Psalm 144
A Psalm of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.
7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
8 Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives salvation to kings,
Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
[This psalm] is partly compiled of passages taken from other Psalms, as 8:4, and 18:13-15. But the last verses (9-15) are a valuable addition. — Meyer, page 174.
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In most Jewish congregations in Israel, this psalm—which focuses on God’s dominion over both His own people (v.2) and the hostile Gentile nations that surround them—is recited at the beginning of prayers for the end of the Sabbath (i.e., on Saturday night, ushering in the new [lunar] week) as well as on Israeli Memorial Day, honoring soldiers killed in the line of duty as well as the thousands of civilians killed in acts of terror and aggression. — Wechsler, page 344.
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David underscores both the depth and all-encompassing nature of his personal connection to God by describing Him with expressions in which the possessive pronoun “my” predominates. David expands and enhances his devotional focus by pondering … why God would condescend to enter into intimate relationship (this being the sense of “take knowledge of”) with any human. The implicit answer is, of course, that God is not only holy, righteous, and just, but also merciful, gracious, and loving. — Wechsler, page 345.
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In vs.5-11, David affirms God’s role as the one who both protects Israel and determines her military success. … As in Isaiah 8:7, the enemies of Israel are described with the imagery of “great waters” (v.7), emphasizing their greater number and military prowess, and hence David’s ultimate reliance on God to rescue him and his people. Also, the reference to the evil sword (v.10) may allude to the sword of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45 and 51) who is himself a biblical symbol of Gentile opposition to God and His people. — Wechsler, pages 345-346.
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In vs.12-15 David implored God’s continued solicitude in providing for his people’s physical-material needs. … This last section should be taken to refer to the messianic kingdom. The two-fold “How blessed are the people” in v.15 hearkens back to David’s conclusion of Psalm 2. — Wechsler, page 346.
Williams’ take:
The First Advent is here predicted in verses 1-8; the Second, in verses 9-15. … The two previous Psalms, which preserve the prayer of Messiah when in the darkness of the eternal grave, are followed in this Psalm by the triumph and sunshine of the resurrection and millennial mornings. These mornings are here brought together; as they are in so many passages in the Bible. …
There is no meaningless repetition in verses 8 and 11. The fundamental doctrine of man’s incurable corruption is declared to be the same at the time of Christ’s future coming as it was at the time of his first coming. …
Man’s miserable estate at the First Advent and since (v.4) is contrasted with his happy future estate under the Second Advent (vs.12-15). — Williams, page 412.
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