9 Because of [m]his strength I will watch for You,
For God is my stronghold.
10 [n]My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon [o]my foes.
11 Do not slay them, or my people will forget;
[p]Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
12 [q]On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be caught in their pride,
And on account of curses and [r]lies which they utter.
13 [s]Destroy them in wrath, [t]destroy them that they may be no more;
That men may know that God [u]rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And go around the city.
15 They wander about [v]for food
And [w]growl if they are not satisfied.16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my stronghold, the [x]God who shows me lovingkindness.
The fate of those who choose their way over God’s way leads to an interesting word picture in vv. 14-15. It’s odd to think of people (or even a dog) growling if they are not satisfied, but think of a dog that is fighting over scraps. Or even with people, think of those who are not “satisfied”, they are apt to grumble and complain over what they get.
The footnotes for this verse add more color yet. These folks are not content to “wander about for food”, rather they seek to “devour” anything they find, and they’ll “wait all night” if necessary. This is a ravenous hunger, the insatiable lust of those who feed their own cravings. Nothing is ever enough, no one can ever fill the empty longing in their soul.
Yet, there is one who can satisfy our souls, who even offers it freely, not growling or grudgingly. We must give up our own appetites and we will find living water, like the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. And later, when his disciples offered him food, Jesus was already full, having done the work of his Father.
How about you? Are you tired of never having enough, of the unquenchable desire for more? We can find true joy in His strength, true belonging in His lovingkindness. His grace will cause us to “sing in the morning”, and God alone is our great refuge of strength. He alone can sustain us and it’s time we gave up accepting cheap substitutes.