After looking through this text that we had initially planned for this morning and talking with Grant, we decided to remain in Psalm 144
But we're gonna do it in a much smaller way than before. Lord willing, we'll cover this Psalm in greater detail soon
but for now we're gonna focus our attention on a
foundation point of theology within this Psalm and that's this
God's sovereign care for his people
Now I'm gonna ask for your grace ahead of time because as Grant noted I've only had an evening to prepare so expect a shorter teaching
Than usual some of you are like amen. He's not going an hour
But I pray it will still be of some encouragement and help to orient our hearts to understand God even better
So within this song we have this view of God's sovereign care for his people
Amidst the difficulty of enemies the difficulty of going to war now Pastor Jeff walks through the entire thing
He will clarify the nature of the war here with a proper understanding of the context within a Davidic Psalm
Because we are far less familiar with the idea of war and a theocracy
Than in those days of David's reign, but for today we're gonna focus on God's sovereign care
Now around the world today if you were to look at the news there are several large-scale wars being fought
Currently Ukraine is battling Russia who seeks to gain some resources maintain a buffer with NATO
I'm not talking politics. Those are just the headlines in
Yemen a civil war continues with numerous influencers outside of that nation in
Ethiopia there was a civil war that officially ended last year, but there continues to be skirmishes and
instability to this day in
Myanmar the ramifications of a military coup again
Continues to destabilize the country
And if you were to turn on any news outlet focused on international affairs
The most talked about conflict today is in the Middle East with Israel continuing its efforts against Hezbollah in Lebanon
Now while we watch this we may think it's indicative of the end times being at our front porch
and in many ways proportionally the world
isn't as
Broken as we'd like to think
That may shock you to hear me say that
Today I think the world is more at peace than it has ever been
But these wars
They dominate our news cycle you hear about why?
because fear sells
Fear of instability fear of rising prices and inflation fear of encroachment fear of what if
Fear dominates the hearts and minds of mankind and rightfully so
We have so much to fear because we're not in control
We should rightly be afraid when we recognize we have no influence regarding the course of this world
in fact every unbeliever should be frozen in fear by what they see
Because it should look like chaos to them
But for the believer
When we look at a world ravaged by wars and hatred
Jealousy and selfishness
We remember that there is one
Above all these things and that no missile
No bullet
No hurricane
Arrives without permission from the Almighty
There is not one molecule out of place
According to the sovereign one who holds all things together by the word of his power
And this is the hope this is the claim
Hope this is the clarity that David brings to Psalm 144
Hopefully you've already turned your Bibles there. We're gonna dig in in just a moment, but quick background
This is a royal song when David was king
And it emphasizes the well-being of God's people through war through conflict because God is for his people
Because he's for his people they can be confident in battle
Because he's for his people they know that God delivers them from their enemies
Now we're only gonna focus on three verses today
Verses two three and four
We're gonna look at the wonder of mankind
At God as a creator who cares so intimately and so purposefully for his creation and God willing will see some application
after that
Now verse two picks up after verse one
Some of you are following along. Yes
David has just recognized that the Lord God Yahweh is
The source for his strength and war and in battle his rock
Now David speaks in a familiar way in many other Psalms
There's at least five others that are almost identical to the words that he uses here
For example Psalm 18 to says this the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer
My God my rock in whom I take refuge my shield and the horn of my salvation
My stronghold and if you're looking at Psalm 144 verses two three and well really two if you're looking there you see such
similarity, it's almost the same words
Out throughout the Old Testament God is referred to as a fortress a refuge the one who delivers and gives his
Loving kindness to his people the emphasis is always on God who provides all these benefits
So now look in Psalm 142 144 verse two
the first line there
My loving kindness if you have the ESV it says my steadfast love and
My fortress and many of you know
Loving kindness if you're a student at masters or have been ever you've been raised in the church you've heard of this term
Loving kindness if you want to say it, you know the the proper way I said I
Won't make you say it that way you can say has said
Loving kindness
it's one of the most well-known Hebrew terms in the entire Old Testament and it indicates God's steadfast
Unchanging resolute love for those who love him because
He loved them first
One of the key aspects of God's character is his abounding loving kindness or a steadfast love that sets him apart from
every other supposed God or deity
The great I am he is not petty and cruel, but he is personal. He's intentional
He's committed based on his character even when those that he loves fail to love him well
It's God's has said that ensures that he keeps his promises
every single one
So that if God says that he will do something like preserve your life unto eternity
He will do it
Nothing will thwart the Almighty
Now that attribute alone could fill volumes, but I think you can see why David would start here when speaking of trusting God
God is faithful in his love and will always ensure that he ultimately cares for his people
Now David continues then in describing God as a fortress
Now what is a fortress? If you've been to Israel, maybe you've seen a fortress
Maybe if you've been to other ancient structures as well
Let's let's narrow it down to something we might be more familiar with do you remember making forts as a kid
You know sometimes Zion likes to gather all the couch cushions and a few blankets
And he makes a fort and we crawl around on the ground
We hide in the fort protected from the outsiders the imaginary monsters that are attacking us
Now those cushioned forts fun as they are are not structurally sound at all correct
The slightest movement or adjustment makes the whole thing come crashing down with all the screams and laughter that that brings
Now throughout history
People have made all kinds of forts fortresses and they didn't use cushions or blankets
But they use mortar and stone and they feel very very safe in the fortresses that they build
But I tell you that even the strongest human fortress is but a pile of pillows and blankets
before the Almighty
The best fortress is not one made with our hands
The best fortress is to be found in the hands of the one who holds all things in his will
For God to be your fortress means that you trust him
You trust him you do not find yourself to be safe by what you do the preventative measures that you take
But you entrust even your safety unto him
and
entrusting him
You know that your eternal destination is what is protected
Not your comfort not the things you want
your eternal
reality
Because people can come and destroy your flesh
But they cannot destroy your soul
David elaborates on this more he says my stronghold and my deliverer
And as you can see in the text this verse continues that Hebrew parallelism that we've been talking about
During this series in the Psalms and even in Ecclesiastes
These words and phrases they're distinct refuge or stronghold and and
Fortress are not the same but the same idea is present David is building that idea God is
David's safety
Now a stronghold in biblical times was a unique kind of fortress
It was set high up
So if you've seen the movie rendition of Lord of the Rings
You know there's a great city built into the rock and at the very top of that city after layers of walls and
Protection and gates was the king's residence
God is like that to David a stronghold through which the enemy may encroach to try to destroy him
But he is set high above the danger because of God
Not only that not only is he a stronghold but as his deliverer David emphasizes that even if danger comes
God is going to help him escape that danger and draw him into safety
A deliverer is one who helps another person to be delivered. It makes sense, right? A deliverer delivers something
The previous Psalms if you were to read 142 and 143
Both focus on God being the one who delivers his people out of trouble
Intrinsic to this idea of being a deliverer is being delivered into safety
Because if you're delivered out of the frying pan and into the fire that is no delivery at all
Not a good one. That's not the one that's being described here
But if you're delivered from the hands of the enemy into safety
Then you've been delivered well and you can rejoice
And is that not how God delivers us his children from the shadows of darkness
into his marvelous
light
Now David furthers this point in his next phrase my shield and he and whom I take refuge
Now beyond being a deliverer. Yahweh is described by David as a shield in the ancient world a shield was critical in battle
It protected from stray arrows and various attacks
David describes God as his shield the one in whom he takes refuge
And again this is underscoring the idea of God as a fortress as a stronghold
Not only is God those things but to David to David
He takes refuge in him
In God we know that phrase in him. How many of you remember Ephesians one
In Christ here's what said about being in Christ. We have every spiritual blessing
In him God chose us in him. We are to be holy and blameless
In him in him we have redemption in him. We have forgiveness in him
All things are brought to their conclusion in him
Believers are an inheritance
In him we believe and in him we are sealed
According to God's has said
Christ being the fullest expression of God's faithful love
You see scripture is consistent
God is David's refuge just as Christ is our refuge today
Now look at the next portion
Says who subdues people's under me now scholars are split about this phrase
Because the language appears differently in manuscripts but take it in context and I think the language is clear
God preserves his people against his enemies
That word subdued that means to beat down
To beat down like a metal worker beating gold and conforming it into the shape that he desires
But the emphasis is not David's ability to subdue
Or to beat down
Here the emphasis is God's ability to subdue others under him
And this reality doesn't make David prideful it brings about humility
David is not pompous when he considers that God subdues people to be under him
Instead he marvels
He marvels that God would give him such a position
Look at verse 3
He says oh Yahweh we are to be holy and blameless
He says oh Yahweh what is man that you know him that you regard him
When David considers God's loving kindness his steadfast love
He knows God's character as a fortress
He knows God's character as a stronghold a deliverer a shield and a subduer
And in all of that he marvels that God who sits enthroned above the heavens would even give a thought about him
As we studied in Psalm 139
Not only does God know every chromosome every cell of our body
But he knows our thoughts
He knows our innermost being
He truly knows us
And yet who are we to God
What what can we offer the king of kings
Now another aspect of Hebrew parallelism continues
He says this or the son of man that you think of him
Again who are we as humans
To an almighty all powerful creator we are less than ants
What could possibly bring the great I am to consider to regard to think about us
Only himself
Humans have been given such an incredible honor in being created in the likeness of God
No other creature on this planet shares such a distinction
And no other creature has squandered their blessing of being created in such an image as much as we have
We have been given everything
We have the incredible responsibility to rule over creation
And yet we have sought to worship the creation rather than the creator
God has loved us so much
He's considered us so much and yet we have rejected him so much
So who is man to the Almighty
We have this great capacity to imitate our creator and yet we often focus entirely on ourselves
So why would he think of us?
Why would he know us?
And David continues with another form of Hebrew parallelism pushing the point
He says in verse 4
Man is like a breath
A breath
Here the word is Chabel
It's the same word used in Ecclesiastes 30 times
There the word means vanity
Here one moment, gone the next
Soap bubbles
If you don't mind, do this exercise with me
Take a breath, nice and slow and calmly exhale
That was a breath
Do it again
That was a person
You do it again
It's another person
You do it again
That's another person
How many times have you breathed while you've been in here this morning?
Have you counted?
See when you string your breath together
They seem rather insignificant, don't they?
That's us
A breath
A vapor
Meaningless
Over and over humans just keep coming and coming
As easy as a breath
As common as blades of grass is what God's word says
But to God, to God, His people are more than a breath
To God, His people receive His loving kindness
His people are protected in Him like a fortress, a stronghold, a shield
In Him, His people are dearly loved, protected and provided for even sacrificed for
So in one sense, mankind is like a breath
And without God we should be regarded as such
In another sense, we are so valued
But before we get to that value, consider his next statement
He says, man's days are like a passing shadow
Our lives are so short in the context of eternity
You know, in David's day, many scholars estimate the typical life expectancy of a person was around 40 years
40 years
That means many of us in here have already exceeded that average expectancy or are getting very close
Life in that day was difficult
It is widely held that in the ancient world, half, half of all children didn't make it past the age of five
And those that did survive?
They had to deal with the harsh living conditions, poor medical care and non-existent medical care
And constant wars and conflicts
Life in the ancient world was more like a breath than we can fathom
Earlier, when speaking about war, I said that the world today is more at peace than it has ever been
And some of you may have bristled at that statement
But this is my comparison
We do have millions around the world who suffer great hardships
And through my work at Children's Hunger Fund, I see many of them across Africa
But though we have such great numbers of those living in extreme poverty, the proportion, the percentage of those living in such similar contexts at the ancient world
It used to be higher in the past
It is lower today
Generally, life was more difficult for the average person in the ancient world than it is for many average people today
The earth is more populated than it's ever been, even still, it's estimated that less than one in ten people live in extreme poverty
Now if you add in people who don't meet that extreme level but just generally poor, it's maybe three in ten
Three in ten people around the world struggle to have basic needs met
So that means the rest, while not necessarily rich, are not extremely poor
So today, a fair estimate is that seven in ten people have reasonable access to medical care
Better living conditions and generally peaceful lives
Now, you could take a higher rate
You could take a higher rate of those in poverty, you could reverse the numbers
You could say that seven in ten people today live in some range of poverty and that's still higher than every published metric
And I would even argue that's higher than reality
But even if you took seven in ten people, said seven in ten are poor, that still means that three, three out of every ten people would be well off
So what was the population like in the ancient world?
Well first, the population of the world in David's day was a fraction of today's population
Roughly maybe two times that of modern day California
That was the whole entire ancient world in David's day
But in the ancient world, scholars even with a generous estimate say that around one in ten people would be considered noble or wealthy or well-to-do
One in ten
That means today that our wealth ratio is three times higher than the ancient world for the average person
Three times higher than the ancient world and that's with inflated numbers
That's with inflated numbers on poverty
I think the ratio of the wealthy class is much, much higher today
But I think we also need to consider the disparity in the ancient world between the wealthy and the working class
It would have been immense
It's nothing like comparing the super rich today to the middle class
Nothing compares well in our context today
That's the difficulty
When you compare poverty in the United States to say poverty in Uganda, you see a very different dynamic
And I would argue that the poorest people in somewhere like Sub-Saharan Africa would view their life much more like a breath, a vapor, a shadow
Than the poorest people in the United States
Because here we are today
A middle class, normative representation, not just of the U.S. but of Western, modernized society
And when we hear a life expectancy of 40 years, we think that that is just impossible, impossibly low
I'm not going to make you raise your hand in here to tell us that you're over 40
But if you were to look around, that is not our normal society
Our riches, our blessings of healthcare and nourishment, living conditions, education, and so much more
They all build up hubris in ourselves
Pride in what we can do and accomplish to the point that we no longer see ourselves as a breath
But we should, because even if we live to 80 or 90 or 100 years, we are no closer to comprehending an eternal God than someone who lives 40 years
David knew the importance of viewing mankind properly in light of the Creator
And we need to be reminded, especially in light of the many blessings that so much of the world population experiences today
David knew that man's days were like a passing shadow, and we would do well to heed his reminder
Now as we close today, as we consider God's care for us, his sovereign care in light of Psalm 144
I have three key thoughts that I want to leave with you, three key thoughts to meditate upon
The first is this, this phrase, in him, in him
Believers are hidden in God
David knew this, and so should we
Now while the context of this Psalm is war and enemies, strife and difficulty
Throughout the Psalms, David and others express that when trouble comes, they are safe in the fortress
They are safe in the stronghold that is God, they are in him
The second is this, by him, by him
Believers are protected and provided for by God
Being hidden in him means that God himself is the protector and the provider
He is an active shield, guarding his people from harm, and he delivers his people from danger, providing ultimate and, don't miss this, eternal security
Not temporary joy, not temporary gladness, not comforts being met, but eternal security
By him
And the third one is this, for him, for him
Believers are created for God
When David wonders what is man to an almighty God, and he remarks that man is like a breath
We need to see, just like David, that God has chosen to know us
We are a breath, but he chose to know us, he chose to think of us, he chose to willingly and joyfully place his loving kindness upon us
And God doesn't do that because of what we've done
He does it in spite of what we've done, because it's according to his character
And the New Testament were reminded in 1 Peter that God saves many people according to his mercy, and he's done, he's done so much
That people, that people would be his possession, that they would be his, for him
Those who he loves would be for him
So in God's sovereign care, throughout all times, all situations, war times and famines, wars and rumors of wars, difficulty, strife, pain, heartaches
Those who trust in Christ for salvation, they are in him, by him, and for him
So as you read this Psalm, you consider the nature of war, or life in a theocracy, it's very difficult for us, we don't live in that
But we can consider the brevity of mankind's life
We can be encouraged to trust that when a person is loved by God, they have no need to fear
You may take a different take on today's current events, whether it's worse or better
You can come talk to me later, it's not a hill to die on
But I think it's important to recognize how many blessings the average person has today
As you look around, we don't consider our life as a breath, but we should
We need to be confronted with that, to think otherwise would be to think unbiblically, because David said it is God's word, not David's
It's God's, man is like a breath
And yet, who is man, that God would think upon him
And it's because of that, that we can trust that God is doing ultimate good in his sovereign care, even when we struggle to see his good
Even when we focus so much on the troubles of our fleeting days, we can see that God is good
And so we don't trust in what we see, we trust in what God has said
Because he will accomplish all his holy will
Now for our time of reflection here, I want to take a moment
If you're a believer who trusts in Jesus, I want you to take a moment and just think him
Think him for caring for you, in ways that you're not even aware
Maybe this week you thanked him for things that were very specific
God's sovereign care for you is in the minutiae of your life, in all the small things
Thank him for being aware of all of those things of your life, even when you're not
The fact that you keep breathing when you don't tell your body to
Thank him
If you've been selfish this week, believers, repent
If you've been asking for things in a selfish demand from God, repent and then ask him to help you see why you were created
You're still drawing breath and life in your lungs because there is something still to do or bear
You're created to walk in newness of life, you're created to walk in the good works that he's prepared beforehand for you
So ask him to help you see those
Remember that you're in him, you're by him, and you're for him
And if anyone in here this morning is not a born again believer
Today is the right time, today is the right time to ask God for his loving kindness, for his grace
You're going to hear testimonies later today about what God has done in bringing new life
And the mercy of Christ is for everyone who comes to know that they can turn nowhere else
That they can't go anywhere, so they run to Jesus and they ask him to be the stronghold, the refuge, the fortress
To rescue us and deliver us from that pit of darkness into his marvelous light
Lord God Almighty, we recognize as a congregation today that you sit enthroned above the heavens
You are the Creator and Sustainer of all things and everything is under your powerful and good care
But we are breathed here today and gone tomorrow and yet we think so much of ourselves
So help us to be humble before you, remembering our station and remembering our purpose
Thank you for bestowing your loving kindness upon people who are unworthy by our efforts
But made worthy by the sacrifice of your Son, our Lord, our Savior, Jesus Christ
May you powerfully help us to proclaim your excellencies for you have done great and mighty things
And your name is to be greatly praised
We pray this, in the name of Christ, amen