Psalm 60:1-12 NKJV
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.
David’s path to victory against the nations was not without defeats. David acknowledged the Lord had shown His people hard things that confused them, tempting them to doubt His promises. Rather than letting that confusion grow into doubt and unbelief, David prays that God would restore Israel and confidently proclaims what God had said in his holiness: “Moab is My washpot; over Edom I will cast My shoe; Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me. Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?” (8-9). David used this word to exercise himself and his men, so that despite the hard things and confusion God had shown them, they would yet trust God, not the help of man. By God, they would do valiantly. With His help, they would gain victory over their enemies.
Christians are not called to wage war against the unbelieving nations. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, even when it is flesh and blood men who persecute us. Our fight is against the devil, the world’s oppressive influence, and our own sinful flesh. St. Paul reminds us, “The weapons of our warfare arenot carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4). Our weapons are the words God has spoken to us in Holy Scripture. Trusting in God’s promise of victory over our enemies, our faith shields us from the fiery darts of the devil. Using God’s word against our temptations and the world’s suggestions, we use His word as the sword of the Spirit.
Our enemies are very real and pose far greater threats than any unbelieving nation poses. They may take our property and life, but the devil, the world, and our flesh want to take our faith and lead us into unbelief so that we lose our eternal inheritance. Though at times we suffer defeat and fall into sin, we can steel ourselves with God’s promised forgiveness and strength. We say with David, “Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies” (12). Relying upon the Son of David, we fight our spiritual enemies valiantly, trusting Him to give us the victory.
Let us pray: Give us Your Holy Spirit, O Lord, to fight valiantly against every temptation and give us victory by faith in Your word over every hard thing that You allow. Amen.