Psalm 140:7

Psalm 140:7

Shield my head in the day of battle

I wonder if the Apostle Paul was thinking of this verse when he wrote about the armour of God and in particular, the helmet of salvation? (Ephesians 6:17.) When David wrote these words he could, have course, been referring literally to his head, the part of his body where his brain lived! He could also have been referring to his headship, in other words, when he went into battle the Lord God protected the head of Israel, He looked after the monarchy. Maybe what was in his mind was his thoughts and decision-making processes, the judgements that needed to be made in the heat of the moment, when danger was all around and, as we would say, the king needed a clear head. 

After our journey through Psalm 139 it should be obvious that the Lord is able to be all of the above, we could simply say that when the battle rages God is with us, He is our protector, our inspiration, our guide, our deliverer and our salvation. Let’s transfer that information to our day and apply it to our own situations for, as children of God, we too are involved in constant conflict where we need to keep our heads and make the right decisions. We need clarity to discern the enemy’s tactics and then wisdom to know how to defend ourselves and others who look up to our leadership. The reason that this is important is that God has appointed His children to be a kingdom and a priesthood, (Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10). Peter puts it like this, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9.) We are not just responsible for ourselves but as we grow in faith and experience, like David, we become God’s kings and priests, and we need therefore to be looking out for others in His family when the battle rages. Hence our prayer should be, “Oh God, shield our heads in the day of battle.” 

 

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