PSALM 144

Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.

A Psalm of David.

1Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

Who trains my hands for war,

And my fingers for battle;

2My lovingkindness and my fortress,

My stronghold and my deliverer,

My shield and He in whom I take refuge,

Who subdues my people under me.

3O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?

Or the son of man, that You think of him?

4Man is like a mere breath;

His days are like a passing shadow.

5Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;

Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.

6Flash forth lightning and scatter them;

Send out Your arrows and confuse them.

7Stretch forth Your hand from on high;

Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,

Out of the hand of aliens

8Whose mouths speak deceit,

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9I will sing a new song to You, O God;

Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,

10Who gives salvation to kings,

Who rescues David His servant from the evil sword.

11Rescue me and deliver me out of the hand of aliens,

Whose mouth speaks deceit

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants,

And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace;

13Let our garners be full, furnishing every kind of produce,

And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;

14Let our cattle bear

Without mishap and without loss,

Let there be no outcry in our streets!

15How blessed are the people who are so situated;

How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

13But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

1) How does Psalm 144’s protection and abundance mirror Asher’s blessing?

2) Where do you see “refuge” and “being chosen” linked in these readings?

3) What practices help you live from יהוה’s strength and peace?

PSALM 59

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies.

For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Mikhtam of David, when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.

1Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.

2Deliver me from those who do iniquity

And save me from men of bloodshed.

3For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;

Fierce men launch an attack against me,

Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,

4For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.

Arouse Yourself to help me, and see!

5You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to punish all the nations;

Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. Selah.

6They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

7Behold, they belch forth with their mouth;

Swords are in their lips,

For, they say, “Who hears?”

8But You, O Lord, laugh at them;

You scoff at all the nations.

9Because of his strength I will watch for You,

For God is my stronghold.

10My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;

God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.

11Do not slay them, or my people will forget;

Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield.

12On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,

Let them even be caught in their pride,

And on account of curses and lies which they utter.

13Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more;

That men may know that God rules in Jacob

To the ends of the earth. Selah.

14They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

15They wander about for food

And growl if they are not satisfied.

16But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;

Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,

For You have been my stronghold

And a refuge in the day of my distress.

17O my strength, I will sing praises to You;

For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

The Evils of Oppression

1Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. 2So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. 3But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

4I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind. 5The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. 6One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

7Then I looked again at vanity under the sun. 8There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task.

9Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

13A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. 14For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. 16There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.