How many times has God been His people's Deliverer?
He was there to deliver the Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt. He brought the Israelites safely into the Promised Land. He rescued them from the hand of the Philistines, and Amalekites, and Jebusites, and countless other tribes. In the Bible, He saved them from the clutches of such empires as the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans (to say nothing of modern-day persecutors.) Whether through Mordecai and Esther or from Samson's jawbone of an ass or by David's sling and five smooth stones, God is at work to deliver His people. The ultimate example of this is the cross of Christ.
The Psalmist recognizes God's ability to rescue His people. When he sings, "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us...", we get the idea that God's intervention prevented a slaughter (vs. 2). God does many things for His people, of course, but a big part of His mercy is protection and deliverance from overpowering threats. "Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth" (vs. 6). Thanks to God, the people have escaped out of a snare like a freed bird. Because of God's amazing deliverance, His people can say, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (vs. 8).
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