The Stouthearted

Psalm 76: 1 – 12

The Stouthearted

To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

1 In Judah God is known; His name Is great in Israel. 2 In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. 3 There He broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of battle. Selah 4 You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. 5 The stouthearted were plundered; They have sunk into their sleep; And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands. 6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep. 7 You, Yourself, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry? 8 You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still, 9 When God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah 10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself. 11 Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them; Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared. 12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

Most of you are aware that for most of my life I have lived in Philly, PA. It is the only place where you can say where you live without saying or spelling the whole location and refer to you state in two letters -PA.

The city which means ‘brotherly love’ which more likely should be called ‘brotherly shove’ must possibly be to your astonishment have had some tremendous culture. For example, in 1927 an operetta called The New Moon debuted in Philadelphia.

It was later turned into a movie in 1940 and the hero was Nelson Eddy whose key role rallies the troops with the song Stouthearted Men.

Even though it is an old movie you can find it on UTube.

What impressed me, and I hope you also were these lyrics.

You who have dreams, if you act they will come true.

To turn your dreams to a fact, it’s up to you.

If you have the soul and the spirit,

Never fear it, you’ll see it thru,

Hearts can inspire, other hearts with their fire,

For the strong obey when a strong man shows them the way.

Give me some men who are stouthearted men,

Who will fight, for the right they adore,

Start me with ten who are stouthearted men,

And I’ll give you ten thousand more.

Shoulder to shoulder and bolder and bolder,

They grow as they go to the fore.

Then there’s nothing in the world can halt or mar a plan,

When stouthearted men can stick together man to man.

Give me some men who are stouthearted men,

Who will fight, for the right they adore,

Start me with ten who are stouthearted men,

And I’ll soon give you ten thousand more.

Shoulder to shoulder and bolder and bolder,

They grow as they go to the fore.

Then there’s nothing in the world can halt or mar a plan,

When stouthearted men can stick together man to man.

This thought my friends are extended to us as we glean from verse 5 which reads, “5 The stouthearted were plundered; They have sunk into their sleep; And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.”

This Psalm was almost certainly written in order to celebrate the great deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrians in the time of King Hezekiah when the angel of YHWH ‘went forth and smote the camp of the Assyrians’ (2 Kings 19.35).

To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

The Psalm is dedicated to the Chief Musician and may have formed part of a collection in his name. It was to be played on stringed instruments and was a Psalm of Asaph and a popular song. It divides up into four stanzas of three verses each:

. God, Who dwells in Zion, has made Himself known by breaking the power of the Assyrians (verses 1-3).

. He has revealed His glory and excellence by leaping on the enemy and ‘putting them to sleep’ (verses 4-6).

. He is to be feared because of His mighty judgment revealed on them (verses 7-9).

. He is to be honored by all as the Great Deliverer (10-12).

The Psalmist celebrates the fact that God dwells among His people in Mount Zion, and has made His greatness known in Israel by breaking the power of the enemy,

1 In Judah God is known; His name Is great in Israel. 2 In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion.