David begins this Psalm in verse one by praising our Lord who preserves and prospers his people: “Blessed be the LORD my strength, Which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight”. We are in a frenzied spiritual war against the strangest of children, but we can find comfort and assurance in the fact God has already won the battle.
David writes in the 11th verse about the nature of this spiritual enemy working through the minds and actions of those fully-swayed by sin and foolishness. He speaks of their mouth and hand, specifically of their right hand.
Their mouth speaks vanity—which is an incredibly interesting word, meaning both excessive pride in one’s own appearance or achievements while simultaneously defined as the quality of being worthless or futile. Wisdom teaches how these two tie together seamlessly, the former the cause of the latter. The right hand is the hand of power and authority. But the authority they wield is based upon lies and fictional misrepresentation. And their authority is ephemeral, short-lived, soon to pass, replaced by the real authority of the one who will reign forever. The strange voices today are powerless over us.
Rid me, prays David. Deliver me. This, too, should be our own prayer. Rid means to free, to liberate, to relieve. Deliver means to release and to save. David was not praying for their elimination, knowing they would endure far beyond his lifetime, but to preserve him against their influence. It’s no different today. Many generations later, these strange children have grown up and matured, yet are still nothing compared to the ruler of heaven.
Lord, protect our minds and spirits from any words that speak against Your holy truth. Help us think virtuous thoughts while your angels do battle in the heavenly realms against any evil intended by the enemy.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.