Pages In The Scrapbook

Psalm 144:1-8

A psalm of David.

1Bless the LORD, who is my rock.

He gives me strength for war

and skill for battle.

2He is my loving ally and my fortress,

my tower of safety, my deliverer.

He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him.

He subdues the nations under me.

3O LORD, what are mortals that you should notice us,

mere humans that you should care for us?

4For we are like a breath of air;

our days are like a passing shadow.

5Bend down the heavens, LORD, and come down.

Touch the mountains so they billow smoke.

6Release your lightning bolts and scatter your enemies!

Release your arrows and confuse them!

7Reach down from heaven and rescue me;

deliver me from deep waters,

from the power of my enemies.

8Their mouths are full of lies;

they swear to tell the truth, but they lie.

At first we might think of these verses as a scrapbook. The compiler seemed to cut verses from other psalms and paste them together in this one. Verse 2 reminds us of Psalm 18:2; verse 3 reminds us of Psalm 8:4; verse 4 is like Psalm 39:5; and verses 5-8 are like Psalm 18:9-17.

But even scrapbooks are put together for a reason. So let’s open the scrapbook. As we open it, we see nine pictures of God. He is a rock, a giver of strength, a loving ally, a fortress, a tower of safety, a deliverer, a shield, a refuge, and a subduer. Before you turn the page, notice the pronouns: nine references to I, me, or my, one for each divine portrayal.

On the next pages in the scrapbook, we see ourself. Often in a photo album that is where we look first. We want to see what we look like, and perhaps if we hadn’t seen nine pictures of God first, we might look a little better. But having seen God, we marvel “that [he] should notice us.”

Then come the action scenes. The verbs create excitement: “Bend down,” “come down,” “touch the mountains,” “release your lightning bolts,” etc. Our mouths drop open in amazement. This mighty God not only takes notice of us but goes into action for us!

Why not ask God to go into action for you today? Maybe then you could add another page to the scrapbook.

I hunger and I thirst; Jesus, my manna be;

Ye living waters, burst out of the rock for me.

Thou true life-giving Vine, let me Thy sweetness prove;

Renew my life with Thine, refresh my soul with love.

JOHN MONSELL

A Word on Words

The words loving ally in verse 2 are sometimes translated “my steadfast love.” This a bold and striking term for God. See the same word used for “God’s mercies” in Jonah 2:8.

Notable Quotable

“How is it that the Eternal should make so much of mortal man, who begins to die as soon as he begins to live?”

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON