DOCSLIB.ORG

THE SIXTH DECADE of PSALMS: PSALM 60: the WINE of ASTONISHMENT Douglas Wilson Christ Church - Moscow, ID A.D

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
THE SIXTH DECADE of PSALMS: PSALM 60: the WINE of ASTONISHMENT Douglas Wilson Christ Church - Moscow, ID A.D THE SIXTH DECADE OF PSALMS: PSALM 60: THE WINE OF ASTONISHMENT Douglas Wilson Christ Church - Moscow, ID A.D. November 21, 2010 INTRODUCTION: This psalm begins in a disastrous period in Israel’s history, and ends with disaster for her enemies and foes. It begins with Israel drinking the wine of astonishment at her peril and impending calamity, and ends with Moab and Edom thrown down. It begins with Israel facing potential disaster, and ends with her enemies facing actual disaster. THE TEXT: To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtama of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand. “O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again . .” (Ps. 60:1-12). BACKGROUND TO THE TEXT: The inscription to this psalm identifies it with the occasion when Joab defeated Edom in the valley of salt. This would appear to be the battle mentioned in 1 Chron. 18:12, although there the slain were numbered 18,000. The discrepancy may be accounted for by reckoning 12,000 to Joab, and 6,000 to his brother Abishai. David came to a (divided) throne in 1 Chron. 11), and was immediately in the midst of hard fighting—first with the Philistines, and then later with Edom and Moab. Remember that when David assumed the throne, the priests of God had been murdered by the king, the kingdom was still divided, contemptible men were in office, and Israel’s military power had been scattered. David says that God had cast Israel away, and the word indicates the way you would cast away a loathsome object. SUMMARY OF THE TEXT: This psalm progresses through three phases. The first reflects the terrible situation that Israel was in when David came to the throne (vv. 1-3). The reign of Saul was ended by the military disaster at Gilboa. When David came to power the Philistines were in the ascendancy, and the Israelites were divided between David and Ishbosheth. Threats were potent in every direction, but David cites the real problem. God had cast them off (v. 1). God was the one making Israel lean precipitously, ready to go clean over (v. 2). God had given Israel the gift of hard times. He had showed them hard things, and had given them the wine of astonishment (v. 3). The second section (vv. 4-8) begins with those capable of learning from the first three verses—“those who fear thee.” God gave them a banner to fly (v. 4). David’s name means beloved, and he is a proxy for all God’s beloved (v. 5). God has given the word, and David will triumph (v. 6). He will divide the spoils in Shechem (v. 6). Gilead and Manasseh, loyal to Ishbosheth, will come to David (v. 7). Ephraim, the largest tribe, will be David’s strength, and Judah will be the seat of law (v. 7). Moab becomes a pot for David to wash his feet in (v. 8), Edom will have to clean his boots (v. 8), and Philistia is taunted with the irony of David’s victories (v. 8). We see this exultation is all by faith because the third section presents a petition to God that concerns the coming conquest of Edom (v. 9). The entry to Edom was Petra, and the access to that was a two-mile long canyon, with places only wide enough for two horses side by side. God, who formerly had abandoned Israel, is asked to return to them (v. 10), and what man cannot do, God most certainly can (v. 11). Through God we will do valiantly—and that is the only way we will do valiantly (v. 12). BROKEN: We always want to deal with a wound by dabbing around the edges of it. We want to spin our way out of a hard diagnosis. We don’t want the hard truth. But when David comes to the throne, he conducts a frank and completely honest inventory. He concludes that Israel makes God sick. All the horizontal difficulties (and there were many) were functions of God’s great displeasure. And so David begins by asking for a true restoration (v. 1), which will only happen if God turns back to Israel. Israel was tipping over, and at the point of utter collapse (v. 2). The straight way out of any disaster is complete honesty in confession. How do we know that help is near? When God shows us hard things. When God gives us wine that makes us stagger. BROKEN AND RESTORED: But there are two elements to this. The first, just mentioned, is honesty about the sin. The second is honesty about your Savior. Those who fear God, David says, are given a banner. Where does a banner belong? On the end of a pole, up in the sky, with that pole in the hands of the bravest man in the regiment. God gives a banner to those who fear Him (v. 4), so that it might be displayed because of the truth (v. 4), in order that God’s beloved might be delivered by Him (v. 5). Salvation must be declared. The Savior’s name must be honored. The banner of Christ’s sacrificial lordship over all, a blood-red banner, must be unfurled. And when it is, no matter how grim the circumstance before, God will arise and by His might, put all His enemies to flight. GOD HATH SPOKEN: David’s confidence is not suspended in mid-air. God had promised the land to the patriarchs, and so David’s confidence was based on a recognition that God will complete what God has begun. If God has declared that something will come to pass, then he is no fool who counts on it coming to pass, and who labors toward that end. VAIN IS THE HELP OF MAN: David began by noting that God needed to be the one who reversed Israel’s misfortune. He ends on the same note. He asks God for help from trouble, and he says that vain is the help of man. At the same time, he says “through God we shall do valiantly.” We work out what God works in. Work out your salvation, Paul says, with fear and trembling, for God is at work in you to will and to do for His good pleasure. A strong confidence in the ultimate and complete authority of God does not lead to a passive quietism. It does not lead to the true believer schlumped on the sofa. We shall do, and we shall do valiantly. Atheist observers will deny that God had anything to do with it —but we know better. Published by: Canon Press ● P.O. Box 8729 ● 205 E. 5th St. ● Moscow, ID 83843 www.canonpress.com ● [email protected] ● 800-488-2034 ● Fax 208-882-1568.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 2 Chronicles 25-28 Good Evening Church, I Am Glad You Could Make It out Tonight
    Page 1 of 29 2 Chronicles 25-28 Good evening church, I am glad you could make it out tonight. Hello to those of you watching online. Tonight we are going to continue in our study through the Old Testament, we will be in 2 Chronicles Chapter 25 and we will attempt to get through Chapter 28 tonight. We have much going on in our world, and for me, it is a joy to gather here with you all to come under God’s Word. This place is the only place that makes sense, and His Word is the only True Comfort in this World. So let’s pray, and we will get into our text tonight. Well, we finished last time by looking at the assassination of King Joash of Judah, and we will pick up right after his death… Look now at chapter 25… Amaziah Reigns in Judah(2 Kings 14:1-6) 25:1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart. Now Amaziah was a reformer just like Joash his father. Page 2 of 29 But we see here at the end of verse two, he fell short of complete reform. He did not live up to the standard that King David had set as the template, and he continued to allow the high places to exist as we saw in 2 Kings Chapter 14.
    [Show full text]
  • PSALMS 60 and 61
    PSALMS 60 and 61 Old Testament history confirms the truth that when God has been rejected by his people-- the nation of Israel--he delivers them into the hands of her enemies. In this 60st psalm, Israel is suffering persecution from the Arameans. This psalm commemorates one memorable part of that battle, when Joab returns and kills 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. David praises God for the triumph, recognizing that the help of man is vain. Psalm 60 For the choir director; according to Shushan Eduth. A Mikhtam of David, to teach; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. 1 O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us. 2 You have made the land quake, You have split it open; heal its breaches, for it totters. 3 You have made Your people experience hardship; You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger. 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 answer us! 6 God has spoken in His holiness: “I will exult, I will portion out Shechem and measure out the valley of Succoth. 7 “Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; Judah is My scepter. 8 “Moab is My washbowl; over Edom I shall throw My shoe; shout loud, O Philistia, because of Me!” 9 Who will bring me into the besieged city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10 Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us? And will You not go forth with our armies, O God? 11 O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain.
    [Show full text]
  • The Second Book of Samuel
    A PATRISTIC COMMENTARY THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL FR. TADROS Y. MALATY 2004 Initial edition Translated by: DR. GEORGE BOTROS Revised by SAMEH SHAFIK Coptic Orthodox Christian Center 491 N. Hewes St. Orange, California 92869-2914 INTRODUCTION As this book in the Hebrew origin, is a complementary to the first book of Samuel, we urge the reader to refer back to the introduction of that book. According to the Jewish tradition, the authors of this book were the prophets Nathan and Gad, beside some of those who were raised in the school of the prophets, founded by the prophet Samuel. In the Septuagint version, it is called “The second Kingdoms book.” WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN? It was written after the division of the kingdom, and before the captivity. It embraces a complete record of the reign of King David (2 Samuel 5: 5); and mentions the kings of ‘Judah,’ as distinct from those of ‘Israel’ (1 Samuel 27: 6). ITS FEATURES 1- Its topic was a survey of King David’s life, following his strife with king Saul, who was killed by the enemies at the end of the previous book; a narration of king David’s ascension to the throne, his wars, and the moving up of the Tabernacle of God to Jerusalem. It also gave a record of David’s fall in certain sins, with all the incessant troubles and grieves they entailed. In other words, this book represents the history of the people during the 40 years of king David’s reign. Its study is considered to be of special importance to everyone intending to comprehend David’s psalms.
    [Show full text]
  • The Revised Version of the Old Testament
    THE REVISED VERSION 01!1 THE OLD TESTAMENT. 57 It was because I saw the living Christ, and " heard the words of His mouth," and, I beseech you, listen to no words which make His dominion less sovereign, and His sole and all sufficient work on the cross less mighty as the only power that knits earth to heaven. So the sum of this whole matter is-abide in Christ. Let us root and ground our lives and characters in Hirn, and then God's inmost desire will be gratified in regard to us, and He will bring even us stainless and blameless into the blaze of His presence. There we shall all have to stand, and let that all penetrating light search us through and through. How do we expect to be then " found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless " ? There is but one way-to Jive in constant exercise of faith in Christ, and grip Him so close and sure that the world, the flesh and the devil cannot make us loosen our fingers. Then He will hold us up, and His great purpose, which brought Him to earth, and nailed Him to the cross, will be fulfilled in us, and at last, we shalJ lift up voices of wondering praise " to Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." ALEXANDER MACLAREN. THE REVISED VERSION OF THE OLD TESTA­ MENT. A ORITIG.AL ESTIMATE. FIRST PAPER. A NOTED judicial dictum lately vested the censorship of lite­ rature and art in the general British public.
    [Show full text]
  • A Survey of Old Testament
    God, His People & the Messiah: A Survey of Old Testament 20 – DAVID & THE NATIONS (2 SAMUEL 8:1-10:19; 1 CHRONICLES 18:1-19:19) I. David’s Campaigns (2 Samuel 8:1-18; 1 Chronicles 18:1-17) A. The Philistines Defeated (2 Samuel 8:1; 1 Chronicles 18:1) - David attacked the Philistines and completely subdued them. B. Moab Subdued (2 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 18:2) - David defeated Moab, making them his servants as they brought him tribute. - In defeating them, David had every two out of three prisoners killed and enslaved the third. C. The Defeat of the Arameans (2 Samuel 8:3-14; 1 Chronicles 18:3-13) - David defeated the Aramean kingdom of Zobah to the north of Damascus. - He took many prisoners and hamstrung the horses with the exception of 100 chariots. - David defeated the Syrians when they came to aid the kingdom of Zobah. - The Syrians became David’s servants and he placed garrisons in Syria. - David also took shields of gold and a large amount of bronze from their cities. - The king of Aramean kingdom of Tol sent tribute through his son and became David’s vassal. - All of the treasures that David received from the nations were dedicated to the Lord. - David made a name for himself when he killed 18,000 Syrians in the Valley of Salt. - He placed garrisons throughout all Edom as they also became David’s servants. D. David’s Administration (2 Samuel 8:15-18; 1 Chronicles 18:14-17) - The writer lists all those who served David in administering the kingdom.
    [Show full text]
  • PSALM 60 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE an Outcry of Anguish, Expostulation and Entreaty, Under a Severe Reverse
    STUDIES IN PSALMS 2. Consider carefully the Analysis of this psalm and then read this from Scroggie: “In structure the Psalm is highly arti- ficial. There are two main divisions, 1-9 and 10-17. Each of these ends with a refrain in which the Psalmist speaks of God as his strength and high tower (9, 17). Each of these main divisions has two stanzas divided by a Setah (5, 13) and the second stanza in each division begins in the same way (6, 14). The two main divisions closely resemble one another, but each has its characteristics’’ (Zbid. p. 55). Discuss the structure of this psalm. 3. Discuss the import of the description the psalmist gives of his enemies-as in verses one through five and verses six through nine ? 4. What is meant by the little phrase in verse eleven “slay them not lest my people forget”? Discuss its appliclation to our day. 5. When does God laugh? (Cf. vs. 8) What kind of laugh is it? Discuss. PSALM 60 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE An Outcry of Anguish, Expostulation and Entreaty, under a Severe Reverse. ANALYSIS Stanza I., vers. 1-4, Lamentation over a Defeat. Stanza II., vers. 5-8, Prayer for Victory, based on an Ancient Oracle. Stanza III., vers 9-12, In Order to Victory, Divine Guidance and Presence Besought. (Lm.) A Tablet-By David-To instrucL-When he waged war with Aramneharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt twelve thousand.1 1 0 God thou hast rejected us-hast broken out upon us, Thou hast been angry-wilt thou not take us back?2 2 Thou hast shattered the land-hast split it open, Heal thou the fractures thereof-for it hath tottered.
    [Show full text]
  • Reexamining Lot
    Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel Volume 14 Number 1 Article 6 1-2013 Reexamining Lot Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re BYU ScholarsArchive Citation "Reexamining Lot." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 14, no. 1 (2013): 58-81. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re/vol14/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Reexamining Lot roseann benson RoseAnn Benson ([email protected]) is an adjunct professor of ancient scripture and Church history and doctrine at BYU. he story of Lot as found in the Old Testament leaves us with many unan- Tswered questions about this man and how to interpret whether he was ultimately an example of good or evil or something in between. For instance, why would the Apostle Peter call Lot a “righteous man,” considered by God to be both “godly” and “just” (2 Peter 2:7–9), in light of the fact that Lot had “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:12) and then moved his family to a city known throughout scripture for its wickedness (see Genesis 19:1, 16, 29)? The Book of Abraham and the Joseph Smith Translation provide signifi- cant insights into the relationship between Lot and Abraham, but neither comments on Lot’s righteousness, because their focus is on Abraham.1 This Departure of Lot and His Family from Sodom from and His Family Departure of Lot paper examines canonical evidence and notes noncanonical statements that support Peter’s pronouncement of Lot as a righteous, godly, and just man who was comparable to Noah, “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).
    [Show full text]
  • Was the New Testament Really Written in Greek?
    Was the New Testament Really Written in Greek? A Concise Compendium of the Many Internal and External Evidences of Aramaic Peshitta Primacy Revelation 1:8 I am Aleph and Tau, the beginning and the ending says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Compiled by Raphael Lataster Foreword by Andrew Gabriel Roth 1 Was the New Testament Really Written in Greek? A Concise Compendium of the Many Internal and External Evidences of Aramaic Peshitta Primacy Edition 1e, March 2008 © Copyright Raphael Lataster 2008 2 Foreword A New and Powerful Tool in the Aramaic NT Primacy Movement Arises I wanted to set down a few words about my colleague and fellow Aramaicist Raphael Lataster, and his new book “Was the New Testament Really Written in Greek?” Having written two books on the subject myself, I can honestly say that there is no better free resource, both in terms of scope and level of detail, available on the Internet today. Much of the research that myself, Paul Younan and so many others have done is here, categorized conveniently by topic and issue. What Raphael though has also accomplished so expertly is to link these examples with a simple and unambiguous narrative style that leaves little doubt that the Peshitta Aramaic New Testament is in fact the original that Christians and Nazarene- Messianics have been searching for, for so long. The fact is, when Raphael decides to explore a topic, he is far from content in providing just a few examples and leaving the rest to the readers’ imagination.
    [Show full text]
  • David's Psalms
    David’s Psalms David wrote at least 75 of the 150 Psalms. He is specifically noted as the author of 73 psalms in their titles: Psalms 3-9; 11-41 ; 51-65 ; 68-70 ; 86 ; 101 ; 103 ; 108-110 ; 122 ; 124 ; 131 ; 133 ; and 138-145 . In addition, David is mentioned as the author of two psalms in the New Testament. Psalm 2 is attributed to David in Acts 4:25 : “You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?’” Psalm 95 is attributed to David in Hebrews 4:7 : “God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today.’ This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’” The psalms are not organized in chronological order by events but rather by themes. David’s psalms are found throughout the five books of the Psalms that were likely grouped upon the completion of Psalms during the time of Ezra in the fourth century BC. Many of David’s psalms lack background information regarding their context, but fourteen do share details of their setting: Psalm 3 : A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. Psalm 7 : A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite. Psalm 18: A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
    [Show full text]
  • Abram the One from Beyond-The-River, and King Chedorlaomer of Elam (Genesis 14): Persia and the Formation of Judaean Ethnic Identity in a Late Patriarchal Narrative
    religions Article Abram the One from Beyond-the-River, and King Chedorlaomer of Elam (Genesis 14): Persia and the Formation of Judaean Ethnic Identity in a Late Patriarchal Narrative Gard Granerød Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Department, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, P.O. Box 5144 Majorstuen, N-0302 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] Abstract: The perception of Persia in Judaean/Jewish texts from antiquity contributed to the con- struction of a Judaean/Jewish identity. Genesis 14 gives an example of this; in it, Abra(ha)m wages war with a coalition headed by King Chedorlaomer of Elam. The article argues that Genesis 14 is one of the latest additions to the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 12–36), composed in the Persian or early Hellenistic period. It was conceived and used as an ethnic identity-forming story. The characters in the narrative represented groups and nations in the neighbourhood of the province of Judah. Abra(ha)m was perceived as the ancestor of the Judaeans and the inhabitants of the province Beyond-the-River. The King of Elam represented the Persian Empire. The article uses redaction criticism to argue that Genesis 14 is among the latest additions to the patriarchal narrative in the late Persian or Hellenistic period. Moreover, it uses a combination of philological and historical methods to argue that the description of Abra(ha)m as ha¯ ( ibrî (traditionally translated “the Hebrew,” Citation: Granerød, Gard. 2021. Gen 14: 13) characterises him as a person from the region Eber-nari¯ (Beyond-the-River). The arti- Abram the One from Beyond-the-River, cle uses similar methods to argue that the names of people and places in Genesis 14 referred to and King Chedorlaomer of Elam political entities in and around Judah.
    [Show full text]
  • The Second Book of Samuel Otherwise Called the Second Book
    2 Samuel 1:1 1 2 Samuel 1:10 The Second Book of Samuel Otherwise Called the Second Book of the Kings 1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; 2 It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. 3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.* 5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? 6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.† 8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
    [Show full text]
  • Cush the Benjaminite and Psalm Midrash
    CUSH THE BENJAMINITE AND PSALM MIDRASH by RODNEY R. HUTTON Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH 43209 Among the various. types of psalm superscriptions are those which associate a given psalm with a specific episode in the life of David. Throughout the history of exegesis it has generally been taken for granted that the superscription of Psalm 7 contains, among other elements, such a historical allusion to some story directly or tangentially related to David, and the phrase 'J'~'-p tzn::>-,i::ii-7:!i i11i1'7 itzriw~ " ... which he sang to to the Lord according to the words of Cush the Benjaminite" has been understood to relate to the activity of one "Cush the Benjaminite. "1 In this study an attempt will be made to clarify three questions pertaining to psalm titles in general and to the title of Psalm 7 in particular. First, how is this particular title related to other similar psalm superscriptions? Second, what is the referent of the superscription of Psalm 7? Who is Cush the Benjaminite, and to what episode in the life of David does the title intend to allude? And third, what was the exegetical intention of the tradent who affixed this particular title to Psalm 7? Psalm Superscriptions and Psalm 7 Those who have considered the superscription of Psalm 7 have often paid too little attention to the syntax of the verse. There are 13 psalm superscriptions which allude to an episode in the life of David, including I. Both Childs (1971, p. 138) and Dahood (1966, p. 40) have questioned whether this superscription is a historical notation.
    [Show full text]