God Speaks
59 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Saul sent soldiers to watch David’s house in order to kill him. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”
1 Rescue me from my enemies, O God.
Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.
2 Rescue me from these criminals;
save me from these murderers.
3 They have set an ambush for me.
Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord,
though I have not sinned or offended them.
4 I have done nothing wrong,
yet they prepare to attack me.
Wake up! See what is happening and help me!
5 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
wake up and punish those hostile nations.
Show no mercy to wicked traitors. Interlude
6 They come out at night,
snarling like vicious dogs
as they prowl the streets.
7 Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths;
their words cut like swords.
“After all, who can hear us?” they sneer.
8 But Lord, you laugh at them.
You scoff at all the hostile nations.
9 You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me,
for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me.
He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.
11 Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons;
stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees,
O Lord our shield.
12 Because of the sinful things they say,
because of the evil that is on their lips,
let them be captured by their pride,
their curses, and their lies.
13 Destroy them in your anger!
Wipe them out completely!
Then the whole world will know
that God reigns in Israel. Interlude
14 My enemies come out at night,
snarling like vicious dogs
as they prowl the streets.
15 They scavenge for food
but go to sleep unsatisfied.
16 But as for me, I will sing about your power.
Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.
For you have been my refuge,
a place of safety when I am in distress.
17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises,
for you, O God, are my refuge,
the God who shows me unfailing love.
60 For the choir director: A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune “Lily of the Testimony.”
1 You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses.
You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.
2 You have shaken our land and split it open.
Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.
3 You have been very hard on us,
making us drink wine that sent us reeling.
4 But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—
a rallying point in the face of attack. Interlude
5 Now rescue your beloved people.
Answer and save us by your power.
6 God has promised this by his holiness:
“I will divide up Shechem with joy.
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine,
and Manasseh, too.
Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors,
and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.
8 But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant,
and I will wipe my feet on Edom
and shout in triumph over Philistia.”
9 Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me victory over Edom?
10 Have you rejected us, O God?
Will you no longer march with our armies?
11 Oh, please help us against our enemies,
for all human help is useless.
12 With God’s help we will do mighty things,
for he will trample down our foes.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalm 59: Again, this is a psalm to be prayed on behalf of someone who is innocently being verbally, socially, physically, or spiritually attacked. Overall, David is stating his problem; he is appealing to God and relating what he wants Him to do. Verses 1-2, 5, 8-10, and 13 describe God and His part. Verses 2-4, 6-7, 11-12, and 14-15 tell about these enemies and their actions, while verses 16-17 contain what David will do in response to his rescue.
Psalm 60: This psalm is confusing. Because of the statements in verses 1 and 10, it is hard to determine its chronology. In Christ in the Psalms Patrick Henry Reardon gives some direction by advising the bible reader to acquire a knowledge of both history and geography. In this case David was listing some locations of battles as he fought to bring this territory into the kingdom of Israel around 1,000 BC, especially Petra, capital of the Edomites. *
* Christ in the Psalms by Patrick Henry Reardon, pp. 113-118.
Prayer: Dear LORD, creator of the universe and everything in it, thank You for being the one who can and will rescue those who put their trust in You. You have promised to rescue Your people from enemies and dangers, seen and unseen. You, Almighty God, will deal with all of my enemies in Your time and way. You can always be trusted to know and do what is best. Besides dealing with our enemies, You also discipline Your own people, shaking them up, calling them back to following You faithfully, so that they are empowered to fight their enemies with Your strength. May Your people today humble themselves, repent, return to You, be forgiven, and be strengthened for victory as were David and his troops. Most of all, may we bring glory to the name of the LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will pray this psalm on behalf of some people I know who are under attack.
- I will describe my situation to the LORD and wait expectantly for His gracious answer.
- I will study the history and geography of Israel found in a good study Bible or biblical atlas.
- I will join others in praying for revival for my nation.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.