Reflections on Psalms 60

 Psalms 60(Contemporary English Version)

1. (For the music leader. To the tune "Lily of the Promise." A special psalm by David for teaching. He wrote it during his wars with the Arameans of northern Syria, when Joab came back and killed twelve thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.) You, God, are angry with us! We are rejected and crushed. Make us strong again!
   
2. You made the earth shake and split wide open; now heal its wounds and stop its trembling.
   
3. You brought hard times on your people, and you gave us wine that made us stagger.
   
4. You gave a signal to those who worship you, so they could escape from enemy arrows.
   
5. Answer our prayers! Use your powerful arm and give us victory. Then the people you love will be safe.
   
6. Our God, you solemnly promised, "I would gladly divide up the city of Shechem and give away Succoth Valley piece by piece.
   
7. The lands of Gilead and Manasseh are mine. Ephraim is my war helmet, and Judah is the symbol of my royal power.
   
8. Moab is merely my washbasin. Edom belongs to me, and I shout in triumph over the Philistines."
   
9. Our God, who will bring me to the fortress, or lead me to Edom?
   
10. Have you rejected us and deserted our armies?
    
11. Help us defeat our enemies! No one else can rescue us.
    
12. You will give us victory and crush our enemies.

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Psalm 60 is considered to be a didactic or teaching psalm. David was teaching that both victory and defeat in battle come from the Lord. Of course, this can be applied to victory and defeat in life. The occasion to which he refers was an experience in both victory and defeat. On this occasion, David had taken his army to the north to wage war against the Arameans and while he was away Edom invaded Judah.

This invasion led to David's cry to God, "God, You have rejected us; You have broken out against us; You have been angry. Restore us!" (60:1) He continued in this vein through verse 4: "You have shaken the land and split it open." (vs. 2); "You have made Your people suffer hardship." (vs. 3); "You have given a signal flag to those who fear You, so that they can flee before the archers." (vs. 4) This last statement is rather obscure, but is generally understood to mean that the banner God had raised for Israel which is usually raised in victory was instead a banner of defeat signaling retreat before the archers of her enemies. If this understanding is correct, it would be a statement of sarcasm.

Whether or not David was being sarcastic and maybe angry with God, he knew God to be his only hope for rescue from this defeat. In the next verse he prayed for God to "Save with Your right hand, and answer me, so that those You love may be rescued." He then quoted the words of the Lord stating that all nations were His and He would take the land of Israel's enemies and apportion it to Israel who He had chosen for it. This was a promise which David was claiming for God's deliverance in the face of Israel's present defeat. "Who will lead me to Edom?" David asks. "Is it not You, God, who have rejected us?" (60:9, 10) So David was crediting God for their defeat by Edom but also looking to Him for victory against Edom in retaliation. "With God," he says, "we will perform valiantly; He will trample our foes." (60:12)

David did not mention any sin for which he thought God had brought defeat on Israel. He may not have known or even felt it to be a result of sin. But what he did know was that God is sovereign and whether Israel experienced victory or defeat God was in control. Therefore he would remain focused on God. Anger with God for allowing the defeat would not bring him rescue from the defeat nor would it bring future victory. He would keep looking to God who was his help.