From Weakness to Strength

Psalm 13: 1-6

A PRESBYTERIAN PSALTER - by Pastor Max A Forsythe

For almost eight years now, I have been useing a video of a 1990 famous performance of Shakespeare's Henry V in my English classes. I have also been spending some splendid time in the telling in preparation for a secular Memorial Day service at the end of the month. As the story moves towards the climactic Battle at Argincourt, Henry's rag tag band of foot soldiers struggled through the mirey roads to keep their appointment with destiny. Knowing that he will be completely outnumbered, Henry modestly gives credit for any future victory to the providence of God.

²⁰ "If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honor. ...
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
¹³² And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the day!"

One commentator describes the character of Shakespeare's hero in these words: "A devotion to great objects outside of self fills him with a force of glorious enthusiasm. Hence his religious spirit and his humility or modesty _ he feels that the strength he wields comes not from any clever disposition of forces due to his own prudence, but streams unto him and through him from his people, his country, his cause, his God."

God gave Henry victory at Argincourt, a one-sided victory like that of Arthur or even a more modern Norman: General Schwarzkopf. After several years, personal accounts of the nerve wracking events of Desert Shield which led to the battles of Desert Storm have been published. We now know that the first units of the 82nd saw themselves as little more that speed bumps in the way of Saddam's tanks. General Schwarzkopf tells us that there were problems in transportation and deployment. There were crucial shortages of ammunition and supplies. And most serious of all, there was an organizational nightmare of coordinating partial divisions and rounded out brigades of a dozen nationalities. One of the less dangerous problems reported was the incredible language barrier between the Arkansa National Guard Artillery Brigade and the United Kingdom Armored Division to which they were attached! Still. given that and numerous other problems, like Argincourt, Desert Storm will be highlighted in the world's history of military Battles.

Any of the veterans of that last desert campaign that I have talked to have had one common emotion: fear. And very many of them became very shy of the public worship of their heroic victory. If we would really understand the heroics of military victory it is in learning to be able to function under an emotional load of fear. Some few soldiers go on to fully realize that their lives are in the hands of God Almighty.

Not every soldier, sailor or airman comprehends that last fact even as most people do not realize that there is in fact a spiritual war going on between Satan and his agents against the power of Almighty God. Certainly, we understand that Satan has about as much hope of final victory as did Saddam Hussein! Certainly, we know that God's victory is assured! However, it is we who must man the front lines of that battle and very often like God's saints of old, we despair of victory.

This despair is well noted at the beginning of our thirteenth psalm today. This psalm cannot be referred to any special event in David's history. Spurgeon notes that these words more than once were the thoughts of that much tried king of Israel. He goes on to tell us that these words may also express the feelings of the people of God in those ever-returning trials which come our way.

This is the main reason I turn weekly to the Psalter, so that you all can share the swing in David's emotions. It is my hope that in sensing his experience you may also better understand your own experience. One of the facts of the Christian experience is that as we grow in Christ we become more aware of the spiritual warfare that is going on in our time. More than having knowledge of that ongoing battle, it may even become our personal experience. Especially as Satan becomes disturbed with the growing strength and witness of your commitment to Jesus Christ.

Our psalm today is short and to the point. It is easily divided into three parts: the question of anxiety, the cry of prayer and the song of faith. Each step is two verses long.

The NIV entitles the first portion: as a the question of anxiety. Never let it be said that the Lord forgets His own in fact! Certainly, he may take from us assurance and comfort, but all of His sovereign actions serve His purpose and His purpose includes the preservation of all who belong to Him.

Derek Kidner notes in his commentary that the forgetfulness and hiding of face means the withholding of practical help only. In support of this idea Kidner points us to Exodus 2: 24-25: "God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them." These verses introduce the chapters which tell of God's mighty acts to liberate the people from their slavery in Egypt.

David's concern here though is personal: Will you forget me forever? Will you hide your face from me? And yet, there in the beginning of verse two we see the all to often human anxiety! "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts". This is inner turmoil, rather than rejection! This idea is reinforced in the second strophe in the Hebrew word translated "sorrow". Older translations even use "pain". However, the Hebrew may be translated "How long shall I go on placing counsels in my soul".

In modern idiom David is asking "How long must I consider my options?" The confusion of thinking things through gives advantages to David's enemies. Certainly, we know that living for Christ in our daily lives limits our ability to make decisions. A while back, I was forced to accept a small financial loss because I was acting in the name of the Church in the market place. If it had been wholly my account I could have easily canceled payment, but that particular account was involved in my ministry for the congregation of that time in another county! Like David, I was not free to act on my own and someone was able to profit from my situation.

In our second section this morning David prays to the Father and seeks an answer to his peculiar situation. We may note from the second line in verse three that in this particular case, enlightenment is important for survival. "Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;" David moans. On one hand there is God, on the other hand there is the deadly enemy of this situation. This contrast is evident in all of David's psalms. Unlike our modern psychologists, David lives in a world of stark contrasts. There is good which comes from God and there is evil whose source is devilish. Not only is David concerned with the personal danger that may befall him, he is also aware that the world will rejoice if he is killed.

In our last section David realizes, just as King Henry V that his times are indeed in the hands of the Lord God Almighty: 132 "And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the day!" Yes, we must at times make difficult decisions on how to honestly serve the King of Kings. Let us always be certain to wrestle with our decisions so that the honor our Lord Jesus Christ. Then like David, let us step forth in faith as we trust in God's unfailing love. Like David, we must learn to make the best decisions we can even as we rejoice in His salvation.

Having done that then, like Shakespeare's Henry and God's David we may regularly anticipate singing to the Lord our God for His goodness to us. That particular goodness in the Hebrew of verse six can be translated "dealt bountifully" or "granted all my desire". However there is a sense in the word that God's giving may exceed our askings. We should also note that the past tense of the last line springs from David's certainty that he will indeed have this song to offer. This final confidence refutes the charge of forgetfulness with which David began. May the Lord grant us the grace of enjoying the same experiences of David. Amen.

	Resources Used:
Anderson, A.A.	New Century Bible Commentary: Psalms
Kidner, Derek.	Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms.
Shakespeare, William.	Henry V: Act IV, Scene iii.
Spurgeon, C.H.	The Treasury of David.
The Holy Bible, New International Version. International Bible Society (1973, 1978, 1984)
013a	23 June 91 & 09 May 99

Reformation for Today ------ A Presbyterian Psalter