If God is for us…

David’s band of warriors was often both outnumbered and outclassed. Here David praises YHWH for defending his people in a dire situation, reminding us that our God dwarfs every challenge we face.

A David song. A song of ascents.

¹ If YHWH hadn’t been for us—
let Israel say it—
² if YHWH hadn’t been for us
when humankind fought against us
³ their anger wildly raging
they’d have swallowed us alive.
⁴ The floodwaters would have engulfed us
the torrent swept us away.
⁵ The furious waters
would have overwhelmed us
body and soul.

⁶ Praise YHWH
who didn’t drop us
into their monstrous jaws!
⁷ We escaped with our lives
like a bird from a hunter’s snare.
The trap burst open
and we broke free!

⁸ Our help comes from YHWH
maker of the heavens and the earth!

David presents the challenge the Israelites faced when attacked by a fighting force so superior that he and his men had no chance, humanly speaking. He likens their enemies to a raging flood and a hateful monster, both images evoking pagan creation myths which depict the chaotic primal waters as a sea monster. Those images evoke the definitive biblical events of YHWH’s subduing the primeval waters with a word and his later making a path through the sea to free the Israelites from monstrous Egypt.

David’s enemies would doubtless have assessed their fight with Israel as being of no contest at all. But leaving YHWH out of the equation, they grossly miscalculated since they were unwittingly picking a fight with the God in control of all the forces of nature. Hence, the fight proved far more a foregone conclusion than they could ever have imagined—and in the opposite direction.

David uses the word “humankind” to suggest that the Israelites were up against the rest of humanity or maybe even that, if all humankind joined forces against them, their enemies would still be no match for little-Israel-plus-God. At first glance, it appears that God is eternally committed to one ethnic group and against all who oppose them. But in fact, ethnicity has nothing to do with it. God’s commitment to Israel is purely because of Israel’s place in his plan to redeem the human race. Israel’s enemies are in this case hellbent on shutting God out. But they’re no match for him. With YHWH resolutely on his people’s side, he simply breaks the trap and sets the helpless bird free, which leads David to give him all praise and thanks.

Prayer:

Jesus, I’m no match for the evil I’m up against in this world, but you fight for me. As I trust and obey you, no one can pry me away from you. With you on my side, who can possibly defeat me? Help me stand strong against evil and live in joyful hope that your kingdom will yet come. Amen.

In your free moments today, meditate on this promise:

Our help comes from YHWH
maker of the heavens and the earth!

Tenacious prayer

Some people arrogantly scorn and abuse those who have struggles they know nothing about. Here the psalmist models the godly response to such abuse.

A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to you—
to you enthroned in the heavens.
² As the eyes of servants
are fixed on their masters’ hand—
the eyes of a slave-girl on her mistress’s hand—
so our eyes are fixed on YHWH our God
until he has mercy on us.

³ Have mercy on us, YHWH
have mercy!
For we’ve had more than our fill of contempt.
⁴ More than our fill of scorn—
scorn from the careless
and contempt from the arrogant.

The psalmist looks upward to God, enthroned amidst all the splendor of the light-filled heavens, its sun and moon moving at his command, its nighttime glories so breathtaking before the advent of artificial light. Puny commoners approach a great king only by invitation, humbly acknowledging their place on the bottom rung in relation to him. So the psalmist acknowledges his place as God’s servant—even putting himself on the level of the scullery maid.

Since eye contact indicates equality, the slave doesn’t presume to make eye contact. But that doesn’t keep the psalmist from being keen-eyed, watching his master’s hand, waiting for YHWH to beckon, waiting on him for mercy, utterly dependent on his undeserved love.

Yet despite his humility, the psalmist won’t be denied. He refuses to take his eyes off his master’s hand till he extends it to him in mercy because he knows he and his people have no other hope. They’re drenched in the scorn and abuse of those who—smug in their power and ease—hold them in contempt.

Having revealed himself at Sinai as “gracious and merciful… overflowing in love that never fails,” YHWH welcomes such humble audacity in prayer. Ironically, though his people may be downtrodden, they can look to the creator of the universe for the mercy the tin-pot bullies above them withhold. Their hope lies in the God who will one day end all oppression and rid the earth of all contempt.

Prayer:

Jesus, you called us to this very sort of humbly tenacious prayer. So help me keep my eyes on you, intent on your mercy, refusing to take your delay as denial. And as someone who can’t possibly live without your mercy, help me to extend it to others as freely as you give it to me. Amen.

Pray this prayer during your free moments today:

As the eyes of servants are fixed on their masters’ hand—
the eyes of a slave-girl on her mistress’s hand—
so our eyes are fixed on YHWH our God
until he has mercy on us.

For Jerusalem’s peace

God is committed to establishing peace in Jerusalem. But Jerusalem’s peace inheres in his people’s embodiment of his justice, mercy, and humility. Only thus will his city truly flourish under his hand.

A David song. A song of ascents.

¹ I was glad when they said to me:
“Let’s go to YHWH’s house.”
² And now here we are
standing inside your gates, Jerusalem!
³ Jerusalem, a city built together
as one united whole.
⁴ Israel’s tribes ascend to it—
the tribes belonging to YHWH—
to extol YHWH’s name there
as Israel’s law requires.
⁵ It’s where thrones ensuring justice stand
the thrones of David’s royal house.

⁶ Pray for Jerusalem’s peace.
May all who love you flourish!
⁷ May there be peace within your walls
and security inside your citadels!
⁸ For my family and friends’ sake
I say, “May you know peace!”
⁹ Because the house of YHWH our God is here
I will seek your good.

David rejoices in Jerusalem as the site of God’s temple and his own divinely established throne,[1] signifying God’s presence in and his just rule over the world. That’s what excites him about Jerusalem: it’s not just about maintaining power—it’s about the kind of rule his dynasty will see realized on earth through his God-anointed heir, the Messiah. David longs for Jerusalem’s peace because he knows the city has always had enemies not just outside, but inside it too. Enemies like Saul and, later, his own son Absalom, whose injustice made the city’s peace and well-being impossible. God’s prophets repeatedly decried the evils of such enemies.

Believing Jerusalem’s peace is all-important, many Christians today see this psalm as an urgent call to do all they can to bolster modern-day Israel’s anti-Palestinian policies through political and financial support. Some fear that doing anything less would put them in opposition to God. But this is all backwards. It’s not what David has in mind at all.

David celebrates Jerusalem as a city not pursuing a merely ethnic or national cause, but rather united by God in its devotion to him, the God of justice, compassion, and humility. Disregarding the moral imperatives of God’s law can’t possibly lead to peace or well-being for Jerusalem or any other place on earth.

Praying for Jerusalem’s peace today means praying that every nation on earth—Israel included—will submit to the Messiah and seek the peace God promised to all who keep his law. Praying for this is always right because it aligns us with God’s eternal purposes for his world.

Prayer:

Jesus, you wept over your people’s failure to see that, to gain true peace, they needed to receive you and embrace the values of your house. They thought they just needed to rid themselves of their enemies. You still weep today. Forgive us, Lord. And may all who seek Jerusalem’s true peace prosper! Amen.

During your free moments today, meditate on these words:

Pray for Jerusalem’s peace.
May all who love you prosper!

[1] The psalm’s chiastic structure makes David’s dynasty the psalm’s focal point: vv. 1-2 (A) the psalmist, his companions, and YHWH’s house, vv. 3-4 (B) Jerusalem, v. 5 (C) David’s house, vv. 6-7 (B) Jerusalem, vv. 8-9 (A) the psalmist, his companions, and YHWH’s house.

Pilgrim song

We can easily feel overwhelmed by the chaos in the world around us. This psalm promises vulnerable pilgrims en route to Mount Zion that YHWH will be their unfailing guardian, protecting them from all harm.

A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from YHWH
maker of heaven and earth.

³ He who guards you
won’t let your foot slip
and he’ll never fall asleep on the job.
⁴ He who guards Israel
never dozes, never sleeps.
⁵ YHWH himself is your guardian.
With him standing by to shelter and shield you
⁶ the sun will not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
⁷ YHWH will guard you from all evil—
he will safeguard your life.
⁸ He’ll guard your going out
and your coming home
now and for all time.

This second psalm of ascent is best known for its intriguing first line, intriguing since mountains evoke all sorts of images, of difficulty and reward, danger and refuge, darkness and resplendence. The question that follows is vital to all pilgrims: what is the pilgrim’s ultimate source of help and protection? The definitive answer is YHWH alone.

Given the psalmist’s ancient context, she is most likely looking at the mountains as places of worship and divine authority.* While Israel’s neighbors worshipped in their gods’ mountaintop shrines, the Israelites worshipped YHWH on Mount Zion. They viewed his temple there as the home of heaven’s government on earth, which is why the psalm names him as maker of heaven and earth.

Far from the safety of home, most pilgrims walked arduous paths over inhospitable terrain to and from Jerusalem. This made them vulnerable to all sorts of dangers. So the psalmist assures them that YHWH won’t let them lose their footing. She describes him as their ever-vigilant, never-sleeping guardian and assures them he won’t let scorching sun or ghastly moon—two images meant to represent every threat known to humankind—harm them. He’ll guard them from the moment they set out till they return safe and sound. Now and always.

Prayer:

Besides being fully in control, Jesus, you promised to be with us to the end of the age. Thank you that you’re fully attentive to my needs 24/7. Help me to be fully attentive to you in return and, as you lead me, to be fully present, not afraid to engage, no matter where you put me. Amen.

During your free moments today, meditate on these words:

YHWH will guard you from all evil—
he will safeguard your life.

* I imagine the psalmist here as a woman of faith, like Miriam, Deborah, Hanna, or the Virgin Mary (see further, my answer to the question: Who wrote the psalms?).