The
reader might note that in some manuscript traditions this Psalm is attributed
to David at the time of Goliath. The oldest and best manuscripts do not have this;
however, it is in the Vulgate, and Augustine accepted it as fact.
Interestingly, when the Vulgate was translated into the Douay-Rheims version,
the notation was omitted. None of the modern translations (including King
James) carry this notation.
The
Psalm is, however, a model for intercessory prayer.
Foundation:
Man and God
The
Character of God
Psalms 144:1-2 NIV Of
David.
Praise
be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle. (2) He is my loving God
and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples [1] under me.
It
is no accident that this prayer of intercession begins with the praise of God.
If the heart of man is right, it is the normal beginning of prayer; “Our
Father, who is in heaven, holy be your name.” Praising the Lord comes
naturally to such a soul. Moreover, in every personal relationship there must
be an understanding of just who the other party is.
Who,
then, does David acknowledge?
- First,
God is his rock – the fortress and stronghold of his life. Remember the
Three Little Pigs? God is the house made of brick. Every other person
and thing is of no shelter by comparison.
- God
is the one who has given him the skill to become who he is – King of
Israel. Note the phrasing: it’s not that God handed him the kingship on
a platter, but he enabled David to do it. The experiences of David’s life
suited him for the purposes God had planned for him – and David is grateful.
- In
addition to which, God has “subdued peoples” – the phrase may also be
translated “subdue my people” – which implies that even with David’s
experience and talent, God has been gracious to him in amplifying his
gifts.
Work
out your salvation; for it is God working within you.
The
nature of man
Psalms 144:3-4 NIV O LORD,
what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him? (4) Man
is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.
If
you begin by acknowledging God in your relationship, you must also confirm who
you are – at the very least so you are not deceiving yourself.
That
confirmation is very humbling. Put shortly, why does God even bother with you,
no matter how great you are among men? It’s a standard argument for atheism;
if God is so great, why would he bother with you? (The answer is, because God
is so great.) The fact is that he does bother with you; it’s just that you
don’t deserve it. Man is so much fleeting futility; only the things of God
last.
Modern
view
That’s
David’s view. The modern view is quite a bit different. What we hear today
from the pulpit is more like this:
- Christ
is our “good buddy.” We can talk to him as our equal. (The
absurdity of this should be obvious.)
- Our
new translations (and even more, paraphrases) make the assumption that we completely
understand the Bible – and therefore do not have to translate it word for
word, but can use phrase by phrase or even rewrite it to our taste. This
would have horrified the translators of the King James. But if this is
so, you can see that intercessory prayer really changes.
- Man
is seen as intrinsically worthy. Christ died for you. He did that
either because a) you are worthy to have someone die for you or b) he did
it out of his great love. My grandchildren do not “earn” the gifts we
give them; they are gifts of our love for them.
- Have
you noticed that the words “sin” and “sinner” are now much less frequently
mentioned? The postmodern view is that we really can’t say what is or is
not sin – it’s all relative. Therefore we can be confident in our
ignorance that we are not sinners, but worthy. (Huh?)
Plea
for Help
Psalms 144:5-8 NIV Part your
heavens, O LORD, and come down;
touch the mountains, so that they smoke. (6)
Send forth lightning and scatter {the enemies};
shoot your arrows and rout them. (7) Reach
down your hand from on high;
deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters,
from the hands of foreigners (8) whose mouths
are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.
The
condescension of God
Condescension:
Webster defined it as “Voluntary
descent from rank, dignity or just claims; relinquishment of strict right;
submission to inferiors in granting requests or performing acts which strict
justice does not require. Hence, courtesy.”
This is precisely what we are asking of God:
- We
ask him to “part the heavens” – the words literally mean to “bend” heaven
to our desires. The very act of God intervening at all is by definition
an act which is contrary to nature.
- We
ask him to intervene – with power. We are not asking him to comfort us in
our suffering (though that is proper too) but to use his divine power on
our behalf. Indeed, we are asking him to condescend to us.
- The
ultimate condescension is this: that God became the babe of Bethlehem.
If you need proof that God will do this, there it is.
Threat
Analysis
David
now describes the threat about him. It’s not that God doesn’t know; it’s that
we need to acknowledge both the threat and our inability to deal with it.
There is no sense here of “God, you take care of that and I’ll handle the
rest.” David is up against the wall.
- The
first thing he describes is “mighty waters” – a phrase that harks back to
Moses and the Red Sea. That’s the mental picture: just how did Moses
feel thirty seconds before the waters parted?
- His
enemies are described as foreigners. In the Old Testament, that clearly
meant those who were not in covenant with God. It’s a reminder to us:
what fellowship can the Christian have with the children of the devil?
Should we compromise with them, or appeal to God?
- His
enemies are those who manufacture lies and deceit. Let me give you an
example: when Planned Parenthood was campaigning for the legalization of
abortion, they told the world that every year 55,000 young women died from
back alley abortions – a figure still proclaimed. The year of Roe v.
Wade, the Center for Disease Control tallied a total of 13 deaths. Not
thirteen thousand, thirteen. David’s problems were evidently not at all
unique.
Plea
David
is making his plea for (at the least) God’s providential intervention, if not
his miraculous intervention. As far as I recall David never received any
miracles. He probably did not distinguish between the two types. In this
there are lessons for us:
- First,
that we should not be afraid to ask God for his intervention.
- Second,
that we should do so boldly.
- Finally,
that this is not presumptuous – if there is faith.
David’s
Confidence
The
sureness of David’s faith can be seen in his ending: things are going to be so
great! This is the prayer of a man of faith; confident in the results.
And
the rest of us? I believe; help my unbelief.
Sing
a New Song
Psalms 144:9-11 NIV I will
sing a new song to you, O God;
on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you, (10)
to the One who gives victory to kings,
who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword. (11)
Deliver me and rescue me
from the hands of foreigners
whose mouths are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.
May
we see two things here?
- Some
scholars see the ten-stringed lyre as an image of the Ten Commandments.
It is as if David is saying that his praise will be rooted in the
commandments of God, not the invention of his own mind.
- Again,
he acknowledges that it is God who gives the victory, and deliverance from
trouble. It is a lesson for kings – and perhaps even presidents.
Blessed
are the people
Psalms 144:12-15 NIV Then
our sons in their youth
will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace. (13) Our barns will
be filled
with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields; (14) our
oxen will draw heavy loads. [2]
There will be no breaching of walls,
no going into captivity,
no cry of distress in our streets. (15) Blessed
are the people of whom this is true;
blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
See
the blessings David sees:
- Perhaps
our most important one, our children. All good parents want their
children to grow up to be strong, and to live in peace. Even more, that
they will be people of prominence in the church and the community.
- Next
are material blessings – expressed here in a very agricultural sense.
- Finally,
there are “military” blessings – that is, the blessing of peace in
victory.
Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord.
Summary
May
I suggest these steps for intercessory prayer?
- Begin
with the praise and acknowledgement of who God is.
- Acknowledge
your own insignificance to him.
- Then
boldly ask for that which you know you cannot obtain by yourself.
- Acknowledge
that your foes are too great for you, and your troubles beyond your own
capability.
- Acknowledge
the sureness of God in replying to you.
- Praise
God for his many blessings.
Praise:
the bookends of the prayer of faith.