Psalm 144 (143):7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The strength of God is poised not only for retribution but also for salvation. Here, the term ‘hand’ signifies assistance or support; thus, the prophet opts for ‘send’ rather than ‘reach out.’ Even in instances where he mentions ‘reach out,’ he conveys the same message. The ‘waters’ symbolize the chaotic and rapid assault of adversaries. It becomes clear that he refers to ‘waters’ by adding ‘out of the hand of the sons of strangers.’ The term ‘stranger sons’ appears to denote individuals estranged from the truth. As we regard fellow believers as our neighbors and family, we view the unfaithful as outsiders; this distinction between our own and strangers is especially marked.

The title of this psalm may be concise, yet it carries profound mysteries. To David as he faced Goliath, a confrontation long remembered by our forebears and recounted in Scripture. David selected five stones for his bag, but he only needed one to defeat his foe. A selection of Five Books was made, yet it was unity that triumphed. After being struck down, he seized the weapon of his adversary and used it to take his life. Likewise, our David triumphed over the devil using the very weapon of the enemy. When those great men under his command, whom he had saved, believed, they turned their voices against the devil, thus Goliath's head was severed by his own sword.

"Blessed be the Lord my God, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight" (Psalm 143:1). These words resonate with us as members of the Body of Christ. The expression may seem repetitive; our hands for combat and our fingers for warfare indicate the same endeavor. Nevertheless, hands and fingers serve distinct functions; it’s easy to confuse fingers with hands. Yet, through our fingers, we observe a nuance of action while maintaining a sense of unity. This exemplifies grace! The apostle teaches that "to one is given this; to another is given that"; there exists a variety of works, all empowered by the same Spirit, the source of oneness. Thus, the Body of Christ engages in battle using these fingers, marching forth to confront our foe.

Through acts of mercy, our adversary is vanquished, and such works stem from the mercy we have received from the Holy Ghost. He trains our hands for warfare and our fingers for battle; to Him, it is fitting for us to proclaim, "My mercy, from whom we also receive our ability to show mercy, for judgment without mercy will be with him that has not shown mercy" (James 2:13).

"My mercy and my refuge, my Preserver and my Deliverer" (Psalm 142:2). This soldier toils greatly, his nature resists his spirit. Hold fast to what you possess; then you shall experience the fullness of your desires when death is consumed in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54), when this mortal form is resurrected and transformed into a state akin to the angels—elevated to a divine essence. There exists life and joyful days when nothing seeks to challenge the spirit; it is then we are told to “Rejoice.” But who longs for such days? Indeed, everyone responds with a hearty "yes." Observe, I see you laboring, caught in struggles and dangers; listen: "Depart from evil and do good; let not the poor weep first under your care, that the needy may rejoice through you." What reward is there since your battle is ongoing? "Seek peace and pursue it." Read and declare, "My Grace and my Refuge, my Guardian and my Deliverer, my Defender: my Guardian, that I may not fall; my Deliverer, that I may not cleave; my Defender, that I may not be struck down." In all these trials, across all endeavors and hardships, I have relied on Him who subjects my people to me. Behold, our Head communicates with us.

"Lord, what is man, that Thou hast made Thyself known to him?" (Psalm 142:3). All is contained within this acknowledgment. Or the son of man whom Thou regardest? You bestow upon him great value, recognizing his significance and what You place him under or over. True valuation arises from an understanding of a thing's worth. Consider how highly He esteemed humanity, sacrificing His only begotten Son for our sake! For God's valuation differs from man's; when one man finds a slave for sale, he may pay more for a horse than for a person. Contemplate how much God values you, enabling you to declare, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" And how significant is His valuation of you when He did not withhold His Son? "How will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32). Who provides nourishment for the warrior, and what does He reserve for the victor?

"Man is like vanity: his days pass away like a shadow" (Psalm 142:4). What is vanity? It is the transient nature of time. This vanity is expressed in contrast to the everlasting Truth, which always persists and does not fade, for it too is the work of His Hand in its own measure. For it is written, "God hath filled the earth with His goods" (Sirach 16:29). What is it to Him? It is His agreement. But all that is earthly, fleeting, and ephemeral stands in stark contrast to the Truth that proclaims, "I am what I am" (Exodus 3:14); hence, all transient things are termed vanity. For in time, it vanishes like a fleeting breath. Why add more than what the apostle James has stated, aiming to humble the proud, "What, saith he, is your life?" It is but a vapor that emerges briefly and then vanishes (James 4:14).

Therefore, even at night, let your efforts manifest through your hands, which is to say, through good deeds, calling out to God before the day arrives that will bring you joy, lest the day comes that brings you sorrow. For note how secure your work is when you are not forsaken by Him whom you pursue, so that your Father, who sees in secret, may reward you openly (Matthew 6:4).

"O Lord, bow down Thy heavens and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke" (Psalm 143:5). Flash Thy lightning, and scatter them; let Thy arrows fly, and put them to shame (Psalm 143:6). Stretch forth Thy hand from above, and rescue me from the multitude of waters (Psalm 143:7). The humble Body of Christ, embodying David, full of grace and trusting in God, seeks divine assistance. What does it mean for the heavens to bow down? The apostles humbled themselves. These heavens declare God's glory, and it is now said, "There is neither speech nor language, but their voice is heard among them." When the heavens proclaimed their message across the earth, miracles abounded, and with wonders and commands, they seemed to herald a divine presence among humanity. Some among the Gentiles, having such thoughts, even wished to offer sacrifices. However, they directed such offerings to the Lord Jesus Christ, humbling themselves to glorify God, for the heavens bowed down so God could descend.

"Touch the mountains, and they smoke." Until they are touched, they consider themselves lofty; soon they shall proclaim, "Thou art great, O Lord," acknowledging, "Thou only art the Most High over all the earth."

Yet, there are those who plot against the Lord and His Christ, gathering in conspiracy. "Lighten Thy lightnings, and scatter them. Multiply Thy miracles, and their schemes shall be thwarted." Let Thy arrows fly, and crush them. May those who are afflicted be wounded, that through their wounds they may find healing; may they proclaim now within the Church, the Body of Christ, “I am wounded by Love.” Send forth Your hand from on high. And how shall the Body of Christ achieve victory? Through heavenly aid. "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). He is the Savior of the body, the Hand of God. What does "out of many waters" signify? It speaks of numerous nations. What nations? Outsiders and the unbelieving, who assail us from without or lay snares from within. "Take me from these turbulent waters" in which You have chastened me, from the depths wherein You have rolled me, cleansing me from my impurities. These turbulent waters signify contradictions (Numbers 20:13)…by the hands of strange children.

Dear brethren, consider among whom we dwell; reflect on those with whom we live and from whom we seek liberation. Whose lips have uttered vanity (Psalm 142:8). Today, if you were not gathered here to witness the divine manifestations of God's word, what vanity would flood your ears! Whose mouths speak futility; when, in brief, will they who utter such folly hear you who proclaim the truth? Their dominant hand is the hand of iniquity. What are you doing among them with your shepherd’s pouch of five stones? Let me describe this differently: the same principle represented by the five stones can manifest in various ways. "A new song will I sing unto Thee, O God" (Psalm 143:9). A tune borne of grace, a melody of a renewed spirit; a song reflecting the New Testament. To ensure clarity, I will utilize the ten-string psalter to sing to Thee. According to the Ten Commandments, in this I find my rejoicing, singing unto Thee a newfound anthem; for "Love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10). Yet those without love may carry a psalm book, but they cannot render a song. Contradiction cannot silence my psalter.

"He who provides salvation to kings, who rescues David His servant" (Psalm 143:10). You know who David is; now be David yourself. From where does He redeem David His servant? From what does He save Christ? From what does He redeem the Body of Christ? "Deliver me from the sword of malevolence." The sword alone is insufficient; he adds "with malevolence." Certainly, there exists a sword of good intentions. What is this sword of good intentions? It is that of which the Lord declares, "I came not to bring peace upon the earth, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). He intended to distinguish between believers and non-believers, severing familial ties, and dividing all relationships. The sword cuts away the sick but brings healing to the members of Christ. This good intention bears a double-edged sword, potent on both sides, encapsulating both Old and New Testaments, narrating the past while promising the future. Thus, this represents the sword of good intentions, contrasting with the sword of malevolence by which falsehood is spoken, while the latter conveys the truth of God. Indeed, the children of men wield teeth as spears and arrows, and their tongues are sharp swords. "Deliver me from this sword" (Psalm 142:11). And rescue me from the grasp of strangers whose mouths have spoken deceitful words, just as stated before. Further, "Their right hand is the hand of iniquity," as mentioned earlier when he referred to them as many waters. To clarify, if you believe that these many waters are of good quality, he further elaborates this by referencing the sword of wickedness.

"Whose children are like a young vine, firmly planted in its youth" (Psalm 142:12). He expresses a desire to highlight their prosperity. Pay heed, O children of light, O children of this world: observe closely, O members of Christ's body; recognize those he designates as strangers, whom he calls the offspring of the strange, whom he refers to as waters of contradiction, and as the sword of malice. I implore you to take heed for your peril lies among them; amidst their tongues, you grapple with the desires of your flesh, among their utterances held in the grip of the devil with which he wrestles (Ephesians 6:12)... What futility pours forth from their lips, and how is their right hand the hand of iniquity? Their daughters are adorned and arrayed in likeness to the sanctuary. Their storehouses brim, exchanging goods from one barn to another; their sheep thrive and multiply upon their streets (Psalm 143:13); their cattle grow plump; their fences remain unbroken, nor is there noise upon their streets (Psalm 142:14). Is this not happiness? I inquire for the children of the kingdom of heaven, I cherish the progeny of everlasting life, I inquire for the Body of Christ, the members of Christ, the temple of God. Is it not joy to have safe sons, lovely daughters, bountiful barns, and abundant livestock, with no collapse of walls, not even hedges, only tranquility, peace, and surplus in their homes and cities? Is this not happiness? Should the righteous shy away from it? Do we not see that the homes of the righteous overflow with such blessings and this joy? Did not Abraham’s household abound with gold, silver, offspring, servants, and livestock? What do we declare? Is this not happiness? Regardless, all of this resides on the left. What does it mean to be on the left? It is temporal, mortal, of the earth. I wish not for you to reject it, but to realize it is not the ultimate goal…

Extend Your hand from on high; rescue and save me from the overwhelming waters, from the grasp of the children of outsiders whose words are meaningless. Free us from the thoughts that envelop us due to the wickedness of demons. Alternatively, the waters signify the Jewish people who surrounded the Apostles, acting to hinder and undo them. These individuals were indeed the children of outsiders, uttering emptiness. What constitutes this emptiness? Was it not the declaration made to Christ, ‘As Thou, who art man, art God unto Thyself’ (John 10:33)? Extend Your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the overpowering waters, from the grasp of those who are not of Your people, whose mouths speak nothing of substance.

“Lord, who has trusted in what we have proclaimed? And to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1) Extend Your hand from above. Lord, bend the heavens and descend. The Son is summoned: “Bow the heavens and come down.” What does it mean to say, “Send Your hand from above”? If He has descended, how can He send His hand from on high? Yet, even while He is on earth, He will extend His hand from heaven; He has not abandoned them. “Rescue me, and save me from the depths of many waters.” Because You came down, and humbled the heavens, and sent Your hand from above, and chose to take on human nature, many have placed their faith in You, transforming what was once a singular water into many. One can observe various heresies dispersed across the globe.

Extend Your hand from on high, illustrating that Your touch is all that is needed to bestow salvation upon those who seek it. The Prophet referred to the hand as power, as has been noted frequently. Rescue me and free me from the multitude of adversaries. The term multitude signifies the array of foes. Likewise, in Psalm 123, it states, A flood shall our souls pass through: the unchanging water (Psalms 123:4-5). To clarify that he metaphorically interpreted enemies as waters, he further stated: From the hand of the sons of strangers. He referred to them as strangers not in the sense of foreigners, but as the wicked. Extend Your hand from on high, illustrating that Your touch is all that is needed to bestow salvation upon those who seek it.

Send down Your hand from on high, O Lord, and rescue me from the overwhelming waters, from the grip of those who are foreigners to me. Their speech is filled with emptiness, and their actions are rooted in injustice. Send, O Lord, from the heavens Your interceding strength and formidable assistance, liberating me from the tumultuous waters of my adversaries, who surge upon me chaotically and forcefully, sweeping away everything in their path, as noted by Chrysostom. The "waters of many" may also symbolize the multitude of afflictions and trials posed by both visible and invisible foes, echoing the sentiment expressed in Psalm 68: save me, O God, for the waters have engulfed my very being.

From these expressions, one can discern the inclination of the preceding statements. David, setting aside human support, implores God alone to stretch forth His hand from above, recognizing that the magnitude of the peril he faces demands divine intervention. Consequently, he likens his adversaries to deep and numerous waters. When he refers to them as strangers, he does not primarily focus on their ethnic origins but rather on their character; he criticizes not the uncircumcised outsiders, but the detestable Jews who pride themselves erroneously on their physical circumcision.

The title of this psalm indicates that it was authored by David, which aligns it closely with other psalms attributed to him, particularly Psalm 17. The phrase "to Goliath," present only in the Greek versions and the Vulgate, was likely added later. Although this psalm draws inspiration from Psalm 17, its overall message is not directly linked to David's triumph over Goliath. At the time of its composition, David had already achieved significant victories, was recognized as a leader by his people (v. 2), and had experienced the Lord's mighty deeds on his behalf. However, he also faced substantial threats from surrounding nations, prompting him to seek divine assistance. This psalm's creation can be traced back to the events chronicled in 2 Samuel 5 and thereafter, or 8:1 and beyond.