Psalm 144: A Field Guide between the Already and Not Yet
Near the end of October I got to speak at the Equipping the Saints Conference hosted by the Evangelical Reformed Church in Tacoma.
Here’s the title I was assigned - “Psalm 144: A Field Guide between the Already and Not Yet”
And here’s the outcome in video, and then my notes are below!
Introduction
It’s a great privilege to be back with you as we care together about the things of earth and culture building as Christians. For what it’s worth, my text and title and theme were assigned to me, and also, as those in my line of work like to say, “that’ll preach.” I’ve been blessed as I’ve been digging around in this field.
And just so you know that this was not written by AI, when I gave my draft to Claude for feedback, it said to not say some of what I’m going to say anyway. Ha!
Work with me through the title, from back to front, starting with the Already and Not Yet. This is a phrase typically used in the field of Eschatology. As some of you know, I’m a Dispensationalist, so it’s potentially ironic, if not futile, to ask the Dispy to talk Eschatologically about the things of earth. Can we even see the earth from our rapture bunkers? But also, so you know, as a Dispy I think we have the most consistently optimistic things to say on this subject. I like to call itKuyperian Dispensationalism. The “already” is already good, the “not yet” will be even gooder, and this “between” is where we really earn our readiness to rule in the kingdom come (at least according to the parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11-27 bibrefluke19 bibrefluke19v11 bibrefluke19v12 bibrefluke19v13 bibrefluke19v14 bibrefluke19v15 bibrefluke19v16 bibrefluke19v17 bibrefluke19v18 bibrefluke19v19 bibrefluke19v20 bibrefluke19v21 bibrefluke19v22 bibrefluke19v23 bibrefluke19v24 bibrefluke19v25 bibrefluke19v26 bibrefluke19v27).
As for the Field Guide, I had to make sure I knew what makes for a field guide. There are all sorts of field guides, and they are typically about the kinds of things you’d see in a…field. There are field guides for birds and bugs, for flowers and trees, for rocks. There are also then field guides for astronomy, others for architecture. A field guide isn’t a map, it’s not about where to go, but it’s about how to identify what you’re looking at. Field guides help distinguish. They are less about instruction and more about identification. They don’t give prescriptions but perspective. They are also portable and durable, something you can take with you in order to figure out what you’re seeing in the wild in real time.
Which brings us to Psalm 144. This inspired song is the perfect field guide between the already and the not yet. It is not an instruction manual, not a standard operating procedures book or policy guide. But it does tell us what we should be looking for, in the present moment and in our current location. It is a field guide for the things of earth. It is a field guide for the blessed.
The Blessed Option
If you were here last year you may remember that I talked about “The Blessed Option.” Of course there are times to huddle up and protect what we have (more Benedict) and there are other times when we should shift the Overton Window and chop down the lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God (more Boniface). But unblessed withdrawal is cowardice and unblessed fighting is friendship with the world (James 4:1-4 bibrefjames4 bibrefjames4v1 bibrefjames4v2 bibrefjames4v3 bibrefjames4v4). Unblessed housebuilding is vain, and unblessed fatigue, whether watching the city or trying to pay the bills, is empty (see Psalm 127).
So how do you know if you’re blessed? You need a field guide. Psalm 144 begins and ends with blessed. The blesseds are the bookends. First verse: blessed be the LORD, and last verse: blessed be the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people who can say “blessed be the LORD” like the song started.
This song helps us to identify 1) the blessed LORD, 2) the blessings of the LORD, and 3) the blessed people of the LORD. The only declared activity of David is that he will sing and play (verse 9). Otherwise, this field guide is only secondarily an exhortation, primarily it is so that we can look at the “already not yet” and see the blessings God gives in between.
The Blessings Field Guide
Psalm 144:1-15 bibrefpsalms144 bibrefpsalms144v1 bibrefpsalms144v2 bibrefpsalms144v3 bibrefpsalms144v4 bibrefpsalms144v5 bibrefpsalms144v6 bibrefpsalms144v7 bibrefpsalms144v8 bibrefpsalms144v9 bibrefpsalms144v10 bibrefpsalms144v11 bibrefpsalms144v12 bibrefpsalms144v13 bibrefpsalms144v14 bibrefpsalms144v15
There’s five stanzas (following the sections in the ESV), though the final verse is different than the few preceding, so I’d say there are six sections. For that matter, verses 1-11 are first person singular (“I,” “me,” David writing about himself), verses 12-14 are first person plural (“our,” David writing about himself along with his people), and the last verse is third person.
David begins in verses 1-2 with praise for God’s nature, that the Lord is glad and loyal and protective. He is a rock, a fortress, a stronghold, a shield, a refuge. This is one of the “blessings,” to have this Lord as his strength. Who’s going to get by Him? David also refers to the Lord as “my steadfast love,” the usual Hebrew word chesed, but here personified. It’s not just an attribute it is an identity. David’s come long way from subduing sheep to subduing nations.
The next section in verses 3-4 show another one of the “blessings,” that is, a true sense of self. By comparison to the LORD, man is “like a breath” of hot air, a “passing shadow” of temporary dark spot on the sidewalk. There are two gifts here, fist is the removal of the burden of trying to make much of ourselves, and second is the realization that God does regard us and think of us, just not like we are hot snot. Humility is blessing, and so is not taking for granted God’s care.
Verses 5-8 show the blessing of awe at God’s power and His attentiveness. The Lord has cosmic control over storms and mountains while also hearing what lies come out of men’s mouths. The Lord’s touch that causes mountains to smoke recalls Mt. Sinai, the “many” or “great waters” (NASB) may reference the chaotic sea gods who submit to the Lord. Deceivers don’t stand a chance.
The only section in which the psalmist does the work rather than the Lord is in verses 9-11. It is a song and a prayer for Christian Nationalism. Well, first for Davidic-throne Nationalism in the past and in the future, but there’s some “between” significance for us. Note the similarities between verses 7-8 and verse 11. Other than the blessings, we repeat the lyrics about liars and falsehood doers. This is part of the blessings. Of course Jesus said “blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely (Matthew 5:11 bibrefmatthew5 bibrefmatthew5v11). And the blessing here is of victory and vindication.
The last big section in the song is in verses 12-14, and here are the blessings of fruitful families, fruitful fields, fruitful flocks, and dependable justice. This is a prayer, five benedictive “may our”s.
It is a great blessing when your kids are not pushovers. Sons and daughters have strength, you can depend on them. Note: these kind of kids come with eyes and disagreeability; my own wanted me to be arrested and they were mad that my beard was too short (the pic in the conference program, which they still call “sad”) for the mugshot.
To have no distress in the streets is to be able to enjoy the blessings.
John Calvin (in his commentary on Psalm 144) was a little concerned that we’d take these blessings too literally and forget that they are, as he called them, “transitory blessings” that are meant to make us “aspire after the true inheritance.” But we are not Reformed Pietists. In fact, maybe the problem is that we don’t take the blessings literally enough. Sure, they do point forward. But they’re not merely transitory. They’re real, earthly, and good. They’re the kind of things that make a people jealousable.
The psalmist, and the Spirit, felt no need to give a warning about mishandling blessings.
Amening the Lord’s Blessings
The headline of this year’s conference is “On earth as it is in heaven.” It’s Bible. We pray, just as Jesus taught His disciples, for the kingdom to come and for God’s will to be done on earth (Matthew 6:10 bibrefmatthew6 bibrefmatthew6v10).
When we pray for God’s will to be done, we are willing that same will. We are affirming, “I want this to be.” So also, “common to all forms of love is the will affirming ‘I want you (or it) to exist!’” (R.J. Snell) When we love someone we are saying, “I am GLAD that you ARE.”
It is actually an issue of serious spiritual maturity to say “amen” when we’re supposed to. God has given us a Field Guide for blessings, are we recognizing them? It’s not just that we have too many men without chests (as C.S. Lewis lamented), but men without eyes. We don’t know what we’re looking at, or we’re looking at the wrong things, or we’re just not looking at all.
What kind of culture building is it when pastors make people feel guilty for willing the blessings that God wills?
Dispies Can Will the Things of Earth Too
As much as I love John MacArthur, he was wrong when he stated (repeatedly and emphatically) that the only reason God leaves Christians on earth after their conversion is evangelism. Thankfully he did not live consistently with his this part of his ministry, and actually, it’s the same commitment to literal-grammtical-historical Bible reading that makes a man Kuyperian.
As a Dispensationalist (ha!) how do I understand any relevance of David’s/Israel’s song to us disciples over here at “the end of the earth” (from the perspective of Acts 1:8 bibrefacts1 bibrefacts1v8)? Not just vibe-theologizing. Here are five bullets:
- If we are filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-19 bibrefephesians5 bibrefephesians5v18 bibrefephesians5v19) and the Word (Colossians 3:16 bibrefcolossians3 bibrefcolossians3v16), we will be singing Psalms like this one.
- If we are paying attention, the former things were written for our endurance and encouragement and hope (Romans 15:4 bibrefromans15 bibrefromans15v4).
- If we think Davidic Covenantally, this song may be playing nonstop in all the elevators in the Millennial Kingdom, except for on the Sabbath of course.
- If we confess that Jesus is Lord, and He made heaven and earth–visible and invisible, then we see the sorts of things He likes to bless His people with. There is meaning in context, significance throughout cosmos.
- If we have ears to hear, these sorts of blessings are exactly the kind of things that will provoke the Jews to jealousy (Romans 11:11-15 bibrefromans11 bibrefromans11v11 bibrefromans11v12 bibrefromans11v13 bibrefromans11v14 bibrefromans11v15), because they are the kind of blessings they expected based on field guides like Psalm 144.
Blessings are an eschatological (and evangelistic) cue ball. The blessings can’t be fulfilled spiritually and make any sense.
We should see and will see more earthly blessings per the Psalm 144 Field Guide: generational (12), seasonal (13-14a), national (14b), on the way to the millennial kingdom and then eternal blessings (not included in this Psalm itself).
Conclusion
We, as believers in the Son of David, enjoy blessings already as well as anticipating blessings that have not yet appeared until David’s Lord takes David’s throne.
Some blessings aren’t just the obviously good kind. We’re blessed when we’re reviled (Matthew 5:11 bibrefmatthew5 bibrefmatthew5v11), we’re blessed when we remain steadfast under trial (James 5:11 bibrefjames5 bibrefjames5v11).
The field guide shows us the blessed life in battling and building. We fight to create the conditions for blessing, then we build in the space that blessing creates. When your son helps you build a deck. When your business has a profitable quarter. When the kids can play outside in your neighborhood (maybe those who live outside of Tacoma, ha). You see and pray for more of these blessings, discipling the nations what God wills, on earth as it is in heaven.
Psalm 144 shows how to identify, in the wild real time:
- the blessed LORD
- the blessings of the LORD
- the blessed people of the LORD
Blessed are the people to whom such
blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God
is the LORD!”