You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
Psalms 44:4-8
I’m led to believe that when the word ‘Selah’ appears, whoever is reading would take time to meditate on what was just mentioned. And man, after that set of verses just mentioned, it does give us cause to do some thinking.
For, indeed, the Psalmist acknowledges that it is through God that they are able to push down their foes, and it is also through God that they are able to tread down those who rise up against them – but it’s a whole new way of seeing things if we look through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, poured out to us through Christ and His finished work.
It is through this said finished work – that is, Christ’s birth, death, resurrection and ascension – that our true enemies are pushed down. Who are our true enemies? Well, as we are still in this world, we still encounter those princes of the powers of the air, they who blaspheme against the all-knowing, all-powerful God by way of denying the existence of Christ, and the downplaying of His grace. Christ points out that these are the enemies that would seek to steal from our birthright and inheritance, kill what aspect of our beings they are able to – our body, our mind, and our soul; and finally, if this enemy isn’t pulling all the stops to steal or kill us, the enemy would try its darndest to destroy our reputations, our hopes, and anything and everything that has been built in us by way of Christ.
Such a terrible enemy… but, see, there is no more reason for us to continue in fear. Note here that I’m not saying we will never fear – no, fear may take a foothold in us, but what I’m trying to say is that because of who Christ is and because of all He has done, we can move on knowing that the fear will fade before the perfect and everlasting love of God that is alive in us, now and forever. Yes, this enemy may still have its way in stealing, killing, and destroying… BUT note that this enemy has already been pushed down – How? Well, we know this because of the continuation of the said verse about the enemy – Christ came and did what He had to do, just so that no matter what the enemy may try to do, it would never take root and bear fruit because we have been blessed with life – and not only life, but Life (capitalized, and therefore personified); and not only Life, but Life Eternal, Life Abundant.
Through Christ we see that the enemy has not only been pushed down – no, the enemy has also been weighed down, and it’s not as if the enemy has a chance anymore; no, through the finished work of Christ, the enemy has been CRUSHED, as the young lion and the serpent in Psalm 91 have been ‘trampled beneath our feet’!
And apparently what follows in the verse in question confirms our right reference to the enemy not only being pushed down, but trampled – for it mentions, through the name of Jesus Christ, those who do rise up against us – the powers and influences seeking to drag us down – well, they are, as the verse says, ‘tread down’.
Notice that it is not because of our own weapons and designs that we have prevailed. No, friends, we have the victory over the enemy – we not only live life but Life, and this is Life that is certainly everlasting, and as victorious as it is everlasting – and it’s not because of our might, but they the power of the Holy Spirit, poured out upon us because of no less than the Son of God who has given everything up for us.
Our trust is not in the bows we wield. No, our trust is in the Lord.
Our salvation is not found in the swords we carry. No, our salvation is found in Jesus Christ.
Or, in fact, Jesus Christ was the Salvation that went out of His way to find US. What an awesome thought.
He came to us and found us. By His death and resurrection He has crushed the power and authority of the enemy over us, and He has saved us by way of His life and ours being fully and completely reconciled – brought back together, now and forever. Our enemy is crushed and ashamed. We have been revived and reconciled.
And, friends, it’s because of this that we sing – in one fell swoop Christ has defeated the enemy in a glorious victory, and He has ensured that the enemy would not rise again.
Friends, I pray and I declare that you would also find yourselves allowing the Holy Spirit to invoke awe and wonder in your own hearts as well. I’m always excited to hear how people’s lived are changed – not by religion, but by the saving grace of our Father, made known to us by way of His Son, Jesus Christ. I can guarantee you, my friends in the body of Christ, that every time you do hit the Scriptures you will never be disappointed – just as His mercies are new every morning, His revelations as fresh every single time we intentionally go through the written Word. Why is this? Because as Christ is our Living Word, He adds life to the Word that we do read – stuff that we should be paying attention to at any given moment.
It is my prayer that we no longer limit ourselves to worshipping only by way of song and dance – no, I keep repeating what Dr. Andrew Farley has to say – Worship is 1% singing, and 99% whatever you do in dependence to Jesus Christ. With that all said, I pray and declare that we would see our Savior in a particularly new perspective over this weekend, just so that we would keep giving Him the glory He deserves.
Friends, I’ll end here. Thank you for your vigilance, and God bless us all this coming weekend.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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