David speaks in a familiar way in many other Psalms

There's at least five others that are almost identical to the words that he uses here

For example Psalm 18 to says this the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer

My God my rock in whom I take refuge my shield and the horn of my salvation

My stronghold and if you're looking at Psalm 144 verses two three and well really two if you're looking there you see such

similarity, it's almost the same words

Out throughout the Old Testament God is referred to as a fortress a refuge the one who delivers and gives his

Loving kindness to his people the emphasis is always on God who provides all these benefits

So now look in Psalm 142 144 verse two

the first line there

My loving kindness if you have the ESV it says my steadfast love and

My fortress and many of you know

Loving kindness if you're a student at masters or have been ever you've been raised in the church you've heard of this term

Loving kindness if you want to say it, you know the the proper way I said I

Won't make you say it that way you can say has said

Loving kindness

it's one of the most well-known Hebrew terms in the entire Old Testament and it indicates God's steadfast

Unchanging resolute love for those who love him because

He loved them first

One of the key aspects of God's character is his abounding loving kindness or a steadfast love that sets him apart from

every other supposed God or deity

The great I am he is not petty and cruel, but he is personal. He's intentional

He's committed based on his character even when those that he loves fail to love him well

It's God's has said that ensures that he keeps his promises

every single one

So that if God says that he will do something like preserve your life unto eternity

He will do it

Nothing will thwart the Almighty

Now that attribute alone could fill volumes, but I think you can see why David would start here when speaking of trusting God

God is faithful in his love and will always ensure that he ultimately cares for his people

Now David continues then in describing God as a fortress

Now what is a fortress? If you've been to Israel, maybe you've seen a fortress

Maybe if you've been to other ancient structures as well

Let's let's narrow it down to something we might be more familiar with do you remember making forts as a kid

You know sometimes Zion likes to gather all the couch cushions and a few blankets

And he makes a fort and we crawl around on the ground

We hide in the fort protected from the outsiders the imaginary monsters that are attacking us

Now those cushioned forts fun as they are are not structurally sound at all correct

The slightest movement or adjustment makes the whole thing come crashing down with all the screams and laughter that that brings

Now throughout history

People have made all kinds of forts fortresses and they didn't use cushions or blankets

But they use mortar and stone and they feel very very safe in the fortresses that they build

But I tell you that even the strongest human fortress is but a pile of pillows and blankets

before the Almighty

The best fortress is not one made with our hands

The best fortress is to be found in the hands of the one who holds all things in his will

For God to be your fortress means that you trust him

You trust him you do not find yourself to be safe by what you do the preventative measures that you take

But you entrust even your safety unto him

and

entrusting him

You know that your eternal destination is what is protected

Not your comfort not the things you want

your eternal

reality

Because people can come and destroy your flesh

But they cannot destroy your soul

David elaborates on this more he says my stronghold and my deliverer

And as you can see in the text this verse continues that Hebrew parallelism that we've been talking about

During this series in the Psalms and even in Ecclesiastes

These words and phrases they're distinct refuge or stronghold and and

Fortress are not the same but the same idea is present David is building that idea God is

David's safety

Now a stronghold in biblical times was a unique kind of fortress

It was set high up

So if you've seen the movie rendition of Lord of the Rings

You know there's a great city built into the rock and at the very top of that city after layers of walls and

Protection and gates was the king's residence

God is like that to David a stronghold through which the enemy may encroach to try to destroy him

But he is set high above the danger because of God

Not only that not only is he a stronghold but as his deliverer David emphasizes that even if danger comes

God is going to help him escape that danger and draw him into safety

A deliverer is one who helps another person to be delivered. It makes sense, right? A deliverer delivers something

The previous Psalms if you were to read 142 and 143

Both focus on God being the one who delivers his people out of trouble

Intrinsic to this idea of being a deliverer is being delivered into safety

Because if you're delivered out of the frying pan and into the fire that is no delivery at all

Not a good one. That's not the one that's being described here

But if you're delivered from the hands of the enemy into safety

Then you've been delivered well and you can rejoice

And is that not how God delivers us his children from the shadows of darkness

into his marvelous

light

Now David furthers this point in his next phrase my shield and he and whom I take refuge

Now beyond being a deliverer. Yahweh is described by David as a shield in the ancient world a shield was critical in battle

It protected from stray arrows and various attacks

David describes God as his shield the one in whom he takes refuge

And again this is underscoring the idea of God as a fortress as a stronghold

Not only is God those things but to David to David

He takes refuge in him

In God we know that phrase in him. How many of you remember Ephesians one

In Christ here's what said about being in Christ. We have every spiritual blessing

In him God chose us in him. We are to be holy and blameless

In him in him we have redemption in him. We have forgiveness in him

All things are brought to their conclusion in him

Believers are an inheritance

In him we believe and in him we are sealed

According to God's has said

Christ being the fullest expression of God's faithful love

You see scripture is consistent

God is David's refuge just as Christ is our refuge today

Now look at the next portion

Says who subdues people's under me now scholars are split about this phrase

Because the language appears differently in manuscripts but take it in context and I think the language is clear

God preserves his people against his enemies

That word subdued that means to beat down

To beat down like a metal worker beating gold and conforming it into the shape that he desires

But the emphasis is not David's ability to subdue

Or to beat down

Here the emphasis is God's ability to subdue others under him

And this reality doesn't make David prideful it brings about humility

David is not pompous when he considers that God subdues people to be under him

Instead he marvels

He marvels that God would give him such a position

Look at verse 3

He says oh Yahweh we are to be holy and blameless

He says oh Yahweh what is man that you know him that you regard him

When David considers God's loving kindness his steadfast love

He knows God's character as a fortress

He knows God's character as a stronghold a deliverer a shield and a subduer

And in all of that he marvels that God who sits enthroned above the heavens would even give a thought about him

As we studied in Psalm 139

Not only does God know every chromosome every cell of our body

But he knows our thoughts

He knows our innermost being

He truly knows us

And yet who are we to God

What what can we offer the king of kings

Now another aspect of Hebrew parallelism continues

He says this or the son of man that you think of him

Again who are we as humans

To an almighty all powerful creator we are less than ants

What could possibly bring the great I am to consider to regard to think about us

Only himself

Humans have been given such an incredible honor in being created in the likeness of God

No other creature on this planet shares such a distinction

And no other creature has squandered their blessing of being created in such an image as much as we have

We have been given everything

We have the incredible responsibility to rule over creation

And yet we have sought to worship the creation rather than the creator

God has loved us so much

He's considered us so much and yet we have rejected him so much

So who is man to the Almighty

We have this great capacity to imitate our creator and yet we often focus entirely on ourselves

So why would he think of us?

Why would he know us?

And David continues with another form of Hebrew parallelism pushing the point

He says in verse 4

Man is like a breath

A breath

Here the word is Chabel

It's the same word used in Ecclesiastes 30 times

There the word means vanity

Here one moment, gone the next

Soap bubbles

If you don't mind, do this exercise with me

Take a breath, nice and slow and calmly exhale

That was a breath

Do it again

That was a person

You do it again

It's another person

You do it again

That's another person

How many times have you breathed while you've been in here this morning?

Have you counted?

See when you string your breath together

They seem rather insignificant, don't they?

That's us

A breath

A vapor

Meaningless

Over and over humans just keep coming and coming

As easy as a breath

As common as blades of grass is what God's word says

But to God, to God, His people are more than a breath

To God, His people receive His loving kindness

His people are protected in Him like a fortress, a stronghold, a shield

In Him, His people are dearly loved, protected and provided for even sacrificed for

So in one sense, mankind is like a breath

And without God we should be regarded as such

In another sense, we are so valued

But before we get to that value, consider his next statement

He says, man's days are like a passing shadow

Our lives are so short in the context of eternity

You know, in David's day, many scholars estimate the typical life expectancy of a person was around 40 years

40 years

That means many of us in here have already exceeded that average expectancy or are getting very close

Life in that day was difficult

It is widely held that in the ancient world, half, half of all children didn't make it past the age of five

And those that did survive?

They had to deal with the harsh living conditions, poor medical care and non-existent medical care

And constant wars and conflicts

Life in the ancient world was more like a breath than we can fathom

Earlier, when speaking about war, I said that the world today is more at peace than it has ever been

And some of you may have bristled at that statement

But this is my comparison

We do have millions around the world who suffer great hardships

And through my work at Children's Hunger Fund, I see many of them across Africa

But though we have such great numbers of those living in extreme poverty, the proportion, the percentage of those living in such similar contexts at the ancient world

It used to be higher in the past

It is lower today

Generally, life was more difficult for the average person in the ancient world than it is for many average people today

The earth is more populated than it's ever been, even still, it's estimated that less than one in ten people live in extreme poverty

Now if you add in people who don't meet that extreme level but just generally poor, it's maybe three in ten

Three in ten people around the world struggle to have basic needs met

So that means the rest, while not necessarily rich, are not extremely poor

So today, a fair estimate is that seven in ten people have reasonable access to medical care

Better living conditions and generally peaceful lives

Now, you could take a higher rate

You could take a higher rate of those in poverty, you could reverse the numbers

You could say that seven in ten people today live in some range of poverty and that's still higher than every published metric

And I would even argue that's higher than reality

But even if you took seven in ten people, said seven in ten are poor, that still means that three, three out of every ten people would be well off

So what was the population like in the ancient world?

Well first, the population of the world in David's day was a fraction of today's population

Roughly maybe two times that of modern day California

That was the whole entire ancient world in David's day

But in the ancient world, scholars even with a generous estimate say that around one in ten people would be considered noble or wealthy or well-to-do

One in ten

That means today that our wealth ratio is three times higher than the ancient world for the average person

Three times higher than the ancient world and that's with inflated numbers

That's with inflated numbers on poverty

I think the ratio of the wealthy class is much, much higher today

But I think we also need to consider the disparity in the ancient world between the wealthy and the working class

It would have been immense

It's nothing like comparing the super rich today to the middle class

Nothing compares well in our context today

That's the difficulty

When you compare poverty in the United States to say poverty in Uganda, you see a very different dynamic

And I would argue that the poorest people in somewhere like Sub-Saharan Africa would view their life much more like a breath, a vapor, a shadow

Than the poorest people in the United States

Because here we are today

A middle class, normative representation, not just of the U.S. but of Western, modernized society

And when we hear a life expectancy of 40 years, we think that that is just impossible, impossibly low

I'm not going to make you raise your hand in here to tell us that you're over 40

But if you were to look around, that is not our normal society

Our riches, our blessings of healthcare and nourishment, living conditions, education, and so much more

They all build up hubris in ourselves

Pride in what we can do and accomplish to the point that we no longer see ourselves as a breath

But we should, because even if we live to 80 or 90 or 100 years, we are no closer to comprehending an eternal God than someone who lives 40 years

David knew the importance of viewing mankind properly in light of the Creator

And we need to be reminded, especially in light of the many blessings that so much of the world population experiences today

David knew that man's days were like a passing shadow, and we would do well to heed his reminder

Now as we close today, as we consider God's care for us, his sovereign care in light of Psalm 144

I have three key thoughts that I want to leave with you, three key thoughts to meditate upon

The first is this, this phrase, in him, in him

Believers are hidden in God

David knew this, and so should we

Now while the context of this Psalm is war and enemies, strife and difficulty

Throughout the Psalms, David and others express that when trouble comes, they are safe in the fortress

They are safe in the stronghold that is God, they are in him

The second is this, by him, by him

Believers are protected and provided for by God

Being hidden in him means that God himself is the protector and the provider

He is an active shield, guarding his people from harm, and he delivers his people from danger, providing ultimate and, don't miss this, eternal security

Not temporary joy, not temporary gladness, not comforts being met, but eternal security

By him

And the third one is this, for him, for him

Believers are created for God

When David wonders what is man to an almighty God, and he remarks that man is like a breath

We need to see, just like David, that God has chosen to know us

We are a breath, but he chose to know us, he chose to think of us, he chose to willingly and joyfully place his loving kindness upon us

And God doesn't do that because of what we've done

He does it in spite of what we've done, because it's according to his character

And the New Testament were reminded in 1 Peter that God saves many people according to his mercy, and he's done, he's done so much

That people, that people would be his possession, that they would be his, for him

Those who he loves would be for him

So in God's sovereign care, throughout all times, all situations, war times and famines, wars and rumors of wars, difficulty, strife, pain, heartaches

Those who trust in Christ for salvation, they are in him, by him, and for him

So as you read this Psalm, you consider the nature of war, or life in a theocracy, it's very difficult for us, we don't live in that

But we can consider the brevity of mankind's life

We can be encouraged to trust that when a person is loved by God, they have no need to fear

You may take a different take on today's current events, whether it's worse or better

You can come talk to me later, it's not a hill to die on

But I think it's important to recognize how many blessings the average person has today

As you look around, we don't consider our life as a breath, but we should

We need to be confronted with that, to think otherwise would be to think unbiblically, because David said it is God's word, not David's

It's God's, man is like a breath

And yet, who is man, that God would think upon him

And it's because of that, that we can trust that God is doing ultimate good in his sovereign care, even when we struggle to see his good

Even when we focus so much on the troubles of our fleeting days, we can see that God is good

And so we don't trust in what we see, we trust in what God has said

Because he will accomplish all his holy will

Now for our time of reflection here, I want to take a moment

If you're a believer who trusts in Jesus, I want you to take a moment and just think him

Think him for caring for you, in ways that you're not even aware

Maybe this week you thanked him for things that were very specific

God's sovereign care for you is in the minutiae of your life, in all the small things

Thank him for being aware of all of those things of your life, even when you're not

The fact that you keep breathing when you don't tell your body to

Thank him

If you've been selfish this week, believers, repent

If you've been asking for things in a selfish demand from God, repent and then ask him to help you see why you were created

You're still drawing breath and life in your lungs because there is something still to do or bear

You're created to walk in newness of life, you're created to walk in the good works that he's prepared beforehand for you

So ask him to help you see those

Remember that you're in him, you're by him, and you're for him

And if anyone in here this morning is not a born again believer

Today is the right time, today is the right time to ask God for his loving kindness, for his grace

You're going to hear testimonies later today about what God has done in bringing new life

And the mercy of Christ is for everyone who comes to know that they can turn nowhere else

That they can't go anywhere, so they run to Jesus and they ask him to be the stronghold, the refuge, the fortress

To rescue us and deliver us from that pit of darkness into his marvelous light

Lord God Almighty, we recognize as a congregation today that you sit enthroned above the heavens

You are the Creator and Sustainer of all things and everything is under your powerful and good care

But we are breathed here today and gone tomorrow and yet we think so much of ourselves

So help us to be humble before you, remembering our station and remembering our purpose

Thank you for bestowing your loving kindness upon people who are unworthy by our efforts

But made worthy by the sacrifice of your Son, our Lord, our Savior, Jesus Christ

May you powerfully help us to proclaim your excellencies for you have done great and mighty things

And your name is to be greatly praised

We pray this, in the name of Christ, amen