Praise to My Rock
Study note
Praise to the Lord, David's rock, who trains his hands for war. God is his loving fortress, shield, and refuge. David wonders what humans are that God notices them — their days are like a passing shadow.
1 All praise to the LORD, my solid rock! He trains my hands to fight and my fingers for battle. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
2 He is my loyal love and my safe fortress, my tall tower and the one who sets me free. He is my shield, and I hide behind him. He brings people under my care. 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.
3 LORD, why do you even bother with human beings? Why do you give a thought to people who come and go so fast? LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
4 People are like a puff of air. Their days pass by like a shadow sliding across the ground. Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
A Prayer for Rescue
Study note
David asks God to part the heavens and come down. He asks God to send lightning, shoot arrows, and rescue him from the mighty waters and from foreigners whose mouths speak lies.
5 LORD, tear open the sky and come down! Touch the mountains and make them pour out smoke. Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Hurl your lightning and scatter my enemies! Shoot your arrows and chase them away. Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.
7 Reach down from heaven above and pull me out of these deep, dangerous waters. Rescue me from the hands of foreigners Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;
8 whose mouths are full of lies and who raise their hands to swear to things that are not true. Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
A Vision of Blessing
Study note
David will sing a new song to God. He asks for rescue and envisions a blessed nation: sons like well-nurtured plants, daughters like pillars carved for a palace, barns full, flocks multiplying, and no cry of distress in the streets. Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
9 God, I will sing a new song to you! I will play music for you on a ten-stringed harp. 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.
10 You are the one who gives kings their victories. You are the one who rescued your servant David from the deadly sword. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
11 Rescue me and save me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies and who raise their hands to swear to things that are not true. 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:
12 Then our sons will grow up strong like healthy young plants. Our daughters will stand tall like graceful pillars carved to dress up a palace. That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
13 Our barns will be bursting with every kind of good food. Our sheep will multiply into thousands and tens of thousands across our fields. That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
14 Our cattle will be healthy and well-fed. No enemy will break through our walls, no one will be dragged off as a prisoner, and no cries of pain will ring out in our streets. That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.
15 How fortunate are the people who have all of this! How fortunate are the people whose God is the LORD! Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.