Daily Meditations

Psalm 144:14 The way we should be It’s interesting to list and note the blessings from God that David records in this Psalm, it reveals his sense of priorities and also his expectations so far as the Lord is concerned: - ·        Sons will be like well-nurtured plants ·        Daughters will be like palace pillars ·        Barns will be filled with every kind of provision ·        Sheep will increase by thousands ·        Oxen will draw heavy loads (this can read “our chieftains will be firmly established”) ·        The land will be at peace and warfare will cease.    David paints a rather idyllic picture doesn’t he? However, isn’t this the picture that we would all like to engage ourselves in? Our children developing into mature and    capable adults. Our prosperity growing and peace in ou...

Psalm 144:13 Those who obey the Lord will be blessed David is still thinking about the threat of his enemies and especially those he regards as  “Foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.”  In other words, infiltrators and impostors. He ponders what it would be like to live in a land that is free from tensions and assaults by the enemies. David knows that this land of Israel belongs to the Lord and if God is with the people and is freely worshipped, then the land and its inhabitants will prosper. Listen carefully to these words given by the Lord to Moses and promising blessings if the Israelites obey their God; - “If you fully obey the   Lord   your God and carefully follow all his commands   I give you today, the   Lord   your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.    All these blessings will come on you   and accompany you if you obey the   Lord  your God: You will be blessed ...

Psalm 144:12 What are our sons and daughters like? Those of us who are gardeners will be aware that to nurture a healthy plant takes some effort, you don’t just shove it in the ground and go away and hope for the best, if a plant is valued then we will need to know the soil type that it is being planted in, what size hole needs to be made for the roots, when and how it needs feeding and watering, its position in relation to the sun and also, to other plants. We need to know how to care for its growth, when to prune and when to support any tendrils, and the right time, if relevant, to harvest its fruit or to cut its blooms. Gardening is a full-on job and can be immensely rewarding and also frustrating. Raising children is just the same, a concept that David fully understood! The way our sons present themselves in their youth is a direct reflection of the way they have been raised and nurtured.  In the same way our daughters reflect their family upbringing and the qualities of their ...

Psalm 144:11 Deliver me from lies and deceit We might be surprised to notice that this verse is a repeat of v7-8, once again we  encounter “the hands of foreigners, whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.”  And David pleads to the Lord to be delivered and rescued from these foes. As we shall see, he is looking ahead to the future prosperity and security of His kingdom and to achieve this he requires the Lord’s help.  There are so many outside forces that affect the life of the nations today, the issue of migrants and racial tension is constantly in the news and underlies the growing popularity of political parties like Reform, here in the UK. We aim to keep well away from politics but to seek to understand a far more sinister and troubling conflict, that which takes place in the heavenly or spiritual realm. In this context we are all surrounded by the voices of the devil’s minions who chide us constantly and sow seeds of doubt but also of temptatio...

Psalm 144:9-10 Sing a new song Verse 9 is a vow, and we can almost imagine David calling for his 10 stringed lyre as soon as he had completed the Psalm so he could compose a song for the Lord. I am not a great musician, but I do know that there were, and still are, 7-stringed lyres and 10-stringed lyres. The 10-stringed instrument was superior and much more versatile. Some of you may understand what is meant by the doubling of the pentatonic tuning, resulting in a range of two octaves. David was obviously an accomplished musician, he had to be, to play such an instrument and also to compose so many wonderful songs, if only we could hear the tunes! V10 gives us the content of the new song, it was an anthem that extols “ the One who gives victory to kings and who delivers His servant David .” As such, it could be one of many of David’s collection. Most of us are not songwriters and are unable to compose tunes and lyrics but that is why the Lord gives us those who can. The modern-day chur...

  Psalm 144:8 Foreigners or family? In Verse 7 David asks that the Lord delivers him and rescues him from the hands of foreigners! Sounds a bit racist, doesn’t it? According to this Psalm, foreigners’ mouths are full of lies, and their right hands are deceitful.  Let’s remember that the Jewish culture was very inclusive (and still is), you were born a Jew and genealogy was a huge part of the exclusiveness of these people. Family history was of utmost importance and Jews took great pride in their heritage and then in the rites and ceremonies of their religion. Well, some did, others chased after the pagan gods of the Canaanites, which turned out to be one of the biggest problems that the nation and its leaders faced and ultimately led to their being overcome by their adversaries. Remember that god-fearing Jews saw themselves as chosen and set part by God and in that sense believed themselves to be a bit above “Foreigners”. It was possible to marry into a Jewish family or even t...