Psalm 144. Verse 1. Blessed be the Lord my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. My goodness and my fortress,
my high tower and my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I trust,
who subdueth my people under me. Lord, what is man that thou
takest knowledge of him? Or the son of man that thou makest
account of him? Man is like to vanity. His days or as a shadow that
passeth away. Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and
come down. Touch the mountains and they
shall smoke. Cast forth lightning and scatter them. Shoot out thine
arrows and destroy them. Send thine hand from above. Rid
me and deliver me out of great waters from the hand of strange
children. whose mouth speaketh vanity,
and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. I will sing
a new song unto thee, O God. Upon a psaltery and an instrument
of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. It is he that giveth
salvation unto kings, who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful
sword. Now he repeats what he said in
verse seven, Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children,
whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right
hand of falsehood, that our sons may be as plants
grown up in their youth, that our daughters may be as cornerstones
polished after the similitude of a palace, that our garners
may be fools affording all manner of store, that our sheep may
bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our street, that
our oxen may be strong to labor, that there be no breaking in
nor going out, that there be no complaining in our streets.
Happy is that people that is in such a case. Yea, happy is
that people whose God is God. The Lord. Let's pray. Lord, we ask. In Christ's name. That we might be among those
happy people. Whose God is. The Lord. Lord, we ask in Christ's name
that you would speak. that you would deliver us from
hearing the words and the opinions and the thoughts of a man, but
that you would speak to our hearts from your word and enable us
to worship your dear son. We confess our sins. We pray
for forgiveness and cleansing. Lord, how we thank you for the
justifying grace that's in your son that makes us without guilt
before you. Lord, we would always praise
your holy name for your justifying grace that's in your son. We
ask that you would unite our hearts together to fear thy name.
Bless us for the Lord's sake. Be with all your people wherever
they meet together. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Blessed are the peacemakers. What a description of every believer. Blessed are the peacemakers. So what does David mean when
he says, blessed be the Lord my strength, my rock, is the
word, which teacheth my hands to war. and my fingers to fight."
Now, what does David mean? Well, we know that David was
a man of war, a mighty man of valor, the scripture says, a
valiant soldier. As a youth, he killed a bear
and a lion with his bare hands. supernatural strength was given
to him. We're all familiar in his arrival
in Israel by defeating the giant. David defeating Goliath. As a matter of fact, the scripture
says that the fear of David came upon every nation. I want you
to think about that. This was the most feared man
in the world, and Israel, under his reign, was the most powerful
nation in the world. No one messed with David. As
a matter of fact, all these countries had to pay tribute to Israel
to keep him from destroying them and the armies of Israel. He
was a man of war and he's thanking the Lord who teaches his hands
to fight and his fingers to make war. Now this is speaking, I
realize, David's military conquests. But more than that, this is speaking
of the conquests and the victories of the Lord Jesus Christ. Aren't you thankful for his victories? Now. Fight. The good fight. Of faith. There are a lot of
exhortations in the scripture with regard to this thing of
fighting. Fight the good fight of faith. I love it when Paul said, the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
through the casting down of imaginations. And every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God and brings into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ. I want you to think
about that. Every thought. is brought into captivity to
the obedience of Jesus Christ. Any thought that's contrary to
the obedience of Jesus Christ, being my standing before God,
is to be fought against, knocked down, and that's what David is
talking about when he's talking about teach my hands to war and
my fingers to fight. We're told to put on the whole
armor of God. that we may be able to withstand
the wiles of the devil. We're told to be good soldiers
of Jesus Christ. Now, blessed be the Lord my rock,
my strength. He's the only strength I have.
I know that and am aware of that. He's the only strength I have.
And he attributes this ability to fight To the Lord Jesus Christ,
blessed be the Lord, my strength, which teaches my hands to war
and my fingers to fight. And we have a fight, don't we?
We have a battle every single day. And the main person I'm
battling is my old man. He is there every day. Paul said, when I would do good
and I would. When I would do good, evil is
present right there with me all the time. And this battle will
not be over. until death. And upon my death,
I will have no more battle, no more war. And I love the way
the Lord also lets us know in Isaiah chapter 40, when he said,
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, he lets us know that our warfare
is accomplished. This is not a battle that we're
in doubt as to how it's going to end up. The victory has already
been won. So you don't need to stress about
this battle. It's difficult, but there's no
reason to stress, no reason to worry. You know, we worry. Do you know when we enter glory? we'll see that all of our worries
were really stupid and fruitless. And there's really nothing, there
never has been anything to worry about. Blessed be the Lord, my
strength which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight.
Now look what he says of the Lord. And this is what every
believer can say with regarding to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's
my goodness. He's my mercy. That's that Hebrew
word hesed, the loving kindness. He's my fortress, my place of
protection, my high tower. I love the proverb that says
the name of the Lord is a high tower. It's so much higher than
anywhere, anything or anyone else. There's such protection
in it. The name of the Lord, his attributes is a high tower.
The righteous run into it and are safe. And I'm running into
that high tower right now, the name of the Lord. And that is
my safety and my security. My deliverer, my savior, my shield,
the one who took the blows for me. What a shield he was when
he hung on the cross and took all the blows of God's wrath
in my place. My shield. And he in whom I trust. And I was thinking about this. I do trust him. I trust him. I trust his character. I trust his salvation. Now I
have unbelief with me at all times that doesn't trust. I believe,
help thou my unbelief, but I do trust in him. All of my salvation is in him. And he says, who subdueth my
people under me. And they're willingly subdued.
Every one of Christ's people They're willing in the day of
his power. That's his subduing. They're
subdued in the day of his power. Now, when David is thinking of
the Lord, he says, Lord, think about how glorious he is, how
glorious his salvation is. Lord, what is man that thou takest
knowledge of him? or the son of man that thou makest
account of him. Man is like the vanity, his days
are as a shadow that passeth. Now when he's thinking of the
Lord, now he thinks of men. And he's including himself in
this thought. When he thinks, whenever someone
actually sees who the Lord is, all sense of entitlement vanishes. What is man? Who am I? Why would you even look my way
in favor? Why me? Why did you look in favor
upon me? What is man? You know, the natural
man has this sense of entitlement that's so ugly. Judging God,
why does God let this happen? Why did God do this? Why didn't
God do that? Why didn't he say, all these,
sitting in judgment on God. And for us to sit in judgment
on God is so, filthy and ugly. He's altogether glorious. We're
altogether vanity. That's what he says. Man at his
best state is altogether vanity. And I suppose that as far as
human beings go, Solomon was man at his best state,
wisest man to ever live. And look how he did. It wasn't good. It wasn't good. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
man in his best state and on the cross he was made worst that
you and I might be rich. But he speaks of man and there's
no sense of entitlement. I love that. That's very similar. to Psalm 8 when he says, when
I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and
the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou takest
thought of him? Now here is his thought after
thinking of the Lord. And this is where our sense of
sinfulness will only come from when we see who he is. When you
see who he is, you'll see who you are. And this sense of entitlement
and sense of judging God will disappear. Verse five, or verse four, man's
like to vanity, his days are as a shadow that passes away. That's a good description of
my life and your life, isn't it? Days as a shadow, so fleeting,
so temporary that is going to be gone very soon. I hope all of us will get a hold
of that. I'm a shadow. There's not much
substance to a shadow, is there? My days will soon pass away. Now it says in verse five, bow
by heavens, O Lord, and come down. Touch the mountains and
they shall smoke. Now, I have no doubt that this
is an allusion to what took place on Mount Sinai when the Lord
did come down. And remember, there was the sound
of a trumpet, there was smoke, there was fire, there was thunder,
there was lightning, and the people were scared to death when
the Lord came down on Mount Sinai. Verse six, cast forth lightning
and scatter them. Now, who's he talking about?
This is important when he's talking about come down and make the
mountain to smoke, cast forth lightning and scatter them, shoot
out thine arrows and destroy them. Send thine hand from above,
rid me and deliver me out of great waters from the hand of
strange children whose mouth speaketh vanity and their right
hand is a right hand of falsehood. And he actually repeats this
in verse 11, rid me and deliver me from the hand of strange children
whose mouth speaketh vanity and their right hand is a right hand
of falsehood. Send your hand from above and
deliver me from these strange children. Turn with me for a
moment to Revelation 12 when he says, rid me if the word means
swallow up, swallow up. Now I want you to look at this
passage with me in Revelation chapter 12. And there appeared a great wonder
in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun
and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of 12 stars
and she being with child cried, travailing in birth and pain
to be delivered and there appeared another wonder in heaven and
behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and
seven crowns upon his horns and his tail drew the third part
of the stars of heaven. This is referring to the fall
of Satan that happened before the fall of man. And most people
think that this means a third of the angels fell with him and
did cast him to the earth. And the dragon stood before the
woman, which was ready to be delivered for to devour her.
As soon as the child was born, this is talking about the birth
of Christ. And she brought forth a man child who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up into
God, into his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed
her a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was
war in heaven. Michael and his angels, the Lord
Jesus Christ, fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought
his angels and prevailed not, neither was there any place found
in heaven. And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth
the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels
were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying,
in heaven now has come salvation and strength, the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day
and night. Now, I have to stop for just
a moment. Would the devil bring any accusation
against you that was not true? Could he bring accusation against
you before God that was not true? He doesn't have to come up with
lies about me or you. He could say things that are
utterly true. And verse 11, they overcame him. How? By the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their lives
unto death, therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell
in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea,
for the devil has come down unto you, having great wrath, because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw
that he was cast into the earth, he persecuted the woman which
brought forth the man-child. That's talking about the church.
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle that she
might fly into the wilderness into her place where she's nourished
for a time and time and a half from the face of the serpent.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after
the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the
flood. Now, that is symbolic of false
doctrine. That's what comes out of the
dragon's mouth. that which is contrary to the
gospel. And that's what he's speaking
of in the psalm Rhythmi of Strange Children. whose hand is a hand
of falsehood. Deceit comes out of their mouth.
He's talking about a false gospel. Do you know the biggest problem
you and I have, other than our own sinful heart, is false doctrine
because of our tendency, we'll believe it apart from the grace
of God. And that's why he's asking for deliverance when he says,
rid me, rid me. And that means swallow up these
children. Now look what happens. In verse
15, and the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood
after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away
of the flood. And the earth helped the woman
and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood, which
the dragon cast out of his mouth. Now, this is what he's asking
in the same thing in Psalm 40. Rid me, open up your mouth, swallow. Back to our text. Cast forth lightning and scatter
to them, shoot out thine arrows and destroy them. Send thine
hand from above, rid me, swallow up, and deliver me out of great
waters, these waters that come out of the dragon, from the hand
of strange children, contrary to Christ, whose mouth speaketh
vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
Verse nine, I will sing a new song unto thee, O God, upon a
psaltery and an instrument of ten strings, while I sing praises
unto thee, I will sing a new song." Now, I am so thankful
for this new song, this fresh song. You know, this has something
to do with hearing the gospel with hearing ears, where it's
not old, It's new. And the only time I hear the
gospel is when I hear it as news, like you'd never heard it before.
And it comes as good news. Oh, that's the way I want to
hear the gospel. I don't want to hear it in an old, stale way. He says I sang a new song coming
from the new heart that he gives. All because of the New Testament
ratified in his blood with the new commandment. I love 2 Corinthians
chapter 5, 17. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creation. Now, creation. Just try to think
about it. God spake into existence that
which was not there before. In the new creation, God doesn't
alter what was already there and make it better or improve
it. He puts something brand new that was not there before. And it's that new heart that
he gives that sings this new song. The song, you can read
about it in Revelation chapter 5. But I will sing a new song
unto thee, O God, upon a salt tree and an instrument of ten
strings, while I sing praises unto thee. It is he, this is
the one I'm singing praises to, it is he that giveth salvation. He gives it. He doesn't offer
it. He doesn't make it available. He gives it. He gave it to the
king of kings when he raised him from the dead and he gives
it to everyone in him. It is he that giveth salvation
unto kings who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful
sword I love David, the beloved, the man after God's own heart. There's a lot said about this
man in the scripture, a lot said about his failures, his Moral
failures, his failures as a parent. I mean, there's all kinds of
failures with regard to David. But you know who David was? He
was God's beloved. The man after God's own heart. The one the Lord delivered. And
this is true of every single one of his people. You are David's
to the Lord if you're his, if I'm his. Beloved of the Lord. Now he repeats this request in
verse 11. Rid me and deliver me from the hand of strange children,
foreign children who don't have the royal seed, the seed of God
in them, the new creation, whose mouth speaketh vanity and their
right hand is a right hand of falsehood. Deliver me from these
people for this purpose, that our sons may be as plants grown
up in their youth. that our daughters may be as
cornerstones polished after the similitude of a palace, that
our garners may be full, affording all manner of store, that our
sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our street,
that our oxen may be strong to labor, and there be no breaking
in or no going out, that there be no complaining in our streets.
Now, he's saying, do this for us, that this might be the case
with us. Now, I realize we could look
at this as material, physical blessing.
We want our sons to be settled. We want our daughters to be like
polished stones. We want our gardens full, having
plenty to eat. We want our sheep to bring forth
many. We want our oxen to be strong
to labor and to be productive. We don't want him complaining
in our streets. We don't want our gates broken in and be attacked,
and we don't even want anyone going out. That could refer to material blessing, but it's really
not referring to that, because really, you can have all that
in this Christ. God's blessing is spiritual blessing. Now, I'm thankful to be able
to pay my bills. Don't don't get me wrong. And I'd rather
be healthy than sick and all that kind of stuff. You would,
too. And we know that that's all in the Lord's hands. But
this is talking about the spiritual blessings our sons planted. by
the grace of God, our daughters stable, all the spiritual blessings
we have in Christ, we have them all. No complaining in our streets. What that means is we're satisfied
to be saved by Christ. Are you satisfied with Christ? Are you satisfied that everything
God requires of you, he looks to his son, Jesus Christ for?
Does that bring you satisfaction? Or are you thirsting for something
else? If you're thirsting for something
else, you've never trusted Christ. In thee, oh Lord, do I trust. Now, verse 15. Happy is that people. that is
in such a case. Yea, happy is that people whose
God is the Lord. Now the word happy is the word
blessed, the exact same word. The way men use happy is I'm
happy with my circumstances. I'm happy with my life. I don't
have many trials. I feel good. Got plenty of money
in the bank. That's what they think about
happy. I don't have anybody after me. But that's circumstantial.
And I'd rather be happy than miserable, wouldn't you? But
this is talking about more than circumstantial happiness. This
is talking about blessedness. Now, I want to close by looking
at several scriptures. I'm just going to read them without
making much comment, but looking without making any comment, as
a matter of fact, but looking at Psalm 1-1. Blessed. That's the same word. Blessed. is the man that walketh not in
the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is
in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day
and night. Psalm 2, verse 12, the last sentence,
blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Look in Psalm
32. Blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered, blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is
no guile. Psalm 41. Blessed is he, verse one, that
considereth the poor. Psalm 65. Verse four, blessed is the man
whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he
may dwell in thy courts. Psalm 84. Verse four, blessed are they
that dwell in thy house, that dwell in Christ. They will still
be praising thee. Blessed is the man whose strength
is in thee, whose heart are the ways of them. Psalm 89, verse
15. Blessed is the people that know
the joyful sound. They know the gospel. They know
the joyful sound in the gospel. Psalm 94, verse 12. Blessed is the man whom thou
chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law. Psalm 106. Verse 3, blessed are they that keep judgment,
the gospel, and he that doeth righteousness at all times, which
is a description of everybody in Christ. They do righteousness
at all times in Christ. They have a perfect standing
before God's law, Psalm 112. Praise ye the Lord, blessed is
the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his
commandments, the commandments of the gospel. Psalm 119, verses
one and two. Blessed are the undefiled in
the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that
keep his testimony and that seek him with the whole heart. They
also do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. That's the blessed
man. Psalm 146, 5. Happy is he that hath the God
of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. And then in our text, verse 15,
happy is that people that's in such a case. Yea, happy is that
people whose God is the Lord. Amen.