Psa 33:16 “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.”
[The king or warrior may be saved and escape, but armies and strength are not the deciding factor, God is. Think of the huge multinational army that came against King Jehoshaphat. He turned to God for help and God supernaturally saved him (2 Chronicles 20). Think of the Assyrian army that came against Jerusalem and the Lord put to death 185,000 of them in one night (2 Kings 19). Think of David versus Goliath. Think of Daniel versus the lions. Think of Paul versus the Jews at the temple. In each case the deciding factor was not might or size, but God. So it is with us, Lord, we want to turn to you for help, not the puny powers of this world.]
Psa 33:17 “A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.”
[In David’s day a horse was the strongest beast available to man in battle, the most powerful military means, but it was not enough to win. The rider needed help from God, or he was doomed. You, Lord, are the Ruler, the Decider, the Helper of all who turn to you.]
Psa 33:18 “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,”
[We must choose to fear You, Lord, rather than men, to live in submission to your Truth rather than culture or personal preference, to choose what is right rather than what is comfortable. Our hope must be in your gracious, good heart of love, not in people, or circumstances or our own efforts. We must make the choice to come to you, to seek your help, to rest in and trust in you. Then you will act on our behalf.
This is an active partnership role you call us to. King Jehoshaphat demonstrated this for us in 2 Chronicles 20, where he joined you by fearing you rather than the enemy and trusting you rather than his army. He demonstrated this by sending out a choir of praise before his army. As the choir began to sing praises to you, then you caused the enemy soldiers to turn on each other. You saved Jehoshaphat and his people by your power poured out in response to praise generated by trust.]
Psa 33:19 “to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.”
[Here, O Lord Jesus, is the true picture. You are the only One who delivers us from death—how many times have you saved me from an accident, including near head-on crashes; and how you did save us in the one we had. You are at work in seen and unseen ways, delivering us from death daily. And in the greatest way, Lord Jesus, you have delivered us from eternal separation from you by your own death and resurrection. We are saved and safe now for eternity! And you are the One who supplies our daily bread, often in great abundance. You see our need and provide it. You are the Source of all, you are the Provider of all. You are worthy of our trust, our worship, our obedience our praise. May you be glorified in our decisions today.]
