Saved, Like Wow, Like Really Saved
Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!
Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers!
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”
Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life!
Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!
Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
Psalms 35:1–5 ESV Read More
This is a militant song by militant men in a militant time. He calls on God to fight the fight though, with the shield, buckler, spear, and javelin. A buckler was a tiny shield, about as big as a plate. It wouldn’t stop a battle ax or a bunch of arrows, but it could deflect any close contact hits. The shield, of course, is a larger shield.
The spear and the javelin are both offensive weapons. Spears could be thrown but more often were not. Javelins were the distance weapon. In all of these comparisons, David is contemplating the strength and the might of God. It’s not that God really has weapons, but if we were to describe God’s power today we might say He had a bazooka or something. “Bring out the big guns, Lord, and blow away my enemies!” is the idea here.
The best part is where David expresses what we really all need. We need to know, with certainty from God, that He is our salvation. That’s what they used to call ‘saving faith’ and the thing that we long for deep in our souls: to know, with confidence and security, that God will save us from the evil things that entrap us.
He goes on to describe how bad his enemies will be beaten, but it’s the same intent. Show me, oh Lord, how solidly I will be saved. The confidence we have is this, that God keeps His promises and sticks to the things He said for thousands of years. Our souls will be saved by a huge margin — like WAY SAVED. And our enemies, the things that waged against our souls and brought us down, will be smashed and destroyed completely.
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