You are my King, O God … Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. (Psalm 44:4-7)
In keeping with the theme from yesterday, these verses reiterate Israel’s reliance upon her King, the Almighty God. He is not a King who remains at the rear of the battle but, instead, goes before His people into the fray. It is written, “The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you” (Deuteronomy 1:30) because it is also written, “The Lord is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3). That being so, His people should not fear the battle knowing that the Lord has already gone ahead of us.
While on one hand, we are called to love our neighbor and prefer our brother over ourselves, when it comes to the Lord’s purpose for His people and for those we are to influence, it is inevitable that we will encounter those who oppose God’s purpose. In other words, there is a reason we are referred to as the armies of the Lord (Exodus 12:41). Put simply, there are times we are compelled to fight in order to advance the agenda of our King. And with the Lord at our head, not even the gates of hell will be able to prevail.
Never should we rely exclusively on our own strength because, as we well know, it will fail. But the Lord’s strength and power will never fall short and so it is in Him that we trust. Through Him we will push down our enemies and trample upon those who resist Him and His will. It is written, “Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies” (Psalm 60:12).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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