Episode Transcript
Psalm 60 (ESV)
1O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; oh, restore us.
2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair its breaches, for it totters.
3 You have made your people see hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah
5 That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
6 God has spoken in his holiness:
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
CONSIDER
Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. He holds the Methodist Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School and served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary for fifteen years. She is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to fruition the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. We will share some of their writing on the Psalms on Sundays.
Psalm 60 is a battle psalm reflecting a number of battles recorded for us in 2 Samuel 8. David and his armies were occupied in the north fighting against the Syrians. In the midst of this he gets word that the Edomites have attacked Israel in the south, perhaps Jerusalem itself. In addition, verse 2 of the psalm indicates that there was a major earthquake that shook the land. David is feeling that everything is going against him. Indeed, the first five verses of this psalm are dominated by direct accusations against God: “You have rejected us” (v. 1); “you have been angry” (v. 1); “You have shaken the land and torn it open” (v. 2); “You have shown your people desperate times” (v. 3); and “you have given us wine that makes us stagger” (v. 3). Perhaps you have felt this way. You look around and everything seems to be going wrong. Isn’t God sovereign? Isn’t he the Lord of the universe? Why doesn’t he act? Does he even know what I’m going through? The Psalms never sanitize the raw emotions that sometimes erupt in our experience. The truth of the matter is that our timetable is so often at odds with God’s timetable. We see things from a very narrow perspective, whereas God sees things from the vast eternity of his unfolding purposes. At best, we can only analyze situations with three or four contingencies in mind (if this would happen, then that would be the result; but if that happens, this might result, etc.). In contrast, God infinitely knows every possible contingency and can always achieve his final purposes, despite all possible exertions of human will and plans.
Verse 6 should be viewed as a massive, crashing in-breaking of God’s Word into the desperate cries of David and the tiny perspective we have on history. We will encounter this dramatic, divine interruption again in Psalm 69, but here in Psalm 60, God’s voice thunders forth: “God has spoken from his sanctuary” (v. 6). What follows is a verbal, rushing waterfall of words that spill across the song, each and every phrase demonstrating God’s sovereignty over Israel’s enemies: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem . . . Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my wash-basin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph” (vv. 6–8). God is the only true warrior in the universe; all others will, in the end, be tossed aside. This is why the last verse of the psalm concludes with new, even bold, confidence by David: “With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies” (v. 12). Our problems and challenges are quite different from David’s, but the final confident conclusion belongs to us all!
For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent
HYMN
Sing Psalm 60 with the Seedbed Psalter today. We suggest the tune ST. ANNE ("O God, Our Help in Ages Past"). You can hear the tunes played online by Julie here. If you listen to the podcast audio version, we will sing the psalm using these tunes. For your convenience, the words from the Psalter are printed below.
1 O God, You have rejected us, and scattered us abroad.
You have been very angry but return to us, O God.
2 For You have made the earth to quake, and torn it open wide;
Now heal its fractures, for it shakes and cannot long abide.
3 You’ve shown Your people desperate times, and hardship on them sent;
And You have made us drink the wine of staggering lament.
4 And yet a banner You have giv’n to those who do fear You;
That it may be displayed abroad, and witness to Your truth. Selah
5 Save us and help with Your right hand; O hear and answer me,
That those You love may come to be delivered and set free.
6 God spoke from His most holy place, “In triumph I will move;
I’ll parcel out both Shechem and the Valley of Succoth.
7 “Now Gilead is Mine by right; Manasseh Mine shall be;
My helmet’s E-phra-im, and Judah will my scepter be.”
8 “Moab’s My washbowl, and My shoe on Edom I will throw;
I’ll shout over Philistia; in triumph I will go.”
9 Who will bring me in strength up to the city fortified?
And who will be the one that can to Edom lead and guide?
10 Is it not You, O God, who did reject and spurn us so?
Will You not now return, O God, forth with our armies go?
11 O give us help against the foe, for human help is vain.
12 Through God we’ll gain the victory; He’ll tread our foes again.
