Psalms 60:1-12
To the Chief Musician. Set to "Lily of the Testimony." A Michtam of David. For teaching. When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1 O God, You have cast us off;
You have broken us down;
You have been displeased;
Oh, restore us again!
2 You have made the earth tremble;
You have broken it;
Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
3 You have shown Your people hard things;
You have made us drink the wine of confusion.
4 You have given a banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth.
Selah
5 That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and hear me.
6 God has spoken in His holiness:
"I will rejoice;
I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
Judah is My lawgiver.
8 Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me."
9 Who will bring me to the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
11 Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
12 Through God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
This wisdom psalm was specifically written for teaching, or later seen as valuable to instruct the hearers and readers. It teaches about the victory of the LORD when all seems hopeless and the battle may be lost because of sin of God’s people as well as individuals in the one nation which was ruled by Him as that chosen people. It begins with the defeat of being seemingly cast off by the Lord because of His displeasure with His people. The psalmist cries out for restoration, and that not for the first time, as the plea says ‘restore us again.’ The Lord tears down and builds back up again, for this is a reminder to recognize the sovereignty and forgiveness of God over His chosen ones. The deliverance is as in Psalm 108:6–13, to save His beloved as an answer to prayer. This is our prayer for salvation, but also for daily deliverance from our own sin and from our adversaries as God’s called and chosen in Christ (Matthew 22:14, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 17:14) as now also a part of His people along with Israel (1 Peter 2:10). Though His people were given difficult things and confused by them, in the end God delivered them over and over, giving them this banner of truth to display victory to the enemy. We have the banner of Christ’s victory over us all now as a far greater one, over sin’s bondage and punishment, over eternal death in suffering, and with the prize of eternity in God’s presence in Christ (Philippians 3:12, 14)! Meditate on these things for a moment. Then remember how He saves His beloved with His mighty right hand of power, omnipotent and eternally effectual. His will to deliver is certain because of His holiness which assures the promise promises are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20), just as He worked in the tribes of Israel mentioned here. Who gives victory after our defeat? It is the LORD our God who fights the battles. He gives us help in our troubles of adversity, not men such as politicians or armies. Man’s assistance is ineffectual. God’s is eternally effectual for our salvation and sanctification. Through Him in Christ we will continue to do valiantly for the truth of the gospel, knowing He alone rescues lost sinners from their plight of God’s wrath and judgment to come, all by His mercy and forgiving grace of His hand; pray that we may bear witness of that saving grace to rest in His work to deliver (John 6:29). Let us be valiant for the truth as we learn from the hard things of our own shortcoming, with virtue and in His strength (Philippians 4:13).
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