Stretch out your hand from on high

Psalm 143 and 144: These are the last two psalms before the six thanksgiving and hymn psalms that close out Book V and the whole psalter.  Psalm 143 continues some of the themes from the previous two: God as refuge, enemies in pursuit, pleas for help, and being crushed to the ground or languishing in the pit.  Psalm 144, a royal lament, has some elements characteristic of the divine warrior myth, especially the storm theopany in verse 5-7. God is asked to interview with smoke and lightning against the enemies of Israel, here referred to in the mythic pattern as mighty waters, says Walker-Jones. He says that the praise following God's intervention  in v. 9 and the blessing and fertility in verses12-15 follow that mythic pattern. I like the image of God stretching a hand from on high to rescue the psalmist, bridging the gap between God and humans. The psalmist's hope for sons and daughter, and full barn and healthy livestock is a concrete example of blessings from God, along with the following hope for a stable future: "May there be no breach in the wall, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets." (v. 14).