Our oxen will bear great loads. There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of lament in our streets. Our oxen will bear great loadsThe phrase "our oxen will bear great loads" speaks to the prosperity and productivity of the community. In ancient agrarian societies, oxen were vital for plowing fields and transporting goods. The Hebrew word for "oxen" is "בָּקָר" (baqar), which signifies strength and service. The image of oxen bearing great loads symbolizes a time of abundance and economic stability. This prosperity is seen as a blessing from God, reflecting His provision and favor upon His people. The ability of the oxen to carry heavy burdens without faltering is a metaphor for the community's capacity to thrive and sustain itself through divine blessing. There will be no breach
The term "breach" refers to a break or gap, often in a wall or defense. The Hebrew word "פֶּרֶץ" (peretz) can denote a physical breach or a metaphorical one, such as a breakdown in relationships or security. In the context of this verse, it suggests a time of peace and safety, where the community is protected from external threats and internal discord. The absence of a breach indicates divine protection, where God acts as a shield for His people, ensuring their safety and unity. This assurance of security is a testament to God's covenantal faithfulness. no going out
The phrase "no going out" can be understood as a lack of forced exile or displacement. In historical contexts, "going out" often referred to being taken captive or having to flee due to war or disaster. The Hebrew word "יָצָא" (yatsa) means to go out or depart. The absence of "going out" implies stability and permanence in the land God has given. It reflects a settled life where families and communities are not uprooted, but rather, they dwell securely in the inheritance God has provided. This stability is a sign of God's peace reigning over the land. and no cry of lament in our streets
The "cry of lament" refers to expressions of sorrow and mourning. The Hebrew word "צְוָחָה" (tzevachah) denotes a loud cry or wail, often associated with grief or distress. The absence of such cries in the streets indicates a time of joy and contentment, free from tragedy and suffering. Streets, being public spaces, represent the communal life of the people. The lack of lamentation in these areas suggests a society experiencing God's shalom—His peace and wholeness. It is a vision of a community living in harmony, where God's presence brings comfort and joy, eradicating the causes of sorrow. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe author of Psalm 144, traditionally believed to be King David, who often wrote psalms as prayers and songs of praise to God. 2. IsraelThe nation for whom David is praying, seeking God's blessing and protection. 3. OxenSymbolic of agricultural prosperity and strength, representing the economic stability of the nation. 4. WallsRepresenting security and protection from enemies, crucial for the safety of a city or nation. 5. CaptivityReferring to the threat of being conquered and taken away by enemies, a common fear for ancient Israel. Teaching Points Prosperity as a Blessing from GodRecognize that true prosperity, symbolized by the oxen bearing great loads, comes from God's provision and blessing. Security in God’s ProtectionUnderstand that the absence of breaches in the walls signifies divine protection, encouraging us to trust in God's safeguarding of our lives. Freedom from CaptivityReflect on the spiritual freedom we have in Christ, who delivers us from the captivity of sin and fear. Community PeaceStrive for peace in our communities, as the absence of lament in the streets suggests a harmonious and just society. Gratitude for StabilityCultivate a heart of gratitude for the stability and peace we experience, acknowledging it as a gift from God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of oxen bearing great loads relate to our understanding of God's provision in our lives today? 2. In what ways can we ensure that there are "no breaches in the walls" of our spiritual lives? 3. How can we apply the concept of freedom from captivity in our personal walk with God? 4. What steps can we take to promote peace and prevent "cries of lament" in our communities? 5. How do the themes of prosperity and security in Psalm 144:14 connect with the promises found in other parts of Scripture, such as Jeremiah 29:11? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter outlines blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, similar to the themes of prosperity and security found in Psalm 144:14. Proverbs 14:34This verse speaks to righteousness exalting a nation, connecting to the idea of national prosperity and security. Isaiah 60:18This verse promises peace and security, echoing the absence of breach and lament in Psalm 144:14. Jeremiah 29:11God's plans for prosperity and hope for His people align with the blessings described in Psalm 144:14. Zechariah 8:4-5Describes a future of peace and prosperity, similar to the vision of security and abundance in Psalm 144:14. People David, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Bear, Bearing, Birth, Breach, Breaching, Breaking, Broad, Captivity, Carrying, Cattle, Complaining, Cows, Cry, Crying, Distress, Draw, Failure, Forth, Heavy, Kine, Labor, Labour, Laden, Loads, Loss, Mischance, Mishap, Open, Outcry, Outgoing, Oxen, Places, Pull, Safely, Sorrow, Streets, Strong, Suffering, Walls, WeightedDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 144:14 5228 battering-rams Psalm 144:12-15 5224 barn Library Sermons on Selected Lessons of the Gospels.
Adoption, a sonship higher than that of nature, [482]255; frequently mentioned in Holy Scripture, [483]255, [484]256; the term of ancient use among the Jews, [485]256; "raising up seed to brother," [486]256; used by St. Paul to express the mystery of our adoption in Christ, [487]256. Adversary, to be agreed with and delivered from, [488]442; not so Satan, [489]442; the Law our, so long as we our own, [490]443; must agree with, by obedience, and so made no longer adversary, [491]443. Affliction, blessing …
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testamentPeriod ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire Until the Collapse of the Western Empire and the First Schism Between the East and the West, or Until About A. D. 500
In the second period of the history of the Church under the Christian Empire, the Church, although existing in two divisions of the Empire and experiencing very different political fortunes, may still be regarded as forming a whole. The theological controversies distracting the Church, although different in the two halves of the Graeco-Roman world, were felt to some extent in both divisions of the Empire and not merely in the one in which they were principally fought out; and in the condemnation …
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History Thankfulness for Mercies Received, a Necessary Duty
Numberless marks does man bear in his soul, that he is fallen and estranged from God; but nothing gives a greater proof thereof, than that backwardness, which every one finds within himself, to the duty of praise and thanksgiving. When God placed the first man in paradise, his soul no doubt was so filled with a sense of the riches of the divine love, that he was continually employing that breath of life, which the Almighty had not long before breathed into him, in blessing and magnifying that all-bountiful, …
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
1. Introduction, showing the necessity of proving the similarity of both dispensations in opposition to Servetus and the Anabaptists. 2. This similarity in general. Both covenants truly one, though differently administered. Three things in which they entirely agree. 3. First general similarity, or agreement--viz. that the Old Testament, equally with the New, extended its promises beyond the present life, and held out a sure hope of immortality. Reason for this resemblance. Objection answered. 4. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual Government of the World.
1. The invisible and incomprehensible essence of God, to a certain extent, made visible in his works. 2. This declared by the first class of works--viz. the admirable motions of the heavens and the earth, the symmetry of the human body, and the connection of its parts; in short, the various objects which are presented to every eye. 3. This more especially manifested in the structure of the human body. 4. The shameful ingratitude of disregarding God, who, in such a variety of ways, is manifested within …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Godly are in Some Sense Already Blessed
I proceed now to the second aphorism or conclusion, that the godly are in some sense already blessed. The saints are blessed not only when they are apprehended by God, but while they are travellers to glory. They are blessed before they are crowned. This seems a paradox to flesh and blood. What, reproached and maligned, yet blessed! A man that looks upon the children of God with a carnal eye and sees how they are afflicted, and like the ship in the gospel which was covered with waves' (Matthew 8:24), …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 Scriptural Christianity
"Whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head." Ezek. 33:4. "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Acts 4:31. 1. The same expression occurs in the second chapter, where we read, "When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all" (the Apostles, with the women, and the mother of Jesus, and his brethren) "with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions Letter Xl to Thomas, Prior of Beverley
To Thomas, Prior of Beverley This Thomas had taken the vows of the Cistercian Order at Clairvaux. As he showed hesitation, Bernard urges his tardy spirit to fulfil them. But the following letter will prove that it was a warning to deaf ears, where it relates the unhappy end of Thomas. In this letter Bernard sketches with a master's hand the whole scheme of salvation. Bernard to his beloved son Thomas, as being his son. 1. What is the good of words? An ardent spirit and a strong desire cannot express …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux 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 144:14 NIVPsalm 144:14 NLTPsalm 144:14 ESVPsalm 144:14 NASBPsalm 144:14 KJV
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