1441 Blessed be God, my mountain, who trains me to fight fair and well. 2 He's the bedrock on which I stand, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight, The high crag where I run for dear life, while he lays my enemies low. 3 I wonder why you care, God - why do you bother with us at all? 4 All we are is a puff of air; we're like shadows in a campfire. 5 Step down out of heaven, God; ignite volcanoes in the hearts of the mountains. 6 Hurl your lightnings in every direction; shoot your arrows this way and that. 7 Reach all the way from sky to sea: pull me out of the ocean of hate, out of the grip of those barbarians 8 Who lie through their teeth, who shake your hand then knife you in the back.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 144:1-8
Commentary on Psalm 144:1-8
(Read Psalm 144:1-8)
When men become eminent for things as to which they have had few advantages, they should be more deeply sensible that God has been their Teacher. Happy those to whom the Lord gives that noblest victory, conquest and dominion over their own spirits. A prayer for further mercy is fitly begun with a thanksgiving for former mercy. There was a special power of God, inclining the people of Israel to be subject to David; it was typical of the bringing souls into subjection to the Lord Jesus. Man's days have little substance, considering how many thoughts and cares of a never-dying soul are employed about a poor dying body. Man's life is as a shadow that passes away. In their highest earthly exaltation, believers will recollect how mean, sinful, and vile they are in themselves; thus they will be preserved from self-importance and presumption. God's time to help his people is, when they are sinking, and all other helps fail.