Psalm 145:14 “One Raising Up”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁴The LORD [is] One supporting to the all of ones falling and One raising up to the all of ones being bent down.

This is an interesting verse. First of all, it is written in participles, “-ing” words. There are no verbs in the sentence. I’ve tried to express this in my fairly literal translation above. In my own studies, it has seemed like Hebrew speaking people resorted to participles when they got excited or in any way wanted to express some intensity of emotion. There are still instances of this in the New Testament, such as II Thessalonians 1, where a good part of the chapter appears in Greek to be a single sentence. I would suggest it is written this way because Paul (being a Jew) is writing in Greek but still expressing His Hebrew mind.

And then it is interesting (and instructive) to notice what those participles are. The ones David uses describe the LORD for us as “One supporting” and “One raising up,” while describing us as “ones falling” and “ones being bent down.” Notably, the last one is a passive participle, so “ones being bent down” is literally the idea. The old KJV translated it simply, “All them that be bowed down.” In my mind, that leaves open understanding it as if we are bowing ourselves down – in humility – but that is not the picture. The participle is passive so that the picture is one of us being crushed down by forces outside of ourselves. Other translations include “oppressed, broken down, cast down, bent over.”

Do these words not describe in a nutshell exactly what we find every day in our lives? Do we not find ourselves constantly as “ones falling” and “ones being bent down?” And yet, at the same time, is not the very ground of our hope the belief (and experience) that our God is “One supporting” and “One raising up?” I would suggest we could even go so far as to say the participles are not only describing what we’re doing; they describe who we are…and who He is. We are “ones falling” and He is “One supporting.” It is our (fallen) nature to always be falling. It is His divine nature to be always One supporting. It is His nature. It is who He is. In this world we are “ones being bent down,” while He is “One raising up.” It’s who He is!

Consider this especially in light of our enemy. In Psalm 143:3-6, the psalmist complains, “The enemy hounds me. He crushes me to the ground. He makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead, so that my spirit grows faint within me and my heart within me is stunned.” Satan and this fallen world and even our own sin natures are constantly driving us down. That is why we are “ones being bent down.”  The devil tempts the world with the idea that he offers them freedom and everything good, when in reality his every intent is to drag them down and even kill them if he can. Everything in this fallen world is dragging us down. In another place, the psalmist has to complain, “O my soul, why art thou cast down?” Cast down. We live in a world that would crush us.

We feel it all day every day.

For some people, it becomes so overwhelming, they finally decide to take their own lives.

What are we to do?

The psalmist who cried, “O my soul, why art thou cast down,” went on to answer himself: “Hope thou in God, for He is thy help, …and I shall yet praise Him.” He is “One supporting” us who are “ones falling” and “One raising up” us who are “ones being bent down.” Our God is our hope.

For good reason David says in Psalm 27:13,14: “I would have fainted, except I believed I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Even in the midst of what appears to be hopelessness, even when we feel but a tiny spark of life left in us, completely crushed under this world’s cruel afflictions, yet you and I have hope. “Wait, I say, on the LORD … He shall strengthen thine heart.”

I seem to find, the older I get, the more this really is my hope. I don’t know that I really saw this when I was younger, but now I awaken in the morning and run immediately to this Refuge. I am keenly aware even awaking that “I can’t do this.” I can say, I believe, honestly from my heart I know I am not smart enough, not fast enough, not strong enough. I cannot do this. Life is too much. From the moment I awake, I am aware of this awful crushing load but, and it should be BUT, I have this hope. I know this One who “is supporting” and this One who “is raising up.” I feel David’s words, “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart.”

Day after day after seemingly endless days, He does just that. He does strengthen my heart. Day after day after day ends and I find I did do it! I actually succeeded in the very things I woke up fearing, yet, I am very keenly aware it was not me. I was the “one falling” and the “one being bent down.” It was Him who was “One supporting” and “One raising up.”

What can I say? He is my Refuge, my Rock, my Hope, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Strength, my Shield, my Father, my King, my Savior, …and in the end He Himself is my Exceeding Great Reward.

Lord, You not only are our Hope, You are our only Hope. We each are “ones falling” and “ones being bent down.”  May we find in You our “One raising up.” Those of us who believe have to cry, “Help our unbelief.” As You Yourself said, “Our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak.” Grant us grace to see You every day, to trust You even while we’re being crushed down. Help us to wait on You until we truly do see “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” May we live the words of the song, “Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here. Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.”

One who raises up, please raise us up.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be