Some trust in chariots and some inhorses, But we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright. Psalm 20:7-8
David makes a timeless declaration about hope, faith, trust, and where we put our confidence. He could not be any clearer or relevant. We can either trust God or worldly power and might, but not both.
The horse and chariot meant military power, but also speaks to technology. When the Israelites were coming into Canaan they lacked such weapons of war. They had to stay in the hill country because they feared the iron chariots with which the Canaanites ruled the plains (Joshua 17:16-18).
The kings of Israel were forbidden from acquiring many horses, and were not to go back to Egypt to get them (Deuteronomy 17:16). The supreme military equipment of the day was not to be their security or confidence.
Today, the temptation is the same as it was 3000 years ago when David penned his song. Worldly power, military might, and technology is the siren call which can lead to the shipwreck of our faith in God. We cannot trust God, as made known in Christ and living in us through the Spirit, and look to these other sources for hope and security.
Governments, social institutions, political parties, financial markets, wealth, advancements in technology, and human ingenuity are the horses and chariots in which we are tempted to trust rather than in God. But David emphasizes, concerning those who place their confidence in these earthly things, “they have bowed down and fallen.”
All will fall who bow to the powers of this world. They are relying on what is ultimately fragile and untrustworthy. The promise these offer is hollow. But in contrast, David states that those who trust in God “have risen and stood upright.”
Israel wanted a king like all the other nations. In this desire they were rejecting of God (1Samuel 8:7). We cannot serve God and mammon, is how Jesus puts our choice (Matthew 6:24).
The church has struggled ever since Constantine made Christianity the religion of the empire, tempted by the false hope of trusting in horses and chariots. Too many Christians today, if you listen carefully to what they talk about, put their confidence in political leaders, a reformed judiciary, legislative measures, a national identity, a particular market philosophy and the wealth they believe it will generate, and human advancements in science and technology.
A church free from an obsession with horses and chariots will focus on the actual teachings of Jesus, carefully following them even when they contradict the dogmas of contemporary society. They will be of a kingdom that is not of this world.