Psalm 18:31-36 English Standard Version
31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Tozer’s powerful line quoted in sermons & books, ‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ‘ It’s a simple but sharp wake-up call for us to examine the connection between our ‘theology’ (conscious or unconscious), and too everything else about our “Christian” lives.
With that being said, it will always be true that the Word of God encourages all believers to fully rely on God’s strength and His guidance in facing life’s battles, towards enlightening understanding the enemy’s tactics, and achieving victory.
Psalm 18:34-35
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.
The Bible says that we are to fight the good fight of faith and to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand strong and uptight and faithful against the enemy. It also says that the kingdom of God suffers violence and the war-like take it by force. There is no question that there is a raging battle going on in the earthly, spiritual realms and we are called to take our stand, to resist the enemy.
In Psalm 18’s Davidic promise, King David paints an intimate picture of how God Himself intercedes in the affairs of mankind and trains David for battle.
I am seriously encouraged by the NIV Bible translation of Psalm 18:34-35 …
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. (NIV)
What a picture of strength intimacy!
God gets intimately, personally involved, up close, face to face and eye to eye.
Even in the midst of preparations for battle, David speaks of a God that gently trains him and sustains him and even stoops down from heaven to make him great. No matter what battle we are facing today, be comforted in knowing that it is God Himself that will put His face to ours, put His Hands on us, equip us to fight the good fight, for every battle belongs to the Lord. He will stoop down beside us, give us His shield of victory and His gentleness will make you great!
On all those battlefields, in hand to hand, eye to eye, combat, on the high seas, and in more contemporary times, in the air – jet plane to jet plane, computers to computers, in the invisible face of terrorism which can explode on the scene at anytime anywhere, to ordinary service men and women who signed their name on the dotted line to serve their country, even during peace time when there are no declared wars – God is always close to those He prepares for war.
In this verse, David reflects on how God equips and empowers him for battle.
He fully acknowledges that it is God and God alone who teaches him the skills of warfare, gives him the strength to persevere, a profound recognition that all of his physical and spiritual capabilities and victories stem from divine assistance.
What does it mean – David: “so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze” mean?
The image comes from Psalm 18, “He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
First logical question to ask ourselves is “Does bronze bend or break?”
Please realize that Bronze is a very sturdy and strong material that does not bend very easily. Its high corrosion resistance also makes it very durable.
Since it’s nearly impossible for someone, anyone, to bend a rod of bronze, I now believe that the bending of the bow symbolizes for the reader the supernatural strength, God alone grants which enables people to do what seems impossible.
Psalm 18:32-34 New American Standard Bible 1995
32 The God who girds me with strength
And [a]makes my way [b]blameless?
33 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
And sets me upon my high places.
34 He trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
What is the meaning of Psalms 18:32-34?
This means that whatever battles you and I have in our lives, bear in mind that God and God alone has trained our hands to war, and makes our arms to bend a bow of bronze and fire… any issues that we might have: sickness, challenges, poverty, (you name it) and beside all this, God will always keeps our way secure!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 29 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.
A Psalm of David.
29 Ascribe to the Lord, O [a]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory [b]due to His name;
Worship the Lord in [c]holy array.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord is over [d]many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord hews out [e]flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord [f]shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
11 [g]The Lord will give strength to His people;
[h]The Lord will bless His people with peace.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 