Commentary - Psalm 60

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 60 is a national lament that pivots sharply into a confident oracle of victory. It begins in the dust of a military setback, with David, on behalf of the nation, confessing that God Himself has rejected and scattered them. This is not the complaint of an unbeliever who sees only bad luck; it is the prayer of a man who knows that the ultimate cause behind every event, especially the chastisement of His people, is the sovereign hand of God. The nation is reeling, staggering like a man forced to drink "the wine of astonishment." Yet, in the midst of this confusion, David sees a banner, a rallying point for those who fear God. The psalm then shifts dramatically as David recounts a divine promise. God speaks from His sanctuary, declaring His absolute ownership and authority over the entire region, parceling out lands and peoples as though they were His personal property. This divine word transforms the situation. The lament over defeat becomes a confident question: "Who will bring me into the strong city?" The psalm concludes where all true faith must conclude, with the settled conviction that human help is worthless, but that "through God we shall do valiantly." It is a picture of the Christian life: honest lament over our brokenness, clinging to God's promises in the dark, and moving forward in His strength alone.

Outline

Context In Psalms

This psalm has a remarkably specific historical superscription, tying it to the wars David fought against the Aramean kingdoms to the north while simultaneously facing a threat from Edom in the south (2 Sam 8:3-14; 1 Chron 18:3-13). While David was securing major victories in the north, it seems the Edomites took advantage of the situation and attacked Israel's southern flank, leading to a moment of national crisis. This psalm captures the whiplash of that moment: the thrill of expansion and the terror of vulnerability. It is a community lament, but it is voiced by the king, David, who embodies the nation's fortunes. The psalm functions as a model for God's people in any era when they experience apparent setbacks in the midst of promised progress. It teaches us to interpret our defeats through a theological lens, to see them as discipline from a loving, sovereign Father. The second half of this psalm (vv. 5-12) is repeated almost verbatim in Psalm 108:6-13, where it is joined to a portion of Psalm 57 to form a new song of confident praise. This shows how the people of God would take up these inspired words and apply them to new situations, finding in David's prayer a timeless pattern for their own.

Key Issues

Scattered and Then Gathered

One of the hardest lessons for a Christian to learn is how to think rightly about defeat. Our flesh wants to categorize everything neatly: if we are winning, God is with us; if we are losing, He must be against us. But biblical faith is more robust than that. Psalm 60 plunges us right into the middle of this tension. The people of God have been scattered, broken, and made to drink a bitter cup. And David, speaking for them, does not blame the Edomites or bad military intelligence. He looks straight to the ultimate cause: "O God, thou hast cast us off." This is the necessary starting point for any real recovery. Until we see the hand of God in our trials, we will only ever respond with worldly solutions, which the psalm rightly calls "vain." But when we understand that our God is the one who scatters, we can then have confidence that He is also the only one who can gather. He wounds, and He also heals. This psalm is the prayer of a people who are learning to look past the secondary cause of their troubles (Edom) and appeal directly to the primary cause (God), which is always the beginning of wisdom and the only path to true victory.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Title: For the choir director. According to Shushan Eduth. A Mikhtam of David. For teaching. When he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

The superscriptions in the Psalms are part of the inspired text and give us the crucial context. This is a song for corporate worship, set to a particular tune ("The Lily of the Testimony"). It is a "Mikhtam," a term of uncertain meaning but often associated with psalms of great distress and deliverance. And it is "for teaching." David intends this prayer to instruct the people of God on how to process national disaster. The historical setting is a time of a two-front war. While David and the main army were engaged with the Arameans in the north, Edom invaded from the south. The victory mentioned here by Joab was the eventual outcome, but the psalm itself is written from the crucible of the conflict, from that moment of panic when it looked like the whole kingdom might unravel. It teaches us that faith is not forged in times of ease, but in the valley of salt.

1-2 O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us. You have made the land quake, You have split it open; Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.

The prayer begins with a blunt and honest theological assessment. He does not say, "The Edomites have rejected us." He says, "You have rejected us." This is covenantal language. God had chosen Israel, but He had also warned them that He would cast them off if they were unfaithful. David sees this military defeat not as a random event, but as an expression of divine anger. The imagery is seismic; it is as though God has struck the land itself, causing it to tremble and crack open. This is how national trauma feels. The very foundations seem to be giving way. But notice the immediate turn: "O, restore us." This is the plea of a son, not a slave. He acknowledges the Father's discipline and immediately asks for restoration. He knows the one who has the power to break is the only one with the power to heal.

3 You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of astonishment.

The discipline has been severe. God has shown them "hard things," realities they would rather not have faced about their own weakness and sin. The metaphor of the "wine of astonishment" is potent. It pictures being forced to drink a cup that causes staggering, confusion, and dizziness. They are reeling from the blow. This is not the celebratory wine that gladdens the heart, but the wine of God's wrath that brings disorientation and judgment (cf. Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15). When God judges His people, the first result is a profound confusion. Everything they thought was secure is suddenly shaken, and they don't know which way to turn. This is a mercy, because it forces them to stop trusting in themselves and to look for a stability that cannot be found on earth.

4-5 You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer us!

Here is the pivot. In the midst of the earthquake and the drunken staggering, God has not left His people without a rallying point. He has given a "banner" to those who truly fear Him. A banner was a standard lifted high on the battlefield to show the troops where to gather. While the nation as a whole is being judged, there is a faithful remnant, those who "fear God," and He provides a standard for them to rally to. This banner is displayed "because of the truth." It is God's covenant faithfulness, His truth, that is the bedrock on which they can re-form their lines. The ultimate banner, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ, lifted up on the cross (Isa 11:10). He is the one to whom the scattered people of God must rally. And so David prays for the deliverance of God's "beloved," pleading for God to save with His "right hand," the hand of power and action.

6-7 God has spoken in His holiness: “I will exult, I will portion out Shechem and measure out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; Judah is My scepter.

The prayer now shifts from lament to a confident declaration based on a divine oracle. "God has spoken." This changes everything. From His holy sanctuary, God declares His absolute and triumphant sovereignty. He speaks as a conquering king dividing up the spoils. Shechem and Succoth, Gilead and Manasseh, are all territories within Israel. God is reaffirming His ownership of His own people and His own land. He is not wringing His hands over the Edomite invasion; He is calmly parceling out His kingdom. Ephraim, a powerful northern tribe, is His "helmet," His defensive strength. Judah, the royal tribe, is His "scepter," His instrument of rule. God is reminding David, and us, that the ordering of His kingdom is His business, and He has all the pieces right where He wants them.

8 Moab is My washbowl; Over Edom I will throw My sandal; Over Philistia I will shout aloud.

Having affirmed His rule over Israel, God now turns His attention to the surrounding pagan nations. The language is one of utter contempt and mastery. Moab, a perennial enemy, is nothing more than His washbowl, a common vessel used for washing dusty feet. This is a picture of utter subjugation. He will throw His sandal over Edom, an act signifying taking possession of property. The very nation that is currently terrifying Israel, God says He will treat as a piece of real estate to be claimed. And over Philistia, the old enemy to the west, He will shout in triumph. This is the word of the King of kings, for whom the nations are but a drop in the bucket. This is the promise David clings to.

9-10 Who will bring me into the besieged city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have not You, O God, rejected us? And will You not go out, O God, with our armies?

Armed with this divine promise, David's perspective changes. He is no longer just lamenting defeat; he is planning his counter-attack. "Who will bring me into the besieged city?" This is likely a reference to a major Edomite stronghold, perhaps Petra. The question is rhetorical. David knows that only God can give him this victory. He then asks the hard question again, but this time with a different tone. "Have not You, O God, rejected us?" Before, it was a cry of pain. Now, it is a challenge of faith. It is as if he is saying, "Lord, you are the one who cast us off. Are you not therefore the only one who can lead us back out to victory?" He is turning God's past judgment into an argument for His future favor.

11-12 Give us help against the adversary, For deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.

The psalm concludes with a magnificent summary of biblical faith. First, there is a clear-eyed recognition of human inadequacy. "Deliverance by man is in vain." No political alliance, no military strategy, no new technology can solve our ultimate problems. All human help is worthless when God is against you. Second, there is a radical reliance on God's power. "Through God we shall do valiantly." This is not quietism. It does not say, "We will sit back and watch God do valiantly." It says we will do valiantly, but the power, the ability, the courage will come through God. God works through His people. He gives the victory, but we fight the battle. Finally, the ultimate credit goes entirely to Him. "It is He who will tread down our adversaries." We fight, but He is the one who crushes the enemy under our feet. This is the paradox of the Christian life: we strive with all our might, knowing all the while that it is God who is at work in us, both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Application

Psalm 60 is a psalm for Christians who are engaged in the long, slow, and often discouraging work of building the kingdom of God. We look out at our culture and see the land shaking. We see breaches and cracks in the foundations of the family, the church, and the state. We see the people of God shown "hard things," and we often feel like we are staggering, confused by the "wine of astonishment." The temptation is to despair, or to put our trust in the vain help of man, whether that be a political candidate or a new church growth program.

This psalm teaches us a better way. We must begin with honest confession. We must look at the disarray in the church and in our own lives and say, "O God, You have broken us." We must own the fact that our struggles are not primarily the fault of the secularists or the pagans, but are the result of our own unfaithfulness. But from that place of honest lament, we must look up and see the banner that God has raised for us, the cross of Jesus Christ. That is our rallying point. And we must listen for the word that God has spoken from His sanctuary. He has declared in the resurrection of Jesus that Gilead is His, and Manasseh is His. He has declared that America is His washbowl, and China is the place over which He casts His shoe. He has promised His Son the nations for His inheritance.

Therefore, we must not ask, "Can the church possibly win?" but rather, "Who will lead us into the strong city?" The answer is the same for us as it was for David. God will. Vain is the help of man. But through God, we, His church, shall do valiantly. We will preach the gospel, plant churches, disciple the nations, and build a Christian civilization, not in our own strength, but through the power of the one who has promised, "It is He who will tread down our adversaries."