Psalm 60
As I read this Psalm it seems
to begin with a defeated David, but the more I sought to have understanding, it
is a king who told God, without your blessing we only have defeat. We
live in a time and a culture that does not believe they need God, and that is
not a new thing, it is the nature of man, God calls it flesh.
The setting for this Psalm is
1 Chronicles 18:3 and 12, yet I began reading in 1 Chronicle 17 to get a better
understanding of what Psalm 60 is all about. You will recall David
desired to build God a house, a dwelling place other than a tent, in that David
was living in a home. Nathan, the prophet, told him to do what is in your
heart, for God is with you. But that very night God spoke to His prophet
and said, David is not the one to build me a dwelling place, but it will be one
of his sons.
Many a person has begun to do
something for God, without being open to a Nathan. For Nathan was saying, not you, not at this
time, but that is not David’s attitude. Listen to this portion of David’s
prayer in 1 Chronicles 17:16-21, “Then King David went in and sat before
the Lord and said, “Who am I,
O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And
this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your
servant's house for a great while to come, and have shown me future
generations, O Lord God! And what more can
David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know, your servant. For
your servant's sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have
done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. There
is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to
all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like
your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his
people, making for yourself a name for great and awesome things, in driving out
nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt?”
How many Church leaders have
refused to listen to advice and gone with the emotion and zeal that drives them?
David was not such a man, and you will see as you read 1 Chronicles
18:3-6, “David
also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath, as he went to set up his monument
at the river Euphrates. And David took from him 1,000
chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000-foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the
chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. And when
the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down
22,000 men of the Syrians. Then David put garrisons in
Syria of Damascus and the Syrians became servants to David and brought
tribute. And the Lord gave
victory to David wherever he went.” It is very apparent God honors
a person who listens and obeys his instruction.
Verse 12 of Psalm 60,
states; “With
God, we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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