“Who hath believed our report? And to whom
is the arm of the Lord revealed? For He shall
grow up before Him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground”
Isaiah 53:1-2
“That our sons may be as plants
grown up in their youth.”
Psalm 144:12
Except in the case of the blessed Lord Jesus, the dry ground of this earth does not produce a tender plant. This earth had no nourishment for the Son of God. He was from above (John 8:23), and the motive and mission of His life was to do the will of His Father and to finish that work (John 4:34). The tenderness of the plant belied the strength of the arm that it revealed. Man, on the contrary, is “like to vanity” (Psa.144:4). He needs the “arm of the Lord” (Isa. 53:1) for his deliverance: “Send Thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me” (Psa. 144:7). Amazingly, it is in this environment that “our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth” (Psa.144:12). How can any of this be? It is through the blessed Lord, our strength, “which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” (Psa. 144:1).
The “garners” must be full (Psa. 144:13) to feed the children. A depleted storehouse results in famine of soul. Is it possible that our children might more readily decide to feed in the fields of Moab (Ruth 1:1), if the plowing, sowing, and reaping are not done at home? The “oxen” (Psalm 144:14) are for the cultivation of the field to fill the garners and subsequently provide food for the children so that there might not be any “going out” to the fields of Moab in search of fulfillment. And if the “sacrifice and service of your faith” (Phil. 2:17) be offered up, “Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psa.144:15).