Teaching my fingers to fight?

M

Marcylene

New Member
Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: Psalm 144:1

This verse caught my attention this time around. What does it mean to teach my fingers to fight?

lol I was thinking it could be a prophesy of our defending God, via keyboard, in the forums! :)
 
Fingers are part of the hand, the hand wields the sword. Could also be in reference to writing or music.
 
I haven't done any research on it. I found it interesting...hands to war, fingers to fight! Did you ever have a verse that just stays with you? My curiosity is sparked!
I can see the correlation to writing or music because it is a Psalm of David... but to war and fight? Then if he is speaking of the sword...I don't know anything about swordsmanship...is there special skill for the fingers?
 
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Well if you got a chance you could poke the other person in the eye or something, maybe an obscene gesture, but I don't know about the latter. Poking in the eye though... more powerful then the sword any day!
 
lol It's a great guess! I am not sure! I think when someone knows for sure what it means, it will be an, "Oh! Wow!" moment!
Ever seen the Three Stooges? (Nope, not a fan. I had to endure it because a couple of nephews were big fans!) You don't have to be much wiser than Schemp to get away from a finger poke in the eye! I think he escaped it in every way imaginable! lol :) The enemy wants to devour us. Thankfully,

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. I John 4:4

we have our Father Who is greater than any ole' devouring enemy! Nevertheless, a finger poke won't do! I am thinking that would probably not discourage him.

Now, no matter what I discover it means, I will always be thinking of the poke in the eye when I read it, Three Stooges style, no less! hmmm, you know, if you put your and Max's together...a sword in the eye! Would our fingers need skill to be able to accomplish that feat?
 
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I found the the text below and thought it gave a good summary. Seems very logical to me.

link for complete text

Verse 1. Blessed be the LORD my strength. He cannot delay the utterance of his gratitude, he bursts at once into a loud note of praise. His best word is given to his best friend -- "Blessed be Jehovah." When the heart is in a right state it must praise God, it cannot be restrained; its utterances leap forth as waters forcing their way from a living spring. With all his strength David blesses the God of his strength. We ought not to receive so great a boon as strength to resist evil, to defend truth, and to conquer error, without knowing who gave it to us, and rendering to him the glory of it. Not only does Jehovah give strength to his saints, but he is their strength. The strength is made theirs because God is theirs. God is full of power, and he becomes the power of those who trust him. In him our great strength lieth, and to him be blessings more than we are able to utter. It may be read, "My Rock"; but this hardly so well consorts with the following words:

Which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. The word rock is the Hebrew way of expressing strength: the grand old language is full of such suggestive symbols. The Psalmist in the second part of the verse sets forth the Lord as teacher in the arts of war. If we have strength we are not much the better unless we have skill also. Untrained force is often an injury to the man who possesses it, and it even becomes a danger to those who are round about him; and therefore the Psalmist blesses the Lord as much for teaching as for strength. Let us also bless Jehovah if he has in anything made us efficient. The tuition mentioned was very practical, it was not so much of the brain as of the hands and fingers; for these were the members most needful for conflict. Men with little scholastic education should be grateful for deftness and skill in their handicrafts. To a fighting man the education of the hands is of far more value than mere book learning could ever be; he who has to use a sling or a bow needs suitable training, quite as much as a scientific man or a classical professor. Men are too apt to fancy that an artisan's efficiency is to be ascribed to himself; but this is a popular fallacy. A clergyman may be supposed to be taught of God, but people do not allow this to be true of weavers or workers in brass; yet these callings are specially mentioned in the Bible as having been taught to holy women and earnest men when the tabernacle was set up at the first. All wisdom and skill are from the Lord, and for them he deserves to be gratefully extolled. This teaching extends to the smallest members of our frame; the Lord teaches fingers as well as hands; indeed, it sometimes happens that if the finger is not well trained the whole hand is incapable.

David was called to be a man of war, and he was eminently successful in his battles; he does not trace this to his good generalship or valour, but to his being taught and strengthened for the war and the fight. If the Lord deigns to have a hand in such unspiritual work as fighting, surely he will help us to proclaim the gospel and win souls; and then we will bless his name with even greater intensity of heart. We will be pupils, and he shall be our Master, and if we ever accomplish anything we will give our Instructor hearty blessing.

This verse is full of personality; it is mercy shown to David himself which is the subject of grateful song. It has also a presence about it; for Jehovah is now his strength, and is still teaching him; we ought to make a point of presenting praise while yet the blessing is on the wing. The verse is also preeminently practical, and full of the actual life of every day; for David's days were spent in camps and conflicts. Some of us who are grievously tormented with rheumatism might cry, "Blessed be the Lord, my Comforter, who teacheth my knees to bear in patience, and my feet to endure in resignation"; others who are on the look out to help young converts might say, "Blessed be God who teaches my eyes to see wounded souls, and my lips to cheer them"; but David has his own peculiar help from God, and praises him accordingly. This tends to make the harmony of heaven perfect when all the singers take their parts; if, we all followed the same score, the music would not be so full and rich.
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That's beautiful Gen! It does make sense! I think this says a lot for David, too. I know he sinned against God, but I can never see him as anything less than a mighty warrior for God, one who loved Him with all his heart. Yes, David, praising God for the teaching of his fingers...that speaks volumes for David's successful walk with the LORD, sinner like me, though he was...he knew how to praise and worship God for every, single, solitary thing! I would love to mirror King David and be called the servant after God's own heart.

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Acts 13:22
 
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