You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.
2 You have shaken our land and split it open.
Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.
3 You have been very hard on us,
making us drink wine that sent us reeling.
4 But you have raised a banner for those who fear you -a rallying point in the face of attack.
5 Now rescue your beloved people.
Answer and save us by your power.
6 God has promised this by his holinesst:
“I will divide up Shechem with joy.
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine,
and Manasseh, too.
Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors,
and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.
8 But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant,
and I will wipe my feet on Edom
and shout in triumph over Philistia.”
9 Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me victory over Edom?
10 Have you rejected us, O God?
Will you no longer march with our armies?
11 Oh, please help us against our enemies,
for all human help is useless.
12 With God’s help we will do mighty things,
for he will trample down our foes.
Psalm 60 tells me that God is always in control and He allows the enemy to challenge me to keep me close to Him.
Before the days of Saul, Israel had been brought very low. During Saul's government, it had suffered from internal strife and bickering, and his reign was closed by an overwhelming disaster at Gibeon. David found himself the possessor of a tottering throne, troubled with the double evil of division in the government, and invasion from abroad. He traced at once the evil to its true source, and began at its orgins. David had the politics of holiness before God, which are still the wisest and most profound. He knew that the displeasure of the Lord had brought calamity upon the nation, and to the remove of that displeasure - he and the nation must be in prayer before God.
God fulfilled His promise to David (2 Sam 7:10-11) that the Israelites' enemies would be defeated and would no longer oppress Israel. But it was not without cost. The combined Aramean tribes sought to overcome Israel. When Joab, David's chief officer, was needed elsewhere (he was fighting in another region) the enemies of Israel took advantage of his absence; but on his return with Abishai, the fortunes of war were changed; Israel was smote Edom in the Valley of Salt. The Psalm commemorates a memorable part of the conflict. The battle must have been terrible, but is was decisive, and the power of the enemy was utterly broken.
This is a familiar scene in our lives today. We know the promises of God are true, we rely on them. Yet there are fierce times during our 'battles' or trials - when all seems to be lost - and yet God turns the worst battle or trail into a victory, His victory. God's all surpassing strength is always with us. Dear Lord, "Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless". Amen!
