Blessed are these people.
[Psalm 144]
What exactly is "blessing"? We often talk about "blessing", "blessing", "blessing", but what is the blessing that the Bible speaks of? The Bible speaks about blessings such as the blessing of children, material blessings, and more. However, the greatest blessing is drawing near to the Lord, who is the source of all blessings. This is supported by Psalm 73:28. In other words, the psalmist Asaph, seeing the prosperity of the wicked and feeling envious, almost slipped, but when he entered the sanctuary of God, he understood the end of the wicked (vv. 17-20) and the righteous (v. 24). He also realized that he himself, who had envied the prosperity of the wicked, was "ignorant" and like a beast before God (v. 22). One of his confessions was, “It is good for me to draw near to God” (Psalm 73:28). In other words, drawing near to God is a blessing for us, but the true blessing is that God, the source of all blessings, is with us. Do you and I truly know and enjoy that blessing in our lives?
In today’s passage, Psalm 144:15, the Bible says, "Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord." This statement means that those who trust in God are blessed (Park Yun-seon). Why does the psalmist David say that those who trust in God are blessed? If we summarize it in one sentence, it is because God grants the grace of salvation to those who trust in Him. David, who trusted in God and experienced the grace of salvation, said, "Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord." Having experienced God's salvation by trusting in Him, David describes this God of salvation in three ways in this passage. These descriptions of God by David teach us what kind of God we should trust and live for. I hope that by humbly and faithfully accepting these teachings, both you and I will receive the blessing.
First, David describes the God he trusted and in whom he experienced the grace of salvation as the ‘God of victory.’
Look at Psalm 144:1 in the Bible: "Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle." Here, David is saying that God taught his hands and fingers to fight, which allowed him to be victorious in battle. Therefore, he praises "the Lord, my rock." Isn't that interesting? David describes God as the one who trains him to win battles. The Septuagint (LXX), the Vulgate, and the Ethiopian and Arabic versions refer to this psalm as one that was written in connection to David's victory over Goliath (Park Yun-seon). If this is true, then David is recalling how God trained his hands and fingers to select five smooth stones from the brook, put them in his shepherd’s bag, and use a sling to face Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40). David recalls how, in the name of “the Lord of Hosts,” he ran towards Goliath (1 Samuel 17:48), took a stone from his bag, slung it, and struck Goliath in the forehead, killing him (1 Samuel 17:49-50). This is the context of Psalm 144:1.
David is saying that the one who gave him victory over Goliath was the Lord, and that it was God who trained his hands and fingers. What is the purpose of this? I believe 1 Samuel 17:47 provides the answer: "And all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands." Isn't it amazing that God used David, a simple shepherd, to defeat Goliath, a giant with a spear like a weaver's beam and a 600-shekel spearhead (1 Samuel 17:4-7)? Why did God do this? Certainly, to teach the truth that victory in battle belongs to God. But another reason is that God did not want Israel to say, "My own hand has saved me" (Judges 7:2). Instead, God used David, a shepherd, to defeat Goliath and the Philistine army. This is the same God who is our God today. How can we not trust in the God who grants victory in battle?
I hope that, as we meditate on God's Word daily and think about the spiritual battles within us, we will trust in the victorious God who trained David’s hands and fingers to defeat Goliath and experience God’s grace of salvation.
Secondly, David describes the God in whom he trusts and through whom he experienced the grace of salvation as a 'God of love'.
Look at Psalm 144:2 in the Bible: "The Lord is my lovingkindness, my fortress, my high tower, my deliverer, my shield, and He in whom I trust, who subdues my people under me." Besides the victory God granted him over Goliath and the Philistines, David had many experiences in which God gave him victory in numerous battles. Reflecting on these salvific graces, David confessed God's sovereignty (v. 2). In the first part of this confession, David says, "The Lord is my lovingkindness (mercy)." As David thought about the salvation God had granted him, making Him his fortress, stronghold, shield, and refuge, David could not help but confess, "The Lord is my lovingkindness." As David felt the love of God, he responded with this: “O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow” (vv. 3-4). The more we feel God's love, the more we, like David, struggle to understand why the Lord would acknowledge and care for us. Especially when we realize how insignificant we are, like a fleeting shadow, we cannot fully comprehend God's love for us. In this ignorance, while meditating on today’s passage (vv. 2-4), I thought about these three verses in connection with Psalm 8:4 and Psalm 18:1-2. The reason is that these psalms have similar themes. For example, Psalm 144:2 makes me think of Psalm 18:1-2: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Similarly, Psalm 144:3-4 today is almost identical to Psalm 8:4: “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” Considering these similarities, I ask, “What am I that the Lord loves me so?” Why would the Lord love someone as fleeting as us, a shadow that passes away, and make Himself our strength, our rock, fortress, shield, and salvation? I cannot help but confess that I cannot fully grasp His grace and love. Therefore, like David in Psalm 18:1, we also confess, “I will love You, O Lord, my strength.”
Thirdly, David describes God, in whom he trusts and through whom he experiences salvation’s grace, as "the God who answers my prayers."
In Psalms 144:5-11, we can see David pleading with the God of salvation. In short, the content of his prayer is a request for salvation from his enemies (Park Yun-sun). As we’ve already reflected on Psalms 142 and 143, David's enemies included King Saul and Absalom. Of course, considering how much blood David shed, there must have been many other enemies as well. And in the current passage, wasn’t Goliath also one of David’s enemies?
David particularly describes his enemies in verses 8 and 11 of today’s passage as follows: "They speak deceit, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood... Save me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks deceit, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood." When David speaks of his enemies, he mentions that their mouths speak lies, but what is interesting is that he repeats twice that "their hand is the hand of foreigners" and "their right hand is the hand of falsehood." This "right hand of falsehood" contrasts with the "hand" (my hand) that David is taught by God in verse 1. The false right hand of the enemy cannot overcome the hand of David, which is taught and guided by God.
Therefore, in verses 5-7, David prays to a specific God for salvation: "the heavenly warrior who comes to fight on earth on behalf of David against God’s enemies" (MacArthur). In these verses, David uses very figurative language to describe this heavenly warrior (God). He prays to this God, saying, “Scatter the enemies and send out Your arrows, and destroy them” (v. 6). Also, in verse 10, we see David praying to the "God of salvation," who “rescues David from the sword of the wicked." David, while praying to the Heavenly Warrior (God), declares in verse 9: "I will sing a new song to You, O God; on a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You."
David resolves to praise God with a new song to glorify His salvation. The reason David can make this resolution is because he is confident that God will answer his prayer and bring salvation. In other words, David’s assurance of salvation gave him the confidence to praise God with a new song. Perhaps this is why prayer and praise often go hand in hand—just as Paul and Silas, when they prayed and sang praises to God in prison, experienced His saving grace.
Therefore, let us also pray to God with a longing for His saving grace, while confidently praising Him with faith for the salvation He gives. In doing so, we will experience the truth of "Salvation belongs to the Lord" (Jonah 2:9) in our lives. Let us not give up praying to the God of salvation. In His time and according to His will, the work of salvation will be accomplished.
What blessings do those who receive this grace of salvation by trusting in God have? The author of today's passage, Psalm 144, David, speaks of the blessings for those who make Jehovah their God in verses 12-14, describing them in three ways:
(1) Blessing for children
Those who trust in God receive the blessing of their children being blessed.
Look at verse 12:
"Our sons will be like plants well grown, and our daughters like pillars, carved to adorn a palace."
(2) Material blessings
Those who trust in God receive material blessings.
Look at the first part of verses 13-14:
"Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision; our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields; our oxen will be well laden..."
(3) Peace
Those who trust in God receive the blessing of peace.
Look at the second part of verse 14:
"...There will be no breaking in or going out; there will be no cry of distress in our streets."
May you and I enjoy these precious blessings because we trust in God.
Satisfaction in Jesus Christ, the Giver of Gifts
May we find our satisfaction solely in Jesus Christ, the Giver of all gifts.
Pastor James
(Enjoying peace as we rely on the God of victory, the God of love, and the One who answers our prayers)