A New Misuse
With all the recent discussion about the place that Christianity has and ought to have in our culture, there is one verse that is seeing more citation than normal.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7
I believe the way many are using this verse misses the point. Namely, it is often used in the context of criticizing methods rather than where one puts their faith. The problem is, this verse isn’t talking about the use of horses and chariots being the issue. It’s where trust is being placed that is in context.
How Did David Fight?
David was the one who wrote this Psalm. His army was equipped with weapons for battle. He wouldn’t look down his nose at those who strapped on armor and marched because they were “trusting too much” in their swords for victory. He even led them into many battles himself! One time, however, he was guilty of the thing this verse warns against.
In 1 Chronicles 21, we have an account of David seeking to know how many men he would have available for war if he decided to draft all able-bodied men. He wanted to know how mighty an army he would have at his disposal should he go to war. The problem is, the might of his army came from God rather than from the number of men he had available! He lost a number of those very men in a plague God sent as punishment for this faithlessness.
Look how Gideon handled the numbers game. He started out with 32,000 to fight a battle where they would be outnumbered dramatically and by the time God was done he was down to 300. Yet, trusting in God rather than strength of numbers, he won that battle!
He Still Went to Battle
God can use few or many to get the victory. He can use footmen or chariots. He can use well-armed warriors or a shepherd boy with a sling and a few stones he finds laying around. Yet when the time for battle came David gathered those he could, recognized the men of valor, and armed his military with the best equipment they had available.
He didn’t just say, “God has called us to fight this battle, but he gets the victory, so we’re going to wait it out here in the comfort of home”. He trusted in God enough to do what he was told with everything he had. He knew that God had called for him to bend the bow just as he knew that he bent the bow by the power of that same God.
He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Psalm 18:34
Who Is Faithful?
Beware of those who use this verse as a grounds for questioning methods. If a method is immoral according to God, than by all means point to those verses. However, this verse is not a problem of methods but of the object of our faith.
Many a person lacking in faith that God is responsible for outcomes looks around with hopelessness at the odds that anything we do could lead to good in our current situation. They throw this verse at the man who faithfully rides out to battle, because the faithless man assumes he must be trusting too much in his horse to ride out into such odds.
He is guilty of the very thing that this verse is talking about! He sees that the enemy seems so “better” equipped and assumes the situation is hopeless. His own trust in chariots and horses is why he will not march, because he believes his own are no match for those of his opponents.
Those who trust in the name of the Lord our God do not hesitate when called to stand firm, because we don’t have to run through another equipment check and roll call to make sure we’re ready. We’re ready with whatever we have, because we have all we need in God.
