God is strong
This week's study is on Psalm 118:13-17:
These verses were written by King David about a time he was under attack. He compares his enemies to a brutal attacker trying to overpower him. It reminds me of the year I decided to celebrate New Year's Eve in Berlin. I was in the main train station and as one of the trains pulled in a fight spilled out of it. Two guys seemed to be fighting over a girl, except that one of them was absurdly large compared to the other, who was normal sized. The "little" guy was screaming at the big guy, who kept shoving him by basically picking him up and throwing him. Just about when I was convinced I was going to witness a murder, a dozen or so police officers dressed like robocop came marching in and separated them. I can picture King David as the guy getting thrown and God swooping in like the station police.
Sometimes we're faced with overwhelming force, and God steps in to set things right. It could be some steroid-laced physical attacker, or it could be something like a financial crisis, a government bureaucracy holding up your work visa, an illness, or really anything you can't handle on your own. The times when God steps in and rights things are really awesome and worth remembering.
David says that they celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. In other words, in the homes of people who believe in God and try to live as he wants them to live, people tend to share stories of God delivering them. Does the belief lead to people getting delivered, or does getting delivered tend to make people believe? It doesn't matter as much as celebrating the stories does. Maybe they'll help reinforce people's beliefs, or maybe part of believing is sharing what you believe.
The Lord's right hand is mentioned three times as an agent of victory. The right hand tends to be the strong hand. If you're left-handed, you can mentally substitute the left hand. The point is God brings his strength to the fight, not his second-best. He's not using his right hand to pen a strongly worded letter of chastisement to David's enemies or issuing them a citation to appear later for what they're doing to him now. His right hand is 100% engaged in viciously beating down David's once overwhelming enemy. David says it three times so that it'll hopefully have time to sink in. God wins.
David says that he will not die but live and that he will proclaim what God has done. The funny thing is, as Christians, even if we do die we still live. But in the context of the fight against the overwhelming enemy, he's saying that his certain defeat is now victory. And that he'll tell people what happened and not keep it to himself. People often like to pretend like they won the victory themselves, or are afraid to mention God's help in something they escaped. But David is not afraid to admit he's weak, or that he believes in God.
So if you're facing something overwhelming, it's not unreasonable to believe that the problem will go away somehow by God's strong intervention. You don't have to look very hard to find stories of divine intervention even in modern times. And if he does step in and save you, don't be too proud or afraid to admit it for what it is. You were weak and God is strong, but you can be godly enough to recognize it.
“You aggressively attacked me and tried to knock me down,
but the Lord helped me.
The Lord gives me strength and protects me;
he has become my deliverer.”
They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly.
The Lord’s right hand conquers,
the Lord’s right hand gives victory,
the Lord’s right hand conquers.
I will not die, but live,
and I will proclaim what the Lord has done.
These verses were written by King David about a time he was under attack. He compares his enemies to a brutal attacker trying to overpower him. It reminds me of the year I decided to celebrate New Year's Eve in Berlin. I was in the main train station and as one of the trains pulled in a fight spilled out of it. Two guys seemed to be fighting over a girl, except that one of them was absurdly large compared to the other, who was normal sized. The "little" guy was screaming at the big guy, who kept shoving him by basically picking him up and throwing him. Just about when I was convinced I was going to witness a murder, a dozen or so police officers dressed like robocop came marching in and separated them. I can picture King David as the guy getting thrown and God swooping in like the station police.
Sometimes we're faced with overwhelming force, and God steps in to set things right. It could be some steroid-laced physical attacker, or it could be something like a financial crisis, a government bureaucracy holding up your work visa, an illness, or really anything you can't handle on your own. The times when God steps in and rights things are really awesome and worth remembering.
David says that they celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. In other words, in the homes of people who believe in God and try to live as he wants them to live, people tend to share stories of God delivering them. Does the belief lead to people getting delivered, or does getting delivered tend to make people believe? It doesn't matter as much as celebrating the stories does. Maybe they'll help reinforce people's beliefs, or maybe part of believing is sharing what you believe.
The Lord's right hand is mentioned three times as an agent of victory. The right hand tends to be the strong hand. If you're left-handed, you can mentally substitute the left hand. The point is God brings his strength to the fight, not his second-best. He's not using his right hand to pen a strongly worded letter of chastisement to David's enemies or issuing them a citation to appear later for what they're doing to him now. His right hand is 100% engaged in viciously beating down David's once overwhelming enemy. David says it three times so that it'll hopefully have time to sink in. God wins.
David says that he will not die but live and that he will proclaim what God has done. The funny thing is, as Christians, even if we do die we still live. But in the context of the fight against the overwhelming enemy, he's saying that his certain defeat is now victory. And that he'll tell people what happened and not keep it to himself. People often like to pretend like they won the victory themselves, or are afraid to mention God's help in something they escaped. But David is not afraid to admit he's weak, or that he believes in God.
So if you're facing something overwhelming, it's not unreasonable to believe that the problem will go away somehow by God's strong intervention. You don't have to look very hard to find stories of divine intervention even in modern times. And if he does step in and save you, don't be too proud or afraid to admit it for what it is. You were weak and God is strong, but you can be godly enough to recognize it.
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