Thursday, April 30 — When the Superpowers Are All Dust
The ancient world trusted horses the way we trust markets and missiles. The Psalmist is not impressed with any of it.
Psalm 33:10-22 — KJV
10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21 For in him shall our heart rejoice, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
Psalm 33:10-22 — WEB
10 Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect. 11 The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. 13 Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power. 18 Behold, Yahweh's eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness, 19 to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh, since we have hoped in you.
Explanation
The people who first sang this psalm lived in a world bristling with superpowers. Egypt to the south, Assyria and Babylon to the north, Persia on the rise in the east. All of them had chariots, all of them had horses, all of them had diplomats scheming at the long table of empire. And a little hill country kingdom called Israel, with no horses worth mentioning, sings a song where the refrain is essentially: none of that is what's actually holding up the world.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. The diplomats think they're writing history at the table. God is writing it under the table. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord — and the verse does not say "blessed is the nation with the best army, strongest currency, most advanced technology." It says whose God is the Lord. That's not an accessory to national greatness. That is the only thing that makes a people blessed in the first place.
Then the Psalmist goes after the idols by name. A horse is a vain thing for safety. In the ancient world, a horse was the most expensive, fastest, most intimidating weapon on the battlefield. Nations measured their security in chariots. The Psalmist says: vain. Cannot save. Cannot deliver. There is no king saved by a great army.
We do not have cavalry anymore, but we have our own horses. The S&P 500. The Pentagon budget. The political party we are sure is the only thing standing between us and ruin. The gun in the nightstand. The retirement account. The right president. None of these are evil in themselves. They become idols the moment we look at them instead of God and whisper, you are what's keeping us safe.
This week we are walking toward a lesson on the higher patriotism, and here is a hard thing it asks of us: to love our country without worshipping it. To support strong defenses without thinking the defense is our salvation. To participate in the economy without our soul being tied to a number on a screen. Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Not the horse. Not the chariot. Not the party. Not the portfolio.
This doesn't make you less engaged. It makes you more free. You can vote without despair. You can save without greed. You can serve without illusions. Because the thing actually holding up your life was never any of those horses anyway.
Thought for the Day. A horse is a vain thing for safety. Whatever you've been sizing up as your savior this week, it isn't one. The Lord is.
Reflection Question. What "horse" have you quietly been trusting in for your security — and what would it look like to let God be your help and shield instead?
Prayer. Lord, we confess the horses we've saddled with our hope. Financial accounts. Political outcomes. Our own careful planning. Forgive us for measuring our safety in anything but Your mercy. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord — make us that kind of people, in the pews and in the voting booth and in the quiet of our own worrying. Our soul waits for You. You are our help and our shield. In Jesus' name, Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: The Higher Patriotism.