I guess, using the imagery of a boxer fighting on against the relentless blows from an opponent in the boxing ring, J.B. Phillips translated Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 as follows:
We are handicapped on all sides, but we are never frustrated; we are puzzled, but never in despair. We are persecuted, but we never have to stand it alone: we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out!
It is a picture of incredible resilience! Despite everything his opponent throws at him (whether that be from the evil one, gentile persecutors or even fellow Jews who had no faith in Jesus), Paul considered that nothing would stop him trusting in and serving Jesus.
When we turn to Psalm 129, we see a similar attitude. Read the words of the psalmist below:
1 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
let Israel say;
2 “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
3 Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
4 But the Lord is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
Certainly, the history of the Jewish nation had been full of difficulties. Sadly, some the consequences of their own poor decision making and lack of faith in Yahweh, but much also coming from their enemies along the way, up to the day when the psalmist wrote these words. But as Broyles says, “Their history is [also] one of resilience.”
He continues:
“Part of the attraction of the Psalms is their embrace of pain. Pain’s existence within the believing community is not denied, nor does the presence of suffering itself deny the presence of God. The faith reflected in this psalm is far from naïve and simplistic. It testifies to life’s harsh realities and faith’s own resilience. Hard times are not denied, and their presence does not provide a reason for doubt.” (# 4)
Having spoken of the suffering – Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long (v. 3) – and the Lord’s enabling to not only survive but thrive – he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked (v. 4) – the psalmist now turns to prayer, asking God to bring justice against those who persecute him and the nation. He asks:
5 May all who hate Zion
be turned back in shame.
6 May they be like grass on the roof,
which withers before it can grow;
7 a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8 May those who pass by not say to them,
“The blessing of the Lord be on you;
we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
He asks that “God will bring his righteous judgement full circle: the plowmen who cut the land will themselves become the useless harvest.” Broyles adds, “this reversal is key to the psalm’s development.” (# 4)
This psalm also stresses that the key Person in all these events is God! As Kidner says, “The survival of this people, so hated but so resilient, bore silent witness to their Preserver.” (# 29)
Paul also affirms this truth in 2 Corinthians 4:7 when he states:
This priceless treasure we hold [i.e., the knowledge of the glory of God, as we see it in the face of Jesus Christ], so to speak, in a common earthenware jar—to show that the splendid power of it belongs to God and not to us.
God was (and is) the secret of any resilience we are able to show in the face of suffering.
Paul continues:
We experience death—we give life, by the power of God… Every day we experience something of the death of the Lord Jesus, so that we may also know the power of the life of Jesus in these bodies of ours. Yes, we who are living are always being exposed to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be plainly seen in our mortal lives. (2 Corinthians 4:10-12)
No matter what you may be going through today, and I have friends who are going through very tough times, may you experience his grace and mercy and know his enabling to be resilient in your faith in Him. May you be able to say, I may be knocked down but… never knocked out!
“The blessing of the Lord be on you;
we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Worship and Wisdom - Psalms and Proverbs 