Psalm 144--My Rock and My Fortress

Psalm 144
English Standard Version

My Rock and My Fortress
Of David.
144 Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples under me.

3 O LORD, what is man that you regard him,
    or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
    his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!
    Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
    send out your arrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
    rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
    from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
    upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
    who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
    from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

​12 May our sons in their youth
    be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
    cut for the structure of a palace;
13 may our granaries be full,
    providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
    and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
    suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
    Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

---

David finds rest, hope and security in the LORD, David's Rock Steadfast Love, Fortress, Stronghold, and Deliverer.  David seems to be under attack militarily and verbally from Gentile nations that are compared to the many waters (prophetically the Land of Israel is dry land, but the Gentile nations are the tossing waves of the ocean or sea).  David trusts the LORD to defend him from all these attacks by causing the forces of nature like a thunderstorm to fight for David, causing the lightning to strike the enemies of David while leaving David and his men alone.  David also expects the LORD's salvation to refute the lies told by these wicked men (that the LORD no longer loved David and had abandoned him).  The LORD's right hand (a symbol of power) is associated with righteousness and truth, while the right hand of these men that David is asking God to take care of is associated with wickedness and lies.

David promises to sing a new song to the LORD should He provide this victory.  It recognizes the LORD as the one that saves the king and his men from foreigners and those who speak lies (who are just as dangerous many times as those who come at us with weapons of war).

David prays that the men of Israel would live to see their children grow up and flourish, that the granaries would be full of a plentiful harvest of all kinds of produce, and that their sheep and cattle would bear lots of young (I'm sure they were hoping for more children of their own as well, but large flocks and herds were a sign of great wealth at that time).  They also prayed peace and tranquility in their streets.  All these things are the blessings of the covenant that are promised to take place when the people are obedient to the LORD, belong to Him and live for Him.  So, ultimately, David is praying for the people to keep the covenant and for the LORD to pour out His blessings on the people when they do keep the covenant.  That is why the psalm ends with, "Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!"