Shlomo HaMelech, alav hashalom, warns every person in this pasuk to do everything he needs to do, all that is in his power in the natural way, and to give over the rest into the hands of Heaven. For a miracle comes only where nature falls short, and man was made, at root, to live by the order of nature. Therefore a person must do the deeds and things that are preparations for attaining what he wants and reaching his heart’s requests. So one who wants to go to war against his enemies should prepare weapons, horses and chariots for the day of battle; for if he does not prepare, and relies on a miracle, he will be handed over to his enemies. Or one who has a sick person should prepare foods and medicines for him to eat, feed him the foods that help and keep from him the foods that harm. And after he has done all he can, tried with all his strength, and made all his preparations in the natural way, he should not trust that he will reach what he wants through anything but Hashem, not through these preparations. For there is a man who is lost in battle with all the preparations, and there is one who is saved without them; there is a sick man who dies with the foods that help, and there is one who is healed with the bad, harmful foods. If so, the essence of salvation, in war and in healing, is not in their preparations, but only in Hashem, as it is written, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Tehillim 147:3), and it is written, “He does not desire the strength of the horse; He does not favor the legs of a man” (Tehillim 147:10), and it is written, “The horse is a false hope for salvation” (Tehillim 33:17). This is the intent of the Torah, and most of the pesukim prove it. And so the Torah commands Yisrael to make the effort of these preparations: to go out armed when they go up to war against their enemies, to set an ambush, and to send spies into the enemy’s cities. For all these things are preparations, doing what is in a person’s power to do in the usual, natural way; and after that, the miracle acts above all the workings of nature. And even though Yisrael did not need this, since their victories did not come in the usual, natural way but according to merit and punishment (if they were deserving, a few of them would defeat many nations, and if they were guilty, a few of the enemy would defeat many of them), even so the Torah’s command came to Yisrael to make every effort with these preparations, and afterward to give the matter over to the One to whom salvation belongs; for the Torah never relies on a miracle. For this reason HaKadosh Baruch Hu commanded Noach to make the ark. It is well known that it was in His power to bring Noach and his sons across the waters of the Flood on foot, and Noach would not have needed to act in the natural way and make an ark of a certain wood, of a certain length and width. But the Torah commands us in this, that we make the effort of preparation in every matter, and with all our effort, our emunah must be that the essence of salvation is not in them, but only in Hashem. This is what Shlomo said here, “A horse is made ready for the day of battle, but salvation is Hashem’s.”