Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 60:1-2 and following. Indeed, reading in 2 Samuel 8:1-18 and 1 Chronicles 18:1-17 the glorious page of David’s victories over the Syrians and the Edomites, who would have thought that on this occasion Israel and his king had gone through such distress (verses 3 to 5 and 12, 13). The victory of the Christian is often preceded by painful inner struggles known to the Lord alone. And part of the spoils conquered in these struggles consists in the lessons that at the same time God makes us learn in the secret of our hearts. It is in this sense that we can understand the expression of Romans 8:31-39 already quoted: to be ” more than victors”. So, this psalm is written especially ” to teach ” (v. 1). David learned, and reminds us, that “the deliverance that comes from man is in vain” (Ps 146:1-4) and that ” through God we will do mighty deeds.”
“You have given a standard to those who fear you to deploy it because of the truth” (v. 6). Let us hold it high and with a firm hand, this banner of truth. The previous psalms introduced us to the individual relationships of the soul with God; these are exercises common to all the people. Let us never lose sight of the unity of the Redeemed of the Lord, their character as “beloved” (verse 7), and the collective witness they are called to bear. Here the faithful of the Jewish remnant beg God to shine again on them his face, which is currently hidden from Israel, as we know (Isaiah 8:17). They are aware that until then everything will go wrong on earth, for Israel is the center of God’s thoughts regarding the earth; and Zion is the place of his earthly rest.
They recognize that they have drunk a wine of stunning, that is, they have reaped the bitter fruit of God’s righteous displeasure. But with all this, they also recognize that those who persevered in His fear felt that He was their banner, because of His truth and faithfulness. It is with increased confidence that they affirm their hope, that of God’s beloved (v. 7). Then God answers from the sanctuary. Their cry awakens him, in a way, to the feeling of his glory, that is, to the feeling that the earth is his heritage. For he now embraces his earthly possessions with his gaze. Shechem, Succoth, Galaad, Manasseh; the lands of Moab and Philistia are now his domain, and he exults at the spectacle of his glory. He rejoices in counting all these countries as his own, at the same time as he anticipates the day when he will mock Edom.
O God! you havepushed us back. In order to arouse both himself and others a more serious consideration of God’s goodness, which they have experienced, he begins the psalm with prayer; and a comparison is instituted, intended to show that Saul’s government had been under divine reprobation. He complains of the sad confusions into which the nation has been thrown, and prays that God will return with mercy and restore his affairs. Some have thought that David is talking here about his own condition of distress: it is not likely. I grant that before ascending the throne he suffered grave afflictions; but in this place he obviously speaks of the whole people as well as of himself. The calamities he describes are such that they extend to the whole kingdom; and I have not the slightest doubt, therefore, that it must be regarded as making a comparison that could illustrate God’s favor, as it had been shown since the first, to his own government.
Moab is the basin where I wash. In proceeding to speak of foreigners, he observes a wide distinction between them and his own compatriots. He would rule Abraham’s seed as brothers and not as slaves; but he was allowed to exercise greater severity over the profane and the uncircumcised, in order to subdue them by force. In this, it offers no precedent for conquerors who would inflict anarchic oppression on nations caught at war; for they want the divine mandate and commission that David had, invested as he was not only with the authority of a king, but with the character of an avenger of the Church, especially of his most implacable enemies, as they had dismissed any feeling of humanity, and persisted in harassing a people descended from the same stock as himself. He remarked, in defiance of the Moabites, that they would be a vessel in which he would wash his feet, washing his feet being, as is known, a customary practice in the Eastern nations.
With the same point of view, he talks about throwing his shoe at Edom. This expresses reproach and suggests that, as he once insulted God’s chosen people, he should now be reduced to bondage. The following about Palestina is ambiguous. By some, the lyrics are taken ironically, as if David was mocking the boasts of the Philistines, who constantly assailed him with all the petulance they could command. And the verb usually means to shout in triumph, and also to make an uproar, as soldiers when they rush into battle. Others, without assuming any ironic allusion, take the words as they are, and interpret them as meaning servile applause; as stubbornly as they hated his domination, they would be forced to salute and applaud him as the victor. Thus, in Psalm 18:44, it says, “The sons of strangers shall feign submission to me.”
Who will lead me to the strong city? Anticipating an objection that could be alleged, he declares that he turned to God for the accomplishment of what remained to be done in the capture of the fortified places of his enemies, and the consolidation of his victories. It can be said that, as a considerable number continue to resist his claims, the confident terms he used are precoces. God, however, had promised his word that any nation that opposed him would be brought under his power, and in the face of the remaining difficulties and dangers, he was advancing with certainty and success.
He declares that the same God who had crowned his arms with victory in the open field would lead him to the siege of these cities. In order to prove his legitimate appeal to the government, he amplified a second time the marks of the divine favor he had received, opposing it to that which preceded him. “God,” he said, “who had once rejected us and abandoned us to an unsuccessful war, will now open before me the doors of hostile cities and allow me to pierce all their fortifications.”
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
God responds to His defeated people :
· Divine discontent, because of sin
Ps 60:3 O God! you have repelled us, scattered us, You have irritated you: lift us up! Isa 59:15 The truth has disappeared, and he who moves away from evil is stripped away. -The Lord sees, with an indignant gaze, that there is no more righteousness. Zech 1:2,15 The Lord was very irritated against your fathers. 15 and I am seized with great irritation against the proud nations; for I was only slightly irritated, but they contributed to evil. Mk 10:14 Jesus, seeing this, was outraged, and said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not prevent them from doing so; for the kingdom of God is for those who resemble them.
· Afflictions, the cup of suffering, the saints drink
Ps 73:10 That is why His people turn to their side, He swallows the water abundantly, Ps 80:6 You feed them with a loaf of tears. You tear them to the fullest. Mt 20:22 Jesus answered: You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I need to drink? We can, they said. John 18:11 Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword back into the sheath. Won’t I drink the cup that the Father gave me to drink?
· Powerful divine hand
Ps 89:14 Your arm is powerful, Your hand strong, your right upright. Ps 118:15 Cries of triumph and salvation rise in the tents of the righteous: The right hand of the Lord manifests its power! John 10:29 My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one can take them from my Father’s hand. 1 Pet 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may lift you up at the right time;
· Divine protector, God of battles
Ex 23:27 I will send my terror before you, I will rout all the peoples to whom you arrive, and I will turn my back on you to all your enemies. 2 Sam 5:24 When you hear a sound of footsteps in the tops of the mulberry trees, then hurry, for it is the Lord who walks before you to defeat the army of the Philistines. 2 Ch 20:29 Jehovah’s terror took over all the kingdoms of other lands when they learned that Jehovah had fought against the enemies of Israel. 2 Ch 32:8 With him is an arm of flesh, and with us the Lord, our God, who will help us and fight for us. The people trusted the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
From all the above, we note that ceci perhaps evokes the triumphant attitude of the powerful angel (Christ) in Rev 10:1-3: there, Christ anticipates with a voice of triumph the day when he will inherit the earth. And this is often the case. Let a poor woman touch him in the crowd and Jesus is immediately aware of it, and the return of the repentant prodigal son fills the house of the Father with new joys. The same is true here. The prayers of the residue, the hopes and requests that the beloved expresses on earth draw God’s attention to his earthly possessions, and give him the opportunity to rejoice and exult in them. At the hearing of this voice speaking in the sanctuary, the Messiah, in spirit, enters this circle of deep and ardent affections, sighing after the day of the battle in the land of Edom, on which he must throw his sandal (Isaiah 63:1). He waits “until his enemies are stepped on with his feet.” He is filled with zeal to confront the enemy, knowing that with the help of the God of Israel victory is assured. For inPs 60, the residue acknowledges that God has rejected him; his only hope is that God will turn back to him. This is what constitutes the justice of Israel as a nation: no search for further help, no spirit of rebellion; but the acceptance of the punishment of their iniquity. So, God placed His banner in Israel; he is their Jehovah-Nisi (Ex. 17:15). They are now looking to Him, and the end of the Psalm shows us God, affirming His right to the land of promise. Victory will be given to Israel by him. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “Prayer for the oppressed people and the devastated sanctuary. “
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.