Horses are remarkably powerful beasts that have supplemented military operations for millennia. Warhorses are mentioned in the Bible all the way back to Exodus and they continued as an integral military tool until the end of the 19th century. Lighter horses were used for scouting and raiding while heavier ones were ridden by armed soldiers. They pulled chariots into battle and preceded infantry assaults by breaking through enemy lines. Because of their imposing size and overwhelming strength, they were also used for “shock combat.” Even today in cities where large crowds gather it is not uncommon for police departments to maintain a mounted patrol. The horse’s ability to intimidate is useful as a deterrent to crime and to reroute unruly groups of pedestrians.
Horses are a gift from God, but like anything with an abundance of power, they were a source of temptation for many that owned them. To own warhorses was to have strength, force and potency at your command. One would not think that merely having access to that would be a sin, but God could see the iniquity that preceded a potential abuse of power. It was a sin of the heart. Specifically, it was a sin of self-reliance.
God’s covenant with His people included an inheritance of people and land. In preparation to give them a king that would rule over both, He included some strict guidelines. The instructions were about the identity of the king and, well, his horses.
“When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ (Deut. 17:14–16)
The king was to be chosen from among the people and he must not “acquire many horses for himself” or go back to Egypt “to acquire many horses.” Even though God was installing a king and endowing him with authority to govern the people, He wanted to take away the temptation for him to rely on his own strength. God was trying to keep the king from sinful self-reliance.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. (Ps. 33:17)
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Ps. 20:7)
Notice how the psalmist associates a warhorse with false hope and misplaced trust. Possession of many horses led to a sinful independence instead of a legitimate confidence in the providence of God. A contrasting perspective of God’s gifts is found in Proverbs 21:31. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” Here the author acknowledges the existence of a valuable resource (the horse) yet places his hope and trust in God for the outcome.
What are the horses in your life? In what do you place your confidence? Is it your finances? Is it your spouse? Does your confidence in the future hinge on political elections? When your stable is full (finances in order, marriage healthy, your candidate in office), do you find that you are more independent and lean less on God? Like horses, these are great things, but they cannot rescue.
Take time to thoughtfully consider the many resources God has given you. After giving thanks for them, ask yourself if you if have been guilty of prideful self-reliance simply because you have them. If those were taken away it would certainly result in pain and disappointment, but would your confidence in the outcome of your future be shaken? Rid yourself of hope in horses and establish your trust exclusively in God. While you’re at it, thank God for the resources He has not given you. Dependence on God is of greater value than any horse you could ever own.
The psalmist who wrote that the horse is a false hope for salvation provides the alternative a few verses later. Praise God that He redirects your sinful independence to reliance on Him.
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Ps. 33:20–22)