Commentary - Psalm 60:1-5

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 60 is a national lament, a corporate cry to God in a time of military reversal and national disarray. The superscription places it in the context of David's wars with Aram-naharaim, Aram-zobah, and Edom, a time of general success for Israel. This makes the psalm's tone of defeat and rejection all the more striking. It likely refers to a specific, sharp setback within that larger campaign, a moment when God made His people drink the "wine of astonishment."

The psalm moves from a raw acknowledgment of God's judgment (vv. 1-3) to a glimmer of hope centered on God's faithfulness to His own (vv. 4-5). This is not despair. This is the beginning of wisdom. The people of God are reeling, the land itself seems broken, and the cause is traced directly back to God's righteous anger. But in the midst of this chastisement, God provides a banner for those who fear Him, a rallying point of truth. The prayer then turns, pleading for the deliverance of God's "beloved," a term that points us forward to the ultimate Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in whom all of God's people find their true identity and rescue.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 60 is what is called a Michtam, a term of uncertain meaning but often associated with psalms of deep and personal trust in God, sometimes in the midst of great distress. It is also a psalm of David, the king, who speaks not just for himself but for the entire nation. This psalm teaches the people of God how to respond when the bottom falls out. It is one thing to praise God on the sunny uplands of victory; it is another thing entirely to know what to say when you have been routed.

The central lesson here is that the people of God must learn to connect their circumstances, good and bad, to the hand of God. When Israel was defeated, it was not because the pagan gods of Edom were stronger. It was because the God of Israel was displeased. This is the necessary first step to any true recovery. Until you are honest about the source of the judgment, you cannot be honest about the source of your salvation.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; Oh, restore us.

The prayer begins with a blunt and startling honesty. There is no beating around the bush. David does not say, "O God, it appears we have suffered a minor tactical setback due to unforeseen logistical challenges." He says, "You have rejected us." He traces the military defeat directly to a breach in their relationship with God. This is crucial. Until we are willing to say that God has scattered us, that God has judged us, we are not yet in a position to be helped. We love to blame secondary causes. We blame the Philistines, we blame Moab, we blame the economy, we blame the opposing political party. But David knows that the ultimate cause is God's displeasure. When God's people are broken, it is because God has broken them. And because He is the one who has broken them, He is the only one who can restore them. The plea "Oh, restore us" is therefore aimed in exactly the right direction.

v. 2 You have made the land quake, You have split it open; Heal its breaches, for it shakes.

The turmoil is not just military or political; it is cosmic. The very foundations of the nation are shaking. The imagery is that of an earthquake, a profound instability that affects everyone and everything. When God is displeased with His covenant people, the consequences are not contained. The land itself, which was given to them as a gift, convulses under the weight of their sin and God's subsequent judgment. This is covenantal theology in poetic form. The health of the land is tied to the spiritual health of the people. When the people are unfaithful, the land vomits them out. David sees the cracks in the national edifice and knows they are not superficial. He asks God to "heal its breaches," because only the one who caused the quake can repair the damage. Man's help is vain here.

v. 3 You have caused Your people to see hardship; You have given us wine to drink that causes reeling.

God has not just allowed hardship; He has "caused" His people to see it. He has been their teacher, and the lesson is a hard one. The metaphor shifts from an earthquake to a cup of wine, but the effect is the same: disorientation, confusion, staggering. This is the "wine of astonishment." God has made them drink a cup that has left them utterly bewildered and stumbling about. This is what happens when we come face to face with our own folly, our own disregard for God's Word. God in His mercy sometimes forces us to drink this wine so that we might be sobered up. The mercy begins with the hard things. He makes us stagger so that we might learn to walk straight.

v. 4 You have given a banner to those who fear You, In order to flee to it from the bow. Selah.

Right in the middle of this disaster, the tone shifts. To whom does it shift? To "those who fear You." Not everyone learns the lesson of verses 1-3. Many will continue to blame the Edomites. But those who fear God, those who understand the true source of their trouble, are given a gift. That gift is a banner. A banner is not something you hide in a museum; it is a rallying point in the heat of battle. It is a standard that tells you where to go, who you are fighting for, and in whose name you fight. This banner is given "because of the truth." God gives His people a standard of truth to rally to, even when they are being routed. And what is that banner? In the Old Testament, it was the truth of God's covenant promises. For us, it is the blood-red banner of the cross of Jesus Christ. He is our rallying point. When we are scattered by our sin and folly, we are to flee to Him. The world's bows are aimed at us, but our safety is found by flocking to the standard of the crucified and risen King.

v. 5 That Your beloved may be rescued, Save with Your right hand, and answer us!

The purpose of the banner is the rescue of God's "beloved." It is fascinating to note that David's name means "beloved." He stands here as a type, a representative for all of God's people. We are God's beloved, not because of our own merits, the first three verses make that abundantly clear, but because He has set His love upon us in Christ, His ultimate Beloved Son. The prayer is for salvation, but it is a specific kind of salvation. "Save with Your right hand." The right hand is the hand of power and authority. This is a plea for God to act decisively and powerfully on behalf of His cherished people. The prayer is not a timid suggestion; it is an urgent cry. "Answer us!" This is the confidence that those who rally to the banner of truth are given. Because we are His beloved, we can cry out for Him to save, and to save mightily.

Application

When our lives, our families, our churches, or our nations begin to shake and crack, our first instinct must be to look upward. We must have the courage of David to say, "O God, You have done this." We live in a culture that is allergic to taking responsibility, always looking for a scapegoat. But the beginning of spiritual health is to confess that our problems are, at root, God-problems. Our sin has provoked His righteous anger.

But this is not a counsel of despair. Far from it. The moment we are honest about the source of the judgment, we are in a position to see the banner that God has provided. For those who fear Him, for those who are willing to be honest, God always provides a standard. That standard is the gospel of His Son. Jesus Christ took the cup of staggering, the true wine of God's wrath, and drank it down to the dregs on our behalf. He is the one who was broken for us, so that we might be restored. He is the banner of truth to whom we must rally.

Therefore, when we find ourselves reeling, we must not look for human solutions or political fixes. Vain is the help of man. We must flee to the cross. We must plead for the sake of God's Beloved, the Lord Jesus, and know that in Him, we too are God's beloved. And on that basis, we can ask Him to save with His right hand, confident that the one who has the power to break also has the power to heal, and He does so for His own glory.