Psalm 144 – War
In Psalm 144 – war, David praises God who trains his hands for war. What did it mean to be trained for war during David’s time? What does it mean today? But maybe more important, what does peace look like? How might we train for this?
Psalm 144
Another psalm attributed to David, Psalm 144 – war, is both a warrior’s prayer and a king’s version of peace.
If the words of the psalm sound familiar, it’s because the first 7 verses include a number of verses found elsewhere in the Psalms.
The psalm begins with words of praise of God his rock, using verses from Psalm 18 (2, 34 and 46-47). ”David poured out names and titles for God, each representing some aspect of God’s character or help that had been of use in battle. David knew God’s help and presence in many ways, not just one or two.” Psalm 144 Commentary: War and Peace
“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.” (1-2)
First and foremost is God’s loving kindness. “Of all the names and titles, we note that David began with my lovingkindness (hesed, the great word for God’s loyal and covenant love). He loved and valued God for being his fortress, his high tower, his deliverer, his shield, his refuge, and his conquering victory. Yet first among all those was the gift from God of love, mercy, and faithfulness.” Psalm 144 Commentary: War and Peace
God’s Love and Care
David goes on to speak of the wonder of God’s love for us mere mortals, echoing the words of Psalm 8:4, Psalm 39:5, and Psalm 102:11.
“Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?
They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.” (3-4)
He asks God to show his power and deliver him from deceitful men, again using verses from Psalm 18:9, 14, 16, as well as Psalm 104:32.
“Part your heavens, Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy; shoot your arrows and rout them.
Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners
whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.” (5-8)
In response to these victories, he will sing a new song. “New victories and new deliverance required a new song. God’s love and help for David were always fresh and new, so his praise would also be.” Psalm 144 Commentary: War and Peace
“I will sing a new song to you, my God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David.” (9-10)
A Vision of Peace
The Psalm ends with a vision of peace where there is industrial activity, peaceful homes, true acceptable worship, and happiness rooted in God. Psalms 144 Commentary – The Pulpit Commentaries
“Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
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 draw heavy loads.
There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.
Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.” (12-15)
“The prayer ends at the source of the harmony it has visualized. For while it treasures the gifts, it reserves its final beatitude for the relationship behind them: that of being the people who know the Lord as their own.” (Kidner) Psalm 144 Commentary: War and Peace
The source of this peace is our God.
David – the Warrior King
God took this simple shepherd, trained him for war, and made him a warrior king, ruling over an unruly land.
“David was a remarkable warrior, who in today’s terms would be an elite special forces soldier. David killed many men in hand-to-hand combat, as described in 1 Samuel 17:48-50 and 18:26-27. Training is an essential part of success as a soldier, and David understood that it was the LORD who had trained his hands for war and his fingers for battle.” Psalm 144 Commentary: War and Peace
Psalm 144 is a war-psalm. Those who have never experienced war may struggle to appreciate these words. It can be easy to judge David based on our world today not the world David lived in. “We must remember the times to which the psalm belongs and must take into account the fact that national independence and prosperity were then determined by the sword. We need not be surprised or shocked that the psalmist thanks God for teaching him to be a successful soldier; that he calls God “his Strength, his Goodness, his Fortress,” etc; in this connection. Psalms 144 Commentary – The Pulpit Commentaries
In all things, David gives God the glory and the credit. God, the teacher, taught him the ways of war and gave him victory.
Jesus – the Prince of Peace
War and violence have reigned in this world since Cain lifted a rock and killed his brother, Abel. The history of the world is full of wars, large and small. Is it any wonder that many expected the Messiah to be a warrior king following the ways of David?
Into this violent, war-torn world, came Jesus, a man of peace.
In the Bible, war is seen as a natural result of human sinfulness. Despite our sins, God prevails. “War appears throughout the Bible in various contexts, ranging from God-ordained battles to human conflicts arising from sin and pride … Scripture also emphasizes the values of justice, righteousness, and peacemaking. The overarching perspective reflects that war is a result of a fallen world, yet God can and does work through historical conflicts to accomplish His purposes.” What is the Bible’s perspective on war?
At the end of this psalm, we see a vision of peace. The Messiah was to bring about this time of peace on the earth.
Belief in a Messiah is such an important part of Judaism “that a statement concerning the Messiah became the most famous of Maimonides’s Thirteen Principles of Faith. … Most significantly, Jewish tradition affirms at least five things about the Messiah. He will: be a descendant of King David, gain sovereignty over the land of Israel, gather the Jews there from the four corners of the earth, restore them to full observance of Torah law, and, as a grand finale, bring peace to the whole world.” Jewish Concepts: The Messiah
A tall order for anyone to fulfill. The Messiah of the Jewish faith was a human ruler, not divine. Jesus is the Son of God. He preached peace in a war filled world. We’ve yet to realize this peace.
Psalm 144 – War
In a world filled with sinful people, war is inevitable. Peace isn’t. We must train for peace more than we train for war. In Psalm 144 – war, God trains David’s hand for war, a necessity during David’s reign. Perhaps we can pray that God will raise up leaders who know the ways of peace. Perhaps that leader might be you!
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 144: Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammo? – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
(Please note – in order to help ensure you receive email with link to new book, please add my email, patricia@patriciamrobertson.com to your contact list. Some servers are quick to send newsletters to spam or other boxes.)
Leave a Reply