War Continually
OCTOBER 22, 2026
SCRIPTURE COLLECTION
Today's Scripture Passage
Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Psalm 17:13-15
Related Scriptures:
Matthew 6:19-21
Colossians 3:1-4
Romans 12:2
Proverbs 13:10
1 Timothy 6:9-10
Titus 3:3
Notes & Reflections
War Continually
In 1 John 1:15-17, we hear John say this,
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life —is not from the father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
When men love the world, they fight to have the world. To be in love with this world is to take on the position of self-protection and to be desire focused. If what you and I ultimately treasure are things that are temporal, even our own life, then life itself, becomes a competition and straining after the preservation of the things we love.
James says this is the reason for every fight: our warring desires (James 4:1). This sheds light on why there is so much violence in the world around us. Men and women want things, can’t have them, hate those who do have them, so they hurt and kill to get what they want.
To love the world as our greatest treasure is to be at war continually.
As David is running from Saul, a man who thinks himself a victim and a man who wants to be king, he is constantly met with a man (Saul) who is fighting for his desires. David calls the men chasing him, “men of the world” and “whose portion is in this life.”
These men love the world and have set all their hope in the things that they can attain from it. Things like power, pleasure, wealth, beauty, and what the Psalmist says, a “womb full of treasure,” their children and even their extending family line.
David is a threat to this. Indeed, they would want their children to be royalty. They want their sons to be kings. They worship and serve the creature rather than the creator and David says, “confront him, subdue him!” He wants to be delivered from this kind of “world obsessed” rage, because their values are not his values.
David loves God, not the world.
For David, He has his heart and mind set on the day he will see his treasure, God, face-to-face. He says, “I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”
David can see how the world is a place that continually leads men to dissatisfaction. Men aimlessly devour each other for things that rot. He sees how easily they can turn on him and how fleeting their joy is in the things they fight for. Indeed, throughout this whole Psalm he is keeping his eyes fixed on where true joy and satisfaction comes from, his God.
We watch him cry out in faith for God to act on his behalf, he says he has a just cause. He holds fast to the Lord’s steadfast love and personal care. He can see what wickedness offers men, and through all of this, he gives us a clear message: God will get me through this and if I have Him, I have all I need.
I pray that we agree with him.
Cling to Christ!
Why can't the things of this world truly satisfy us?
Because earthly things were never meant to be our ultimate treasure but were meant to point us to continual satisfaction in the one who gives them, God. He is the only one who satisfies the human soul.
Study Questions
QUESTION 01
What desires can lead us into conflict with others?
QUESTION 02
Why can't earthly treasures provide lasting satisfaction?
QUESTION 03
How does treasuring God change the way we live?
How To Cling Today
Cling to Christ today by not chasing what this world offers, but what he offers.
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