Christ has made it clear that we should not use force to retaliate against our enemies. Christ rebuked His disciples for suggesting they call down fire on a village that said "No" to them (Luke 9:53-56). God tells us not to take revenge, or raise our hands in violence. But that doesn't mean that we can't ask God to take action.
King David wrote a benedictory song for the people of Israel, to be performed by the tabernacle choir. First he calls for the Lord to bless the people:
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
And support you from Zion!
3 May He remember all your meal offerings
And find your burnt offering acceptable!
In a land surrounded by enemies, David calls down the Lord's aid. "On high" was the safest place a person could be in that terrain. How well David knew fighting in the wilderness. Gravity was on the fighter's side.
He prays for the Lord to place His people into the safest and most secure spot, whenever trouble came. He wanted the Lord to make it hard for their enemies to harm them. Their help would come from the heavenly Zion. Earthly Zion was of no help, but heavenly Zion could cure all ills. As long as the people worshiped the Lord in sincerity and truth, the Lord would not forget them.
4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your counsel!
5 We will sing for joy over your victory,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Next, David calls on the Lord to fulfill their plans and wishes. Faith doesn't mean we don't plan. But we know that the wisdom to make a good plan comes from the Lord, and the power for that plan to succeed also comes from the Lord. Constant failure should not be the experience of God's people in the earth.
When one tribe in Israel was victorious, all the tribes were better off. When one part of the Christian Church succeeds, all parts of the Church benefit, and should rejoice. When the Supreme Court rules to protect Christian liberty, it benefits Christians in other places. When Christians succeed doing God's will on any continent, Christians on every continent should rejoice. None of us is an island. Our earthly fortunes are all tied together to one another.
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright.
9 Save, O Lord;
May the King answer us in the day we call.
Although David in history spoke of the anointed king of Israel, such as himself, we know Jesus Christ is God's true anointed king. The Lord saved Christ from the grave. The Lord saves Christ's plan from failure. God has ordained that, though Christ suffered and was briefly crushed, His plan will ultimately prosper (Isaiah 53:10). As Christ prays for His people, God the Father answers.
David says that we will not place our ultimate faith in human weapons. Today, we might say that some boast in IT and ICBMs. But that is foolish. We should boast in the Lord.
David is comparing God to war-weapons. He is more powerful than the most sophisticated war-tech of that generation. God makes war (Exodus 15:3). God is peace-loving but He is not a pacifist. He made war on a world that hated it, and drowned everyone but eight. God blew up the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, killing every sexual rebel within it.
God once killed 185,000 soldiers in a single night, by sweeping over them with just one terrible angel (2 Kings 19:35). David had seen even mighty horses collapse and die from the battle. But God infused power into His own people, and, even though knocked down, they stood up again, bloody but unbowed and victorious.
Pray for God to destroy His enemies, and give His people the victory. Whether it's the murderous gangs of Los Angeles, homosexcual persecutors in Oregon, Russian assassins in Europe, or drug cartels in Mexico, pray for God to make His enemies fall.
Stop talking about the end-times, and pray for victory now instead. In this age, He has forbidden Christians the sword, except in self-defense. But He Himself still carries a mighty sword of His own. God is merciful to the ignorant, but He curses those who hate Him (1 Corinthians 16:22). Pray for God to give the victory to His people!
King David wrote a benedictory song for the people of Israel, to be performed by the tabernacle choir. First he calls for the Lord to bless the people:
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
And support you from Zion!
3 May He remember all your meal offerings
And find your burnt offering acceptable!
In a land surrounded by enemies, David calls down the Lord's aid. "On high" was the safest place a person could be in that terrain. How well David knew fighting in the wilderness. Gravity was on the fighter's side.
He prays for the Lord to place His people into the safest and most secure spot, whenever trouble came. He wanted the Lord to make it hard for their enemies to harm them. Their help would come from the heavenly Zion. Earthly Zion was of no help, but heavenly Zion could cure all ills. As long as the people worshiped the Lord in sincerity and truth, the Lord would not forget them.
4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your counsel!
5 We will sing for joy over your victory,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Next, David calls on the Lord to fulfill their plans and wishes. Faith doesn't mean we don't plan. But we know that the wisdom to make a good plan comes from the Lord, and the power for that plan to succeed also comes from the Lord. Constant failure should not be the experience of God's people in the earth.
When one tribe in Israel was victorious, all the tribes were better off. When one part of the Christian Church succeeds, all parts of the Church benefit, and should rejoice. When the Supreme Court rules to protect Christian liberty, it benefits Christians in other places. When Christians succeed doing God's will on any continent, Christians on every continent should rejoice. None of us is an island. Our earthly fortunes are all tied together to one another.
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright.
9 Save, O Lord;
May the King answer us in the day we call.
Although David in history spoke of the anointed king of Israel, such as himself, we know Jesus Christ is God's true anointed king. The Lord saved Christ from the grave. The Lord saves Christ's plan from failure. God has ordained that, though Christ suffered and was briefly crushed, His plan will ultimately prosper (Isaiah 53:10). As Christ prays for His people, God the Father answers.
David says that we will not place our ultimate faith in human weapons. Today, we might say that some boast in IT and ICBMs. But that is foolish. We should boast in the Lord.
David is comparing God to war-weapons. He is more powerful than the most sophisticated war-tech of that generation. God makes war (Exodus 15:3). God is peace-loving but He is not a pacifist. He made war on a world that hated it, and drowned everyone but eight. God blew up the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, killing every sexual rebel within it.
God once killed 185,000 soldiers in a single night, by sweeping over them with just one terrible angel (2 Kings 19:35). David had seen even mighty horses collapse and die from the battle. But God infused power into His own people, and, even though knocked down, they stood up again, bloody but unbowed and victorious.
Pray for God to destroy His enemies, and give His people the victory. Whether it's the murderous gangs of Los Angeles, homosexcual persecutors in Oregon, Russian assassins in Europe, or drug cartels in Mexico, pray for God to make His enemies fall.
Stop talking about the end-times, and pray for victory now instead. In this age, He has forbidden Christians the sword, except in self-defense. But He Himself still carries a mighty sword of His own. God is merciful to the ignorant, but He curses those who hate Him (1 Corinthians 16:22). Pray for God to give the victory to His people!
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