Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. Psalm 108: 12, 13, NKJV.
Dear God, please teach us, that when everyone in whom we trusted fail us, You will never fail. In Jesus’ name; Amen.
Today our promise is taken from a psalm of David. It is described as a composite psalm. It is composed of portions from two psalms: Psalm 57, and Psalm 60. David is pleading with God to help His people. He looks to God for help, because he knows that “the help of man is worthless.” It is not that David cannot appreciate the help of his friends. David realizes, that as much as human beings may desire to help us, their capacity to help is limited, precarious, and flawed.
I have come to the conclusion that it is not fair, nor wise, to expect too much from human beings. I am not referring to their capacity to excel, and to become all things in Christ Jesus. In God’s hands our ability to succeed is limitless! I am referring to personal help that can only come from God, the creator. Sometimes our expectations of our fellow-human-beings are unreal.
There are battles in which human beings are incapable of engaging. In verse 6 David talks about God’s right hand delivering him. Deliverance of any kind, can only come from God! He gives us the strength of character we need, once delivered – not to fall back into captivity, therefore, only He can truly deliver! In verses 7-9, in metaphoric speech, he shows God’s complete sovereignty over the nations. Then in verse 10 He asks and answers his own questions: “Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?” The obvious answer is: It is You, O God! And if You do not go out to battle with us, we are doomed (11).
Besides, David had suffered some severe disappointments in his life. Perhaps one of the bitterest, came from a man he trusted with his very life, Joab; the captain of his army. When Absalom his son rebelled against him, and was determined to overthrow him, and become king in his stead, David pleaded with Joab, and the others who were going in pursuit of his son, not to harm the lad; as a favor to him, the king (2 Samuel 18: 12). But we find Joab, in total defiance of the king’s orders, murdering Absalom (14).
Is it any small wonder then, that David should declare the help of humans, worthless (NRSV)? Far better to trust a God who wants to do me good, and who has the power to do it! Far better to trust in God who can “give us aid against the enemy; [who can ] trample down our enemies” (NRSV); a God who has promised to fight our battles for us!
Does that mean that we are not to accept help from our friends, our brothers, and sisters, in Christ? No, that is not what is meant. I believe it means, that we are not to expect from human beings, the help that can only come from the “Lord who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121: 2). Therefore, we will not be disappointed.