From my prayer journal this morning, a meditation on 2 Sam 10, Ps 60 and Ezekiel's visions of God's throne...
Then back to the campaigns of David with Psalm 60. Which interestingly enough makes it sound as if they lost or were losing or the battles didn’t go as swimmingly as 2 Samuel makes it sound. “You have rallied those who fear you round a banner out of bowshot, so that your beloved ones may be rescued.” vs 4,5 A broken formation runs for its life as the archers pour arrow after arrow, as fast as they can knock, pull and release, into the lighter armor on the backs of the fleeing. But then a banner raises up in their seeing. It stands proud and tall and unfaltering and they recognize it and flee toward it. And run beyond the arrows, re-muster, reform and gain strength and courage from their commander who reorders them for a second push. Gathers the remnant to himself and forges it into a spear. And now the enemy pursuers have lost formation, they have lost the integrity of their lines and each the help of his neighbor. Now a hardened, orderly, cohesive phalanx can turn and break them into flight and cut them down on the retreat, one by one.
The banner, or better yet, your mobile throne, your chariot which Zeke saw, born up above the cherubim and the wheelwork. If we were fleeing and saw this! This would be the shadow we would gather under. This would be the wings we would take refuge under. “And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, holy and true Lord, will you not judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” And to each one of them a white robe was given, and it was said to them that they should rest yet a short time, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they had been were completed also.” Rev 6:9-11 Those slaughtered for your name are surely gathering under your banner and out of bowshot.
