Psalm 59-60 God Doing Battle For Us

There’s a lot of talk of battle here, and I know many of us would not pray for the death of our enemies, but for Christ to soften their hearts to know Him.  My commentary helped me to understand what was happening in the background.

Verse 1-9 of Psalm 59 speak of God the Deliverer.  “God’s people can always turn to the Lord in times of danger and testing because He hears our prayers … The Lord knows our hearts … and recognizes when we are innocent and being attacked.  The Lord sees and hears our enemies and knows what they are saying and doing … The Lord defends our cause …”

Verses 10-17 speak of God the Judge:  “God would not only take care of David, but He would also confront David’s enemies and deal with them … When it comes to facing and fighting the enemy, the Lord goes before us.  The mercy (lovingkindness) of the Lord would go before David and prepare the way for victory … The Lord also fights for us by scattering the enemy, causing them to wander, and bringing their attack to a halt …The Lord gives us a song and even before the victory, we praise Him for who He is and what He does!”

Psalm 60 deals with a setback caused by an attack by another nation.  “It could be seen as a sign that God had rejected His people.  However, being a man of faith, David didn’t give up but rallied the people … God had covenanted to give them success against their enemies.  In David’s heart, faith was conquering fear … The Lord didn’t give the land to His people so they might lose it to their enemies … David claimed these promises by faith … and God gave the victory…  David earnestly prayed that the Lord would honor His Word and give His beloved people victory over their enemies, and the Lord answered… David didn’t interpret one setback as a sign of total defeat … perhaps he needed this one defeat to humble him and drive him closer to the Lord … The enemy would be completely defeated and Israel would triumph.”

Perhaps we’re being told to be politically correct too often and we are failing to remember that this is a spiritual battle.  God knows the future and He wins.  Yes, we have real enemies, and we can pray that God deals with them in His sovereignty however He sees fit.  His judgments are true.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford