He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
 The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”-{Psalm 147:10-11}.

 

In a Psalm of Praise recounting His Person as “Lord God” and the great deliverance He did in taking the people out of exile and restoring them to the land, healing their broken hearts, binding up their wounds, supporting them in their affliction, the Psalmist gives reason after reason for Praising Him, enthusiastically, thoughtfully  and unreservedly. He is worthy! Indeed break out and sing His praises and incorporate music to make a joyful sound to Him. We see Reasons to praise Him for Who He is, His redemption of the people and also His provision for His creation. Wonderful Lord God!  And to give Him praise we see,”…It is GOOD…PLEASANT… FITTING” {v 1}. But then we come to these verses{put in here} and we see two things that are not good, pleasant, or fitting of Him namely,” He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.”-{v10}. Twice he says “He does not… He does not..” He takes no pleasure or finds  no pleasure or anything favorably in where  some people place their trust. For it is misguided, detrimental to them as it leads them down a road in opposition to the LORD and for their spiritual good. It is also an affront to Him, who alone is worthy of their loyalty and trust!

What did it mean to them when this was written?

This is important that we know what the writer meant when he wrote to the people, and not interject what we think it meant, if we just read it without knowing the historical background we could come away with God doesn’t like strong horse and He doesn’t like you to running around in shorts showing your legs! it says it in the Bible!. This is how we often get in trouble,…but to the hearers they would have been able to identify with what was been said… let’s have a look…

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;”

In those days and before, horses was a sign of power for a king or country, and the ability to pull chariots. It spoke of power, might, and the more you had the more powerful you were, it was believed. And so if you were so powerful, why would you need the LORD? But remember Pharaoh’s army and what He did with them! “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.”-{Exodus 15:4}. Pharaoh’s trust was in his mighty army of chariots and men, and despite the 10 plagues He had seen the LORD do, he still falsely believed, arrogantly so in self trust that his chariots and men could turn this people back because he had changed his mind to let them go. But like countless others would experience, you can have “power” but not all powerful as the LORD God is! And to believe you can fight and win against him is blind pride, self deception and again the LORD  gives Pharaoh his answer to his question when first approached to let God’s people go, “Who is the LORD that I should let him go?” Pharaoh again was taught a lesson the futility to trust in self over the Living God.

The Psalmist says,

“The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.”-{Psalm 33:16-17}.

“He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.”

Swiftness as an essential of a warrior in Oriental esteem,

“The Israelites reckoned swiftness of foot, agility, and endurance among the highest of warlike qualities. These qualities were needed especially in the pursuit of defeated enemies; and the rapidity of David’s conquests.”-{Pulpit commentaries}.

“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.”-{2 Samuel 1:23}. “The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”-{Heb 3:19}.  “He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. “-{Psalm 18:33 nlt}. “God is the One who makes someone swift, and vigorous, but He does not give it to displace Him in affection and faith.

“The strength of the horse and the legs of a man refer to an army of cavalry and infantry. A king might boast in his powerful army on horseback or his foot soldiers who are strong and well-trained for battle. But God isn’t impressed! What is a horse or a strong man compared to His abundant strength that controls the stars (v. 5)? Besides, any strength that a horse or a man has comes from the Lord.

…We need the proper balance between fearing the Lord and hoping in Him. We fear Him because of the greatness of His power and the dazzling purity of His holiness. We hope in His love, promised to us in the gospel. And the mind-boggling assertion is that if you fear the Lord and hope in His love, He takes pleasure in you!

John Piper develops this in his excellent book, The Pleasures of God (revised and expanded, [Multnomah], pp. 197-202). He asks why God takes pleasure in those who fear Him and hope in His love. He answers (p. 199), “Surely it is because our fear reflects the greatness of his power and our hope reflects the bounty of his grace.” In other words, when we fear His great power and hope in His great love, we glorify Him. Thus the psalmist has said, …”- {Stephen Cole}

 

“. The Lord sends the food therefore for both man and beast. Since it is in God that we live, move, and have our continual being, He is not delighting in the strength of the horse or taking pleasure in the legs of man. The horse was the most powerful means of warfare in the days of the psalmist. The war horse and the war chariot were deadly weapons or means of prosecuting war. The Lord does not delight then in the horse as a means of waging war. Neither is He delighting in the horse as a beast of burden—as the ancients did. Neither is He interested in men and his developing his physique to the highest point of efficiency so that he can become a marathon runner. Unlike men God is not interested in and taking delight in the achievements and the accomplishments of men. They are of a civilization that is only temporary and will eventually be destroyed.

On the other hand, the Lord takes great pleasure in them who worship Him and those who trust, or hope, in His loving-kindness. Man’s only hope in this life is in God’s grace and in His loving-kindness. God is seeking men to worship Him who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Man can be saved in no other way than by trusting the sovereign grace and mercy of God. He wants all to be saved. Hence He is delighted whenever anyone sees grace in its proper perspective and comes trusting Him for salvation.”

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****”God does not take pleasure in the symbols of strength that impress humans. He sees and delights in what demonstrates true spiritual strength, namely, trust in Himself. This makes Him praiseworthy.

“It is an awesome thought that we can bring pleasure to the heart of the heavenly Father ( Psalm 35:27Psalm 37:23Psalm 149:4).” [Note: Ibid, p380.]”- {Dr Thomas Constable}.

(((( the legs of a man. God does not judge people by their physical strength or appearance, but according to their heart’s attitude toward Him (1 Sam. 16:7). Strong legs, like good horses, were important for soldiers.

The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him: What God takes pleasure in is the reverence and trust of His people. Those who find their hope in His mercy delight God, because they honor Him with their trust.

i. Mercy here is the word hesed, which refers to the great love of God, especially in the context of loyalty to His promises and covenant. It pleases God when we hope in His loyal love, His loving kindness.

ii. Those who fear Him…those who hope: “Marks of new birth are fear and hope. They fear, for they are sinners; they hope, for God is merciful. They fear him, for he is great; they hope in him, for he is good. Their fear sobers their hope; their hope brightens their fear: God takes pleasure in them both in their trembling and in their rejoicing.” (Spurgeon)

C. Praising God for His wisdoM

What are the strngth of a horse and awarrrir in comapriosn to Him who makes the clouds, sends the rain, feeds the animals, rebuilt jeruslame,  and as they look back in history see He hasdelivered them from Egpt. Who heals the broken eharted, binds up their wounds, supports them in afflcition… conside r Him his greatness, LORD GOd Almighty, ALL Powerful in need of nothing or no one, who ahs made the horse, and had made the men… not the other way around He is not the creature but the CREATOR, Soverign, All Powerful One, in need of nothng or no one outsie of Himself to satifym, inform, help Him. In him is no deficiency…