The False Hope of a War Horse (Psalm 33:17)

“The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.” 

Psalm 33:17

In ancient times the war horse was a sign of military power and therefore security from one’s enemies. If you had many chariots, you could be cheerful: you were safe and protected. Here, the psalmist shows us what a war horse really is: “a false hope for salvation.” He is saying, “it is just a horse. That is all.” Yes, in reality, a war horse is nothing more than a galloping animal that cannot speak nor command. The human controls where it goes. It cannot direct. It cannot save in and of itself. It is just a horse. A neighing horse.

The psalmist asks, “Why trust in such a helpless, galloping animal that merely has the appearance of strength?” To relate, the question we must ask ourselves today is this: what are the “war horses” I look to for security, comfort, peace, happiness—and yes—even salvation? What in my life has the appearance of strength, yet, when all the armor is removed, is nothing more than a temporal flash of comfort and security? Is it your job? Your success? The number in your bank account? The stock market? Your hope for a future political situation? The list goes on.

The false hope of war horses can be even more subtle than these, like a Trojan horse sneaking into the fortress of our souls. If not checked, it becomes a parasite. Do you trust in your good deeds, the rush of charity you feel after you do something nice for someone else? This will fail, because your good deeds are “dirty rags” before the Lord (Isa 64:6). Do you trust in your self-righteousness, the checklist of spiritual obligations you complete every week? These too will fail, because “no one is righteous, no not one” (Rm 3:10). Do you trust in the affirmation and praise of others, looking everyday for cheap “likes” and compliments? These too are a false hope, for you have now become a slave of “pleasing people” (Gal 1:10). 

Indeed, if you but search, there are many “war horses” in your life prancing around, promising to provide for you only what the Lord can. Stop these in their tracks for what they are: false hopes of salvation. Instead, turn to the Lord Jesus today, who himself rides on top of the war horse with the name of “Faithful and True,” with flashing eyes and a burning tongue of justice and deliverance (Rev 19:11). Trust in this Savior, the one who can provide living water to your soul that never runs dry (Jn 4:14) and bread of life which daily nourishes your hungry soul (Jn 6:35). He alone can be the rightful King of your life. His arm alone can rescue you from these false hopes of salvation. Why trust in a horse when you have the Almighty? Why trust lesser, temporal things when you have the eternal, life-giving Creator with you always, to the end of the age?