"For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes and have put to confusion those who hate us."
-Psalm 44:6-7 (NRSV)
I have horrible aim. I think the best way for me to hit a target is to aim for a tree that is a few yards to the left or right. And when it comes to archery... to be honest, I may be even more afraid of the bow than the arrow. So when I read verses about not trusting in a bow, I find that be quite a relief.
In the natural, there are those out there who do much better at hitting a bullseye with an arrow than me. But there are far more important goals that we simply cannot attain on our own.
The Hebrew word for law, torah (also a word used to describe the the first five books Bible) comes from a root that means to throw or shoot towards, as if casting towards a target. And both the Greek and Hebrew words for sin (chata and hamartalos) mean to miss. When it comes to living a life that is pleasing to God, NO ONE other than Jesus Christ has come close to hitting that bullseye.
Even in a physical sense we cannot protect ourselves against all that comes against us, certainly not just with a bow and arrow. The great news is that we don't have to, because our God is more than willing to fight our battles for us and infinitely more suited to the task.
Lord, please teach our hearts to surrender and rest in your protection and provision.
Click here To briefly explore the biblical definition of sin.
Click here to read Psalm 44.
Image by István Kis from Pixabay
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