The Broken Arms of the Wicked, the Support of the Righteous

The psalmist speaks of 'the arms of the wicked' being broken—and by arms, understand all their implements of strength. These arms include their valor, their power, their wit, their wealth, their abundance. These are the only supports the ungodly possess to bear themselves up in the world. But when these arms—this entire arsenal of self-reliance—shall be broken, God will not abandon His righteous. Instead, He becomes their perpetual foundation.

Consider the contrast Thomas Brooks illuminates: the wicked depend upon themselves. Their strength is finite, their resources depletable, their schemes vulnerable to collapse. But the righteous depend upon Elohim, who is 'a continual overflowing fountain of good' to those who fear Him. While every spring of the wicked dries up around them, while their confidence crumbles and their treasures fail, God sustains the righteous with inexhaustible provision.

This is not mere encouragement for the afflicted—it is a declaration of reality. The arms of the wicked shall be broken because they are built upon sand. But God underprops hypokatastasis—literally 'supports from beneath'—the righteous with His own unchanging character. They shall never want. Their security rests not in temporal advantages but in the infinite sufficiency of the Lord Himself.