If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me. If I walk in the midst of troubleThis phrase acknowledges the reality of facing difficulties and adversities in life. The psalmist, traditionally understood to be David, often found himself surrounded by enemies and in perilous situations. This reflects the human experience of encountering trials and challenges. Biblically, walking in trouble can be seen in the lives of figures like Joseph, who faced betrayal and imprisonment, and Daniel, who was thrown into the lion's den. The phrase suggests a journey or path through hardship, emphasizing that trouble is not a permanent state but something one moves through with divine assistance. You preserve me from the anger of my foes
The preservation from enemies' anger highlights God's protective nature. In the historical context of ancient Israel, enemies often posed physical threats, and God's intervention was seen as a shield against such dangers. This preservation can be linked to God's covenant promises to protect His people, as seen in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Theologically, it underscores God's sovereignty and faithfulness. The anger of foes can also be understood as spiritual opposition, with God providing refuge and strength, as echoed in Ephesians 6:12, where believers are reminded of the spiritual battle against evil forces. You extend Your hand
The imagery of God's hand is a powerful symbol of His intervention and support. In biblical literature, the hand of God often represents His power and authority. Extending the hand signifies an act of reaching out to help or deliver. This can be seen in Exodus 15:6, where God's right hand is described as majestic in power, shattering the enemy. The extension of God's hand is a personal and intimate gesture, indicating His willingness to be involved in the lives of His people, offering guidance and deliverance. and Your right hand saves me
The right hand is traditionally associated with strength and honor. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the right hand was considered the hand of power and skill. This phrase emphasizes God's ability to save and deliver from peril. Theologically, it points to the ultimate salvation found in Jesus Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, as mentioned in Hebrews 1:3. The right hand saving is a recurring theme in the Psalms, symbolizing God's active role in rescuing His people from danger and distress, providing assurance of His unfailing support and deliverance. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidTraditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 138, David is expressing his trust in God's protection and deliverance. 2. GodThe central figure in this verse, God is depicted as a protector and savior, extending His hand to deliver David from his enemies. 3. Enemies/FoesThe adversaries of David, representing any form of opposition or threat that believers might face. 4. Right HandA symbol of power and authority in biblical literature, often used to describe God's intervention and strength. 5. TroubleRepresents the trials and challenges that believers encounter in life. Teaching Points God's Presence in TroubleEven in the midst of life's challenges, God is present and active. Believers can find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. Divine ProtectionGod's protection is not passive; He actively preserves us from harm. Trust in His ability to shield you from the anger and schemes of adversaries. The Power of God's Right HandThe right hand of God symbolizes His power and authority. Rely on His strength rather than your own when facing difficulties. Faith in ActionWalking in the midst of trouble requires faith. Let your trust in God's deliverance be evident in your actions and decisions. Overcoming FearFear of enemies or challenges can be overwhelming, but God's promise to save us should embolden us to face our fears with confidence. Bible Study Questions 1. How does understanding the symbolism of God's "right hand" enhance your perception of His power and authority in your life? 2. In what ways can you actively demonstrate trust in God's protection when facing personal "enemies" or challenges? 3. Reflect on a time when you felt God's presence in the midst of trouble. How did that experience strengthen your faith? 4. How can the assurance of God's preservation influence your response to fear and anxiety? 5. What practical steps can you take to remind yourself of God's promises when you are "walking in the midst of trouble"? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 23This psalm also speaks of God's presence and protection in the midst of adversity, emphasizing His role as a shepherd who guides and comforts. Isaiah 41:10This verse reassures believers of God's support and strength, echoing the theme of divine assistance found in Psalm 138:7. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9Paul speaks of being hard-pressed but not crushed, reflecting the resilience and preservation that God provides, similar to the assurance in Psalm 138:7. Hebrews 13:6This verse encourages believers to confidently trust in God's help, aligning with the trust in divine deliverance expressed by David. Exodus 15:6The "right hand" of God is celebrated for its power and might, paralleling the imagery used in Psalm 138:7. People David, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Anger, Delivers, Distress, Enemies, Foes, Forth, Haters, Midst, Preserve, Quickenest, Revive, Round, Salvation, Save, Sendest, Stretch, Stretched, Stretchest, Though, Trouble, Walk, Wilt, WrathDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 138:7 1270 right hand of God
5214 attack
8792 oppression, God's attitude Psalm 138:7-8 1265 hand of God Library Faith in Perfection
In the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. The word, "me," in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Question of the Contemplative Life
I. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. 7 ad 3m II. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 19 III. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. 18 " Ep., cxxx. ad probam IV. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life Epistle Xlvii. To Dominicus, Bishop.
To Dominicus, Bishop. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . We have received with the utmost gratification the letters of your Fraternity, which have reached us somewhat late by the hands of Donatus and Quodvultdeus, our most reverend brethren and fellow-bishops, and also Victor the deacon with Agilegius the notary. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great The Coming Revival
"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. lxxxv. 6. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. iii. 2. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. cxxxviii. 7. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. lvii. 15. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. He will revive us."--HOS. vi. 1, 2. The Coming …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession Forasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race...
1. Forasmuch as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one …
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage Prayer Out of the Deep.
Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. 1, 2. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. xviii. 5, 6. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. 18, 19. In the day when I cried …
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep Wherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind...
32. Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said …
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey.
A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. 1. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action.
The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. For he who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exhibit the highest things. For that voice more readily penetrates the hearer's heart, which the speaker's life …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great How those that are at Variance and those that are at Peace are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 23.) Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. v. 22). He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Hence Paul …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Sense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son.
For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. Rom. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. Ps. xlix. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' (Isa. vi. 8). But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius Covenant Duties.
It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Introduction. Chapter i. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple …
St. Hilary of Poitiers—The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Psalm 138:7 NIVPsalm 138:7 NLTPsalm 138:7 ESVPsalm 138:7 NASBPsalm 138:7 KJV
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