Psalm 144 (143):13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He speaks of a type of wealth that might seem trivial but is now viewed as significant: he mentions how their granaries are overflowing, with abundance spilling from one area to another, and their flocks are thriving, increasing in number, while their cattle are robust. What does it imply to be ‘overflowing’? It suggests a state of being restricted, not confined within their storehouses of wealth. Their flocks are numerous, multiplying in various ways, and their cattle are well-fed. This was regarded as a remarkable prosperity in ancient times, where riches were measured by the quantity of livestock and grains, until the era of opulence emerged.

The title of this psalm is brief in wording yet profound in its enigmas. It speaks to David and his confrontation with Goliath, a conflict remembered from the Scriptures by those who cherish these accounts. David selected five stones to carry, though only one was cast. While five sacred texts were chosen, unity ultimately triumphed in his victory. After he was struck down, he seized the foe’s sword to deliver the final blow. Our David likewise struck the accuser using his own weapon, and as his brave followers, who had once been under his control and had believed in him, turned against the adversary, they severed Goliath's head with that very sword.

Blessed be the Lord my God, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. Psalm 143:1. These words ring true for us as members of Christ's body. This repetition emphasizes that our hands engage in warfare and our fingers in battle, representing diverse ways to fight yet remaining united. The distinction between hands and fingers signifies an array of actions and reflects our collective grace. The apostle notes that to one is given this gift, and to another, that, revealing a variety of gifts and services, yet all accomplished by the same Spirit—this is the essence of unity. Thus, with our fingers, the Body of Christ goes forth in conflict, engaging in spiritual warfare. Through acts of compassion, we overcome our adversary; without mercy, there can be no acts of mercy, and we can only show mercy because we have received it through the Holy Spirit—He indeed instructs our hands for combat and our fingers for the fight: to Him, we declare, My mercy, from which we too have learned to be merciful; for mercy should be shown when judgment is upon those who do not show mercy. James 2:13.

My mercy and my refuge, my Preserver and my Deliverer. Psalm 142:2. This warrior toils tirelessly, as his flesh resists his spirit. Hold fast to what you possess, for you shall receive in full when victory swallows death. 1 Corinthians 15:54, when this perishable body is reborn and transformed into an angelic state, uplifted to a heavenly nature... There is life and happiness, a state where nothing opposes the spirit, where the call is not to battle but to rejoice. Yet who amongst us yearns for such days? Every soul might affirm this longing. But consider what follows. I see your labor, I perceive your struggle amid peril—listen... Turn from evil and do good: should the underprivileged not mourn in your presence, let them instead rejoice because of you. What reward awaits, now that you engage in this fight? Seek peace and pursue it. Recognize and proclaim, My Grace and my Refuge, my Guardian and my Deliverer, my Defender: my Guardian, to keep me from falling; my Deliverer, to prevent me from succumbing; my Defender, to shield me from harm. In all these battles, in every struggle, in every challenge, I place my faith in Him who governs my people. Behold, our Leader speaks to us.

Lord, what is man that Thou hast made Thyself known to him? Psalm 142:3. In Your revelation lies the entirety of existence. Or who is the son of man that You value so highly? In valuing him, You bestow significance and designate authority over him. Valuation entails considering the worth of something. How immensely God esteems humanity, having poured out the blood of His only Begotten for us! For divine valuation transcends human comparison: a man may pay a higher price for a horse over a slave. Contemplate how greatly you are esteemed that you might declare, ‘If God is with us, who can stand against us?’ And how immense this valuation seems when we recognize that He did not spare His own Son? How much more will He not also grant us all things together with Him? Romans 8:31-32. Who provides sustenance for the warrior? What remains for the one who triumphs...?

Human existence is fleeting, his days vanish like a shadow. Psalm 142:4. What constitutes vanity? The passage of time, as it ebbs away. This vanity is highlighted when set beside Truth, which eternally endures and never fades; for it, too, is the work of His hand. As it is stated, God has filled the earth with His bounty. Sirach 16:29. What does this mean to Him? It aligns with His intentions. Yet all these earthly possessions are ephemeral, transitory, and comparing them with that eternal Truth which declares, I AM WHO I AM, Exodus 3:14, we call them vanity. For in due time, they dissipate like breath in the air. How much more can we echo the words of James, aiming to humble the arrogant: ‘What is your life?’ It is but a vapor that appears for a moment and then vanishes. James 4:14... Therefore, work diligently by night with your hands; that is through good deeds, call out to God before the day comes that brings joy, lest that day arrives which brings sorrow. For observe how securely you labor under the watch of Him whom you seek, that your Father who sees the secret may reward you openly. Matthew 6:4.

O Lord, bow down Thy heavens and descend; touch the mountains and let them smoke. Psalm 143:5. Ignite Your lightning and scatter them; let Your arrows fly, bringing them to disgrace. Psalm 143:6. Extend Your hand from above, and rescue me; draw me out of the depths of many waters. Psalm 143:7. The humble Body of Christ, David filled with grace and trusting in God, calls out for divine assistance. What does it mean for the heavens to bow down? The apostles humbled themselves. For these heavens declare the glory of God; and it is stated of them, ‘There is no speech nor language, yet their voices are heard throughout the earth,’ etc. When these heavens resonated their voices across all lands, performing miracles, through the Lord shining forth in wonders, it was believed that the deities descended from heaven to humankind. Some Gentiles, interpreting this, even sought to offer sacrifices unto them... But they directed their offerings to the Lord Jesus Christ, humbling themselves to exalt God, for the heavens bowed to allow God to descend... When these mountains are touched, they ascend in smoke. Until they experience this touch, they believe themselves formidable; they are about to proclaim, You are great, O Lord; and the mountains will confess that only You are the Most High over all the earth.

Yet there are those who plot against the Lord and His Messiah. They gather together, conspiring. Strike Your bolts of lightning and scatter them. Multiply Your wonders, and thwart their schemes... Let Your arrows take flight and bring them to ruin. May the wayward be struck down, so that in their wounding they may find healing, and let them declare, now within the Church, among the Body of Christ: I am wounded by Love. Extend Your Hand from high. What then? How does the Body of Christ gain victory? With divine assistance. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with the shout of an archangel and the trumpet call of God. 1 Thessalonians 4:16. He is the Savior of the body, the Hand of God. What is meant by ‘Out of many waters’? From numerous nations. Which nations? Strangers, non-believers, attacking us from without or ensnaring us from within. Deliver me from the many waters that have chastised me, from those depths of contradiction. Numbers 20:13... Through the mouth of strange children. Hear this, brethren, as we navigate among them, longing for liberation—those whose lips utter vanity. Psalm 142:8. Had we not gathered for these divine manifestations of the Word of God and engaged with them now, what emptiness we would encounter! Their lips, devoid of truth: when, in brevity, might they, who speak emptiness, hear from you, who speak substance? Their right hand bears iniquity. What business have you among them with your shepherd's pouch and the five stones? In other terms: That same law, signified by the five stones, embodies another reality. A new song I will sing unto You, O God, Psalm 143:9. A fresh melody of grace; a song heralding the new creation; a melody from the New Testament. However, be not led to think that grace supersedes the law, for grace fulfills the law—on a ten-stringed harp, I will sing unto You. According to the law of the Ten Commandments: within this framework, I shall rejoice in You; I shall sing a new hymn for Love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10. Yet those devoid of love may possess a hymnal but lack the ability to sing. Contradiction cannot silence my psalter.

He who grants deliverance to kings, who redeems David, His servant. Psalm 143:10. You know who David is; strive to be David yourself. From whom does He redeem His servant David? From what source does He rescue Christ? From whom does He save the body of Christ? Deliver me from the sword of malice; he specifies 'malice' for emphasis. Indeed, there exists the sword of noble intentions. What is this sword of goodwill? As the Lord stated, I have come not to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34. For He aimed to divide believers from non-believers, separating children from parents, and cleaving other bonds, while the sword cuts away the unhealthy, forging strength within the members of Christ. The sword of good intent is honed and effective from both sides—encompassing both Old and New Testaments, weaving together narratives of the past and promises for the future. Thus, it represents noble intentions; the other sword, forged of malice, articulates vanity, as opposed to the truth that God communicates. The sons of men wield their teeth like spears and arrows, and their tongues like sharp swords. Rescue me from this sword. Psalm 142:11. And take me from the grasp of those foreign children whose mouths utter vanity: as indicated before. Their right hand embodies the hand of wickedness, just as previously depicted by the multitude of waters. To clarify, these many waters are not beneficial; he clarified this by identifying their nature as instruments of wickedness.

The offspring of such are like a young vine firmly rooted in its youth. Psalm 142:12. David signifies their welfare. Observe, O sons of light, sons of the world: pay heed, followers of the Church, members of Christ; take note of those he calls foreigners, the offspring of foreigners, the waters of contradiction, the sword of malice. Take heed, for you risk becoming entangled among them, wrestling with the desires of your flesh through their words, which are at the hand of the enemy, against whom we wrestle. Ephesians 6:12... What emptiness proceeds from their words, and how is their right hand tainted with iniquity? Their daughters are clothed with the beauty of the temple. Their barns overflow, moving from one storehouse to another; their flocks are plentiful, multiplying within their streets: Psalm 143:13, their cattle are thriving; their boundaries remain intact, their paths unbroken, and there is no clamor within their streets. Psalm 142:14. Is this not prosperity? I inquire, for the sons of the kingdom of heaven, for the progeny of eternal resurrection; I seek the body of Christ, the members of Christ, the dwelling place of God. Is it not joy to have safe sons, lovely daughters, overflowing barns, flourishing livestock, devoid of decay—not merely walls but even hedges, silence prevailing, peace reigning, abundance in all areas, both within their homes and communities? Is this not happiness? Or should the righteous abstain from it? Do you not observe that the household of the righteous is replete with these blessings and brims with such happiness? Did not Abraham’s household overflow with gold, silver, children, servants, and livestock? What do you say? Is this not bliss? It remains, nonetheless, the offering of the left hand. What signifies 'the left'? Temporal, mortal, corporeal. I do not wish you to shun it but rather to hold that it should not be your ultimate pursuit...

What should occupy the right side? God, eternity, the everlasting nature of God, which shall never decay, as it is proclaimed, and Your years shall never come to an end. There must be a right hand, a yearning for something greater. Let us utilize the left for pursuits in time, but let us aspire to strive for eternity. When prosperity increases, do not set your affections upon it.

Their granaries overflow, spilling over into abundance. They have amassed not treasures from above, but rather material wealth. Their flocks are thriving, greatly increasing in number. Their herds are well-fed and have greatly multiplied.

Their storehouses are filled, overflowing from here to there. They are eager to debate. If they trip them up on one point, they quickly shift to another. If they are caught out by Scripture, they turn to Aristotle; if by Aristotle, they resort to Plato. Their storehouses are brimming, overflowing from this place to that. This aptly describes a location filled with various provisions. The heretics have their own repositories; they have crafted phrases which they wield like weapons. In contrast, the children of the church are straightforward; they possess no reserves.

Their storage is overflowing, spilling over into new places. When they realize they have exceeded their capacity, they pass on the surplus to others, similar to the one who declared, ‘I will destroy my barns, and I will build bigger ones’ (Luke 12:18). Their sheep thrive, increasing in number within their herds, and their oxen are well-fed. Their livestock is abundant and productive.

The storehouses of the wicked are overflowing with wealth, to the point that they cannot contain their treasures and are continually shifting riches from one storehouse to another. The treasuries of the unrighteous are so abundant that they spill over, unable to manage the enormity of their riches; their granaries of wheat, wine, and oil are transferred from smaller to larger containers due to the immense bounty of their harvests. Much like the foolish rich man who declared, "I will break down my barns and build more spacious ones" (Luke 12:18), the wicked boast in their excess. Their flocks are numerous, and their cattle are robust, with the sheep of the unrighteous multiplying quickly, giving birth to multiple lambs frequently, or even several times a year.

In this passage, another form of prosperity among the children of this age is depicted, characterized by storehouses brimming with a diverse array of fruits and essential provisions for life, compelling them to transfer their surplus from one storehouse to another. This abundance is illustrated in the Gospel, where a certain wealthy man reflects internally, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no place to gather my fruits?” He resolves, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns, and I will build larger ones” (Luke 12:17, 18). This scenario often arises when newly harvested fruits are ripe, yet old fruits remain that need to be relocated to make room for the new.

The title of this psalm indicates it was composed by David, aligning it closely with other psalms attributed to him, particularly Psalm 17. The phrase 'to Goliath,' found solely in the Greek manuscripts and the Vulgate, appears to have been added later. While this psalm draws inspiration from Psalm 17, its entirety does not reflect David's triumph over Goliath. At the time of its composition, David had already achieved victory; his people recognized his rule (v.2), and the Lord had accomplished great deeds through him. Nevertheless, he faced significant threats from surrounding nations, prompting him to seek Divine assistance. We associate the background of this psalm with the events outlined in 2 Samuel 5 and 8.

If the seeds are not sown in one place, they are later moved to a different location. Theodoret illustrates this by referencing Luke 12:18, where it states, "I will tear down my barns, and I will build up a larger one." The one who gathers abundance in his barns finds that the sheep are so numerous that they thrive, grazing in the meadows.