O God, You Have Rejected Us
Devotional
Companion to the Psalter
A Devotional Guide to the Psalms
Object:
O God ... you have made your people
suffer hard things;
You have given us wine to drink
that made us reel ...
O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
-- Psalm 60:3, 11-12
Theme: Prayer of a nation in defeat
Outline
1-4 -- You have let us suffer defeat!
5-8 -- You promised us dominion over the neighboring nations.
9-12 -- With you we shall do valiantly.
Notes
• Lament
• The title refers to one of the wars of David that came to disaster (not recorded in 2 Samuel), putting in peril the safety of the kingdom. If so, it was a fitting cry of Israel in later times as well.
• An earlier prophecy had promised a united kingdom and neighbor nations in subjection (vv. 6-8). Proud neighbor, Moab, is compared to the victor's washbasin, defiant Edom to the lowest slave (carrying or cleaning his sandals). Shechem (west of the Jordan) and Succoth (east of the Jordan) were two places associated with Jacob's journeys.
• The compiler of Psalm 108 includes verses 6-12 of this psalm into Psalm 108:7-13.
For Reflection
• To pray to God when we are defeated shows faith in him. Setbacks or defeats can be useful to God for our growing in grace. There are times when we can win by losing, though we may not understand how. Faith waits and continues to place us in the Lord's good hands.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to you. When we are defeated and helpless in the face of triumphant evils, give us the faith to remember it is not human help but you who will tread down our foes. Then give us also the courage to stand fast, knowing that nothing shall separate us from your love. Amen.
suffer hard things;
You have given us wine to drink
that made us reel ...
O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
-- Psalm 60:3, 11-12
Theme: Prayer of a nation in defeat
Outline
1-4 -- You have let us suffer defeat!
5-8 -- You promised us dominion over the neighboring nations.
9-12 -- With you we shall do valiantly.
Notes
• Lament
• The title refers to one of the wars of David that came to disaster (not recorded in 2 Samuel), putting in peril the safety of the kingdom. If so, it was a fitting cry of Israel in later times as well.
• An earlier prophecy had promised a united kingdom and neighbor nations in subjection (vv. 6-8). Proud neighbor, Moab, is compared to the victor's washbasin, defiant Edom to the lowest slave (carrying or cleaning his sandals). Shechem (west of the Jordan) and Succoth (east of the Jordan) were two places associated with Jacob's journeys.
• The compiler of Psalm 108 includes verses 6-12 of this psalm into Psalm 108:7-13.
For Reflection
• To pray to God when we are defeated shows faith in him. Setbacks or defeats can be useful to God for our growing in grace. There are times when we can win by losing, though we may not understand how. Faith waits and continues to place us in the Lord's good hands.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to you. When we are defeated and helpless in the face of triumphant evils, give us the faith to remember it is not human help but you who will tread down our foes. Then give us also the courage to stand fast, knowing that nothing shall separate us from your love. Amen.
