steadfast confidence in god psalm...

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Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

Steadfast Confidence in God

Psalm 108:1-13

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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Steadfast Confidence in God

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 108:1-13, 1. My heart is fixed, O God; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises, even with my glory. 2. Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake right early. 3. I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the peoples; And I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. 4. For thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens; And thy truth reacheth unto the skies. 5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, And thy glory above all the earth. 6. That thy beloved may be delivered, Save with thy right hand, and answer us. 7. God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult; I will divide She-chem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 8. Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the defence of my head; Judah is my sceptre. 9. Moab is my washpot; Upon Edom will I cast my shoe; Over Philistia will I shout. 10. Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who hath led me unto Edom? 11. Hast not thou cast us off, O God? And thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts.




12. Give us help against the adversary; For vain is the help of man. 13. Through God we shall do valiantly: For he it is that will tread down our adversaries. NIV Introduction: With minor variations, Ps. 108:1-5 are identical with Ps. 57:1-11, and Ps. 108:6-13 are identical with Ps. 60:5-12. For the interpretation of Ps. 108, see the comments on these passages. Commentary: Psalm 108:1-5, My heart is fixed, O God; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises, even with my glory. Awake, psaltery and harp: I my-self will awake right early. I will give thanks unto thee, O Jeho-vah, among the peoples; And I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. For thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens; And thy truth reacheth unto the skies. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, And thy glory above all the earth. NIV Psalm 57:1-11, Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness. I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and ar-rows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make mu-sic. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of




you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (NIV)

The Need for Intervention Psalm 57:1-5, Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness. I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and ar-rows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (NIV) Psalm 57:1, Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. (NIV) I. Verse 1a,b repeat the plea, “Have mercy on me”, which reveals the intensity and sincerity of the author’s sense of need.

A. The statement is literally “Be gracious to me”.

1. Grace, however, sometimes takes the connotation of mercy.

II. The word “for” in 1c states the reason for the plea.

A. The plea is not based on his distress over his enemies, but on the reality of his trust in God.




B. The shift from the present tense, “in you my soul takes ref-uge” (1b), to the future tense, “I will take refuge” (1c), declares the constancy of his trust.

1. His trust is characteristic of his very being.

2. “The shadow of your wings” is a familiar metaphor of protective shelter (Ps. 17:8; 36:7; 63:7).

a. Psalm 17:8, Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. (NIV)

b. Psalm 36:7, How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find ref-uge in the shadow of your wings. (NIV)

c. Psalm 63:7, Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. (NIV)

C. “Until the disaster has passed” does not describe the limita-tion of his trust, but it indicates his declaration that he will not let his trust dwindle or cease in the midst of trouble.

Psalm 57:2, I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me. (NIV) I. His repetition of the phrase, “to God” (2a,b), places emphasis on the object of his “cry” for help.

A. “Who fulfills his purpose for me” indicates his willingness to submit to God’s purpose for his life.




Psalm 57:3, He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithful-ness. (NIV) I. God’s “love and faithfulness” sent “from heaven” (3), and His love and faithfulness “reaching to the heavens” (10) describe the perva-siveness of these characteristics of God.

A. Psalm 57:3, 10, He sends from heaven and saves me, re-buking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. (NIV)

B. These are active forceful traits, “rebuking…those who…pursue” him.

C. God’s rebuke will prove forceful enough to route the hot pursuit of his enemies.

Psalm 57:4, I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. (NIV) I. “Lions” and “ravenous beasts” are strong metaphors of hotly pursu-ing enemies who want to devour him.

A. Their slanderous “teeth” and “tongues” are like military weap-ons, “spears and arrows” and “sharp swords” (cf. 55:21; 59:7; 64:3).

1. Psalm 55:21, His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords. (NIV)




2. Psalm 59:7, See what they spew from their mouths— they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, "Who can hear us?" (NIV)

3. Psalm 64:3, They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. (NIV)

Psalm 57:5, Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (NIV) I. “Above the heavens” expresses the ultimate extent of God’s glory.

A. “Over all the earth” expresses the ultimate effect of God’s glory on man.

1. The author’s desire is that God be recognized for who He is.

2. This will take place, he believes, when his enemies are subdued and defeated.

Praise for God’s Love and Faithfulness

Psalm 57:6-11, They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is stead-fast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (NIV)




Psalm 57:6, They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah (NIV) I. As the first section of the psalm ends with a brief description of his enemies, so the second section begins with a second brief description. II. Verse 6 involves the principle of lex talionis, that is, that the judg-ment with which one unmercifully judges may be the judgment by which he himself is judged (cf. Ps. 7:15; Esther 7:10; Mt. 7:1-2).

A. Psalm 7:15, He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. (NIV)

B. Esther 7:10, So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's fury subsided. (NIV)

C. Matthew 7:1, 2, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (NIV)

II. Terminology:

A. “Net” and “pit” are metaphors of snares laid in one’s way.

B. “Feet” and “path” are metaphors of one’s walk, that is, life (cf. 2 Cor. 6:16; Col. 3:7).

1. 2 Corinthians 6:16, What agreement is there be-tween the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." (NIV)




2. Colossians 3:7, 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. (NIV)

Psalm 57:7, My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. (NIV) I. “My heart is steadfast” is repeated for emphasis.

A. He is not swayed from his trust in God because of his ene-mies, for he is certain of God’s deliverance.

1. Because of this, he can and will sing God’s praises.

Psalm 57:8, Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. (NIV) I. Verse 8 extends the vow of verse 7.

A. Verse 8, in highly poetic language, is a personal exhortation for him to carry out his resolve stated in verse 7.

Psalm 57:9, I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. (NIV) I. Verse 9 is a synonymous couplet employed to extend the promise of verses 7 and 8.

A. “Praise” and “sing” are synonyms, as are “nations” and “peoples”.

B. This verse suggests that the author is one who has contact with the nations, perhaps a king like David.




Psalm 57:10, For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. I. “For” introduces the reason that he can praise God even among the nations, that is, peoples. II. Verse 10 is a synonymous couplet expressing in superlative lan-guage the universal extent of God’s love and faithfulness.

A. This verse is almost identical to Psalm 36:5.

1. Psalm 36:5, Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 57:11, Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. I. For the significance of this refrain, see the notes on verse 6. Application: I. Steadfastness of faith in God and submission to His will help one to build a solid foundation that will prevail in the midst of distress and mistreatment. II. Enemies can be overcome by one’s constant expression in word and deed of his unswerving adherence to God’s purpose for his life.




Questions

Psalm 57:1-11

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. “Have ______________ on me, O God, have _________________ on _________________, for in you my _________________ takes _____________________.” 2. “I will take ___________________ in the __________________ of your _____________________ until the ____________________ has ______________________.” 3. What then? Explain the meaning of verse 2. __________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. “I cry out to _____________ _______________ ______________, to _______________, who _______________ his ________________ for me.” 5. What was the problem the psalmist was facing? _______________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. “He ______________ from ______________ and ______________ me, _____________ those who _______________ _______________ me; God ____________ his ____________ and his _____________.”




7. “I am in the _________________ of _________________; I ________________ among ________________ _________________ - _______________ whose ________________ are ______________ _________________.” 8. “Be _________________, O God, above the _________________; let your _________________ be over _________________ the _________________.” 9. “They _____________ a ______________ for my _____________ - I was ________________ down in ________________. They ________________ a ________________ in my _________________ - but they have _________________ into it.” 10. “My __________________ is ___________________, O God, my ______________ is _________________; I will _________________ and _________________ _________________.” 11. “_______________, my _______________! _______________, _______________ and _______________! I will _______________ the _________________.” 12. “I will _______________________ you, O Lord, among the __________________; I will _____________________ of you ____________________ the _________________.” 13. “For _____________ is your ______________, _______________ to the _________________; your _________________ reaches to the ____________________.” 14. “Be _______________, O God, above the _________________; let your _________________ be over all the _________________.” 15. Compare Psalm 57:8-11 and Psalm 108:2-6. _________________




16. Psalm 57 is an _________________ _________________ that ends in ______________. These ______________ _______________ are common in _________________ of _________________ and _________________. 17. How are Psalm 56 and Psalm 57 alike? How are they different? _ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. What refrains divide the psalm into two sections? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. The _________________ first describes his _________________ for _________________’s _________________ and then he _______________ _________________ for his _________________ and _______________ in _______________ of _________________ over his _________________. 20. What does “The shadow of your wings” mean, how is it applied and what understanding can be gained from other references contain-ing this phrase? ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




21. The psalmist’s enemies are described as _________________ and _______________ _______________ who have _________________ _______________ and _______________ like _________________ _________________, _________________ and _________________ and _________________ _________________. 22. “____________ the ____________” expresses the ____________ _________________ of _________________’s _________________ while “_____________ _________________ the ________________” expresses the _____________________ ____________________ of _________________’s _________________ on _________________. When will this be accomplished, take place? ____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. How does the first section of this psalm end? How does the sec-ond section of this psalm begin? ______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




24. Explain the use of net, pit, feet and path in verse 6. ____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25. Give Biblical examples of the evils planned for other people re-turning upon the heads of those who planned the evils. ____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 26. Compare Psalm 57:10 and Psalm 36:5. What is expressed in verse 10 in superlative language? _________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 27. What applications can be made to our lives of the teachings of Psalm 57? _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 28. What led the psalmist to declare that he would sing and make mu-sic with the harp and lyre? __________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 29. What causes you great happiness? How do you express this joy?_ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. How can we exalt God in our lives? How can we trust God more? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




The Weakness of Man and the Victory of God Text: Psalm 60:1-12, 5. Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. 6. God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth. 7. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. 8. Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Phil-istia I shout in triumph." 9. Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10. Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? 11. Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. 12. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. (NIV)

Petition and Response Psalm 60:5-8, Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph." Psalm 60:5, Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.




I. “Save us,” and “help us” are synonymous expressions.

A. “May be delivered” is a similar phrase. II. The “right hand” is a symbol of strength (cf. Ex. 15:6, 12; Pss. 20:6; 45:4; 89:13; 108:6).

A. Exodus 15:6, 12, "Your right hand, O LORD, was ma-jestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy. You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them. (NIV)

B. Psalm 20:6, Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. (NIV)

C. Psalm 45:4, In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds. (NIV)

D. Psalm 89:13, Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. (NIV)

E. Psalm 108:6, Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. (NIV)

III. “Those who love you” is literally “your beloved”, a term of en-dearment. Psalm 60:6, God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth. (NIV) I. Verses 6-8 give God’s response to the plea of verse 5.




A. Psalm 60:5, Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. (NIV)

B. Psalm 60:6-8, God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Val-ley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Eph-raim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph." (NIV)

II. “From his sanctuary” may indicate an oracle from a priest, or it may indicate a direct response to the author. III. God will “triumph”, and His strength will be the ultimate cause of victory. IV. “Shechem” and “the Valley of Succoth” were on either side of the Jordan.

A. These were places where Jacob first resided after he left his labors with Laban (Gen. 33:17-18).

1. Genesis 33:17, 18, Jacob, however, went to Suc-coth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth. After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Ca-naan and camped within sight of the city. (NIV)

B. Shechem was in the heartland west of the Jordan and the Valley of Succoth was east of the Jordan.

C. “Parcel out” and “measure off” describes God’s granting these territories to Israel as an inheritance.




Psalm 60:7, Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. (NIV) I. “Ephraim”, a prosperous tribe west of the Jordan, and “Manasseh”, straddling the Jordan, combined occupied large territories.

A. God declared them as His.

1. He could therefore assign them as he willed. II. “Helmet” was a metaphor of defense, and “scepter” indicated that Judah was the territory allotted to David and the Southern Kingdom. Psalm 60:8, Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph." (NIV) I. By contrast, three of Israel’s neighbors would be disgraced.

A. A “washbasin” was used to pour water over the master’s f eet, and thus “Moab” would be conquered.

B. “Edom” would have his territory subjugated to God’s people like the casting of the “sandal”, a symbol of taking possession (Ruth 4:8-9).

1. Ruth 4:8, 9, So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it yourself." And he removed his sandal. Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mah-lon. (NIV)

C. “Philistia” was conquered by Israel several times.




Human Impotence and Divine Power Psalm 60:9-12, Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the en-emy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. (NIV) Psalm 60:9, Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? (NIV) I. The answer to the question proffered here is implied in the rhetori-cal question in verse 10.

A. Psalm 60:10, Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? (NIV)

II. “Edom” may be taken literally here, in light of verse 8, or as a symbol of any formidable foe to be conquered.

A. Psalm 60:8, Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph." (NIV)

Psalm 60:10, Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? (NIV) I. This rhetorical question demands a positive answer.

A. The concept of God’s rejection of Israel reverts to the decla-ration at the beginning of the psalm.

1. Rejection here is defined as God’s not going out with Israel’s armies.

2. This obviously leads to Israel’s defeat (cf. Josh. 7:12).




a. Joshua 7:12, That is why the Israelites can-not stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made li-able to destruction. I will not be with you any-more unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. (NIV)

Psalm 60:11, Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. (NIV) I. This plea is the result of a confession of man’s impotence without God’s help. Psalm 60:12, With God we will gain the victory, and he will tram-ple down our enemies. (NIV) I. By contrast, with God’s help Israel was assured of victory.

A. “Trample down our enemies” designated complete discomfi-ture.

Application: I. When we are discouraged to the point of despair, we should ask our-selves whether we have left God out of our plans and efforts.

A. Examination of ourselves should provide us with the proper answer.

II. Complete trust in God can often provide us with success beyond our imagination provided our plans are in harmony with God’s will.




Questions

Psalm 60:1-12

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. The psalmist further prayed, “____________________ us and ____________________ us with your ______________________ ____________________, that those you _________________ may be ____________________.” 2. What reply did God make from his sanctuary? What was God’s sanctuary? See verses 6-8. __________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. The psalmist further asked, “Who will bring me to the ______________ _________________? Who will _______________ me to ___________________?” 4. The psalmist answers with a question, “Is it not _______________, _____________ _______________, you who have _______________ us and no _______________ _______________ _________________ with our __________________?” 5. The psalmist asked God, “_______________ us _______________ against the _____________________, for the __________________ of ___________________ is ___________________.” 6. Did God answer this prayer? _________________ Give evidence to support your answer. ____________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. The psalm ends with a confident statement, viz., “With _______________ we will _______________ the _______________, and he will ______________ ______________ our _____________.” 8. What was the historical background of Psalm 60? _____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Outline Psalm 60:5-12. __________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. What figurative language, metaphors are found in Psalm 60? What does each figure represent? ____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. What made God so angry with Israel? ______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. What does the woe section of this psalm end and the hope section begin? __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Right hand is a symbol of strength. Give biblical examples of this use of the term. ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. Geographically locate Shechem, the valley of Succoth, Moab, Edom and Philistia. ________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. In what way were these places related to Israel? Why were they mentioned in Psalm 60? ____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




16. What lessons to live by does Psalm 60 teach you? ____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



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