Remembering Deliverance, Remembering Defeat
Psalms 108
June 6, 2021
Perhaps you pick up on it when we read through Psalms 108
But there seems to be a sort of peculiar jump that takes place
Between verses 5 and 6.
The first 5 verses are all praise and adoration with David declaring
• His sincerity to God
• His urgency to praise
• His zeal for making God known
• His discernment of the greatness of God
• And his goal that God is exalted above all the earth.
It is filled with praise and adoration.
And then sort of without warning he jumps into verse 6 which says, “That your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer me!”
It’s almost like he got bad news
Right in the middle of singing a praise song.
And the rest of the song sort of follows the struggle.
• In verses 7-9 he reminds himself that God has chosen Israel.
• In verses 10-13 he actually speaks of God’s rejection and need for God’s help
or else there can be no victory.
In reading the Psalm it really seemed to me
To sort of jump in between verses 5 and 6.
It would have helped if I had immediately recognized the words David wrote, but I didn’t until opening a commentary.
The reason for the noticeable jump in thought is because
Nothing in Psalms 108 is original.
Psalms 108 is actually parts of two different Psalms
Which David puts together.
And they actually break in between verses 5 and 6.
• Verses 1-5 are actually taken verbatim from Psalms 57:7-11
• Verses 6-13 are taken verbatim from Psalms 60:5-12
I don’t expect you to immediately pull to your memory those Psalms;
As I certainly didn’t upon starting my study.
BUT:
Psalms 57 was a Psalm written when David was hiding in cave from Saul.
• It was written according to “Al-Tashheth” which you remember as one of the “Destroy Not” Psalms.
• It was a Psalm in which David learned to trust God’s judgment and to therefore withhold his own.
• David exalted God in Psalms 57 because God proved that He could and would take care of David’s enemies and David only needed to trust Him.
Psalms 60 was quite different. It was a Psalm of defeat.
• It also came with a context indicator saying, “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.”
• The difficult part of that Psalm is that while we can find David fighting Aram and Joab fighting Edom, aside from Psalms 60 we don’t have any record of Edom ever defeating Israel.
• It occurred, it is just omitted from the books of 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles.
• Anyway Psalms 60 relates how David was humbled by the defeat
• It reveals how God reminded David of His sovereign selection of Israel.
• And it reveals how it reminded David that regardless of his military might, true victory was only found in the hands of God.
So you have a Psalm of Deliverance and a Psalm of Defeat.
And here in Psalms 108
David took part of both them and put them together.
While we know the original context of both of the Psalms David borrowed, We don’t know the context or the setting of Psalms 108
As to why David visited them again.
• Perhaps it is purely memorial as David reflects on past lessons learned.
• Perhaps it is again relevant and David is again afflicted and drawing strength
from past deliverance.
• Perhaps David is sharing it with others who need the same truth.
WE DON’T KNOW WHY
But David has visited them again, extracted from each of them,
And put them together in Psalms 108 for us to remember.
What is going to allow for us tonight is a PROGRESS REPORT
We get to revisit texts we studied previously and see how we are doing.
• Can we like David still sing those same songs?
• Or do we need to learn them again?
TURN TO: PSALMS 57
As we pointed out earlier you see the sub heading to Psalms 57
Which gives us great insight
“For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Mikhtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.”
Again you notice the “Al-tashheth” distinction
Which of course means to “Destroy Not”
(It is a heading which we see in Psalms 57, 58, 59, and 75.)
It is NOT a prayer for God to “destroy not”
As those Psalms make abundantly clear.
Rather it is a message from David to Israel that they should “Destroy Not”
It is rather a reminder of what Paul taught in the New Testament.
Romans 12:19 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”
And you are well aware of that point as we have discussed it repeatedly
In the study of those former Psalms.
The setting is also given that it is “when he fled from Saul in the cave”
• And certainly you remember that story.
• 1 Samuel 24 outlines how David fled from Saul and Saul hunted him down.
1 Samuel 24:1-7 “Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.'” Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. It came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD’S anointed.” David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.”
David learned a great lesson that day.
• He learned that it was not for him to take his own revenge,
• But that God could and would in His timing.
• David turned the other cheek in that cave.
• David spared Saul’s life.
• David left room for the vengeance of God.
And in response to what David learned in that cave, he penned Psalms 57.
Now you can read the first 6 verses of Psalms 57
(which David does not include in Psalms 108)
And you can learn again about David’s learning process.
YOU SEE DAVID’S CONFIDENCE (1-3)
• Namely that when in danger David cried out to God for his deliverance.
YOU SEE DAVID’S CONFIRMATION (4-6)
• Namely when Saul entered that cave David learned that God could definitely handle his enemies.
And then the part that David did copy and include for us was:
DAVID’S COMMITMENT (7-11)
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens And Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.”
The overwhelming desire of David was that God be exalted.
• David has just understood that if he delivers himself by his own hand then God receives no glory.
• However, if David is steadfast and full of faith and allows God to be his deliverance then God alone is glorified and exalted.
In our country we are told to “Never take the law into your own hands”
And yet people still do at times: WHY?
• People take the law into their own hands when they have no confidence in the
legal system or the justice system.
• Either they don’t think the police can catch the criminal
• Or they don’t think the judge will convict the criminal and so they take care of it
themselves.
Well, when we take our own revenge we say the same things about God
And thus we rob Him of His glory as the righteous Judge.
Well David learned that in the cave and Psalms 57 was about that truth.
So it was a Psalm about TRUSTING GOD’S VENGEANCE
Even though you are afflicted you need not take your own revenge,
For God, who has chosen you, will in fact deal with your enemies.
That was the lesson of Psalms 57.
From there we move to the other Psalm David quotes.
TURN TO: PSALMS 60
The common denominator of both Psalms
Is that David is attacked in each of them.
• He is attacked by Saul in Psalms 57
• And he is apparently attacked by Edom in Psalms 60.
Psalms 60 also has a subtitle.
“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.”
• Now, while we can read 2 Samuel 8 and read about David defeating Aram
• And we can read 2 Chronicles 18 and read about Joab defeating Edom in the Valley of Salt
• We have no record of any defeat at the hands of Edom which took place.
Just because it is not included in the narrative of Samuel or Chronicles
Does not mean it didn’t occur, clearly according to Psalms 60 it did.
Most likely, while David was up attacking Aram,
Edom attacked from the south and defeated Israel.
This defeat blindsided David.
• Psalms 60 is the song where David humbled himself and confessed to God that apart from God’s help there could be no victory.
• Psalms 60 is a Psalm about what David learned in defeat.
Those are good lessons.
• Like Paul’s thorn in the flesh.
• Paul didn’t learn true strength until he fully understood his own weakness.
SO DAVID ALSO.
Once he truly understood his own vulnerability,
He better understood his desperate need for God.
In Psalms 60 we saw David speak of A SHOCKING REJECTION in verses 1-3 (which David does not include in 108)
• You can really feel how shaken the confidence of David was.
• He just lost a battle he did not expect to lose.
In verses 4-5 (We get 5 in 108) we saw A SIMPLE REQUEST
• After David acknowledged in verse 4 that all his battles are for the glory of God
• David then cried out to God for deliverance.
• He wanted God to step in and deal with the enemy who had afflicted him.
In verses 6-8 (108:7-9) we see A SOVERIEGN REALITY
Here is where despite the defeat
David remembered what God had spoken in the past.
(60:6-8 / 108:7-9) “God has spoken in His holiness: “I will exult, I will portion out Shechem And measure out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; Judah is My scepter. Moab is My washbowl; Over Edom I shall throw My shoe; Over Philistia I will shout aloud.”
The point to be made is that the Sovereign God of the universe,
Who owns all things has already declared who gets what.
• Shechem and the valley of Succoth are Israel’s land.
• Gilead belongs to God.
• Manasseh belongs to God.
• Ephraim and Judah belong to God and are honored as weapons of war.
No one made God determine that,
But in HIS SOVEREIGN PREROGATIVE He chose to determine that.
That was His decision, not theirs.
And conversely
• “Moab is my washbowl” a lowly servant carrying water to wash His feet.
• “Over Edom I shall throw My shoe” like a slave to whom you kick off your sandals and tell him to deal with them.
• “Over Philistia I will shout aloud” indicating dominance and control.
So the point that David remembered is that
Even though God had allowed a victory for Edom over Israel
It does not change that God has chosen Israel and not Edom.
It did not override God’s sovereign prerogative.
But what it did to was humble David.
• It reminded David that the only reason he ever has any victory
• Is not because of his own military might,
• But because God has chosen to give the victory.
And that understanding is clearly spelled out
In the final 4 verses of the Psalm.
We saw A SINCERE RELIANCE
(60:9-12 / 108:10-13) “Who will bring me into the besieged city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us? And will You not go forth with our armies, O God? Oh give us help against the adversary, For deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we will do valiantly, And it is He who shall tread down our adversaries.”
You can hear the humility and the lessons that David learned.
• There is no victory apart from God.
• If God rejects David cannot win.
• “For deliverance by man is in vain”
• And yet, “Through God we will do valiantly, And it is He who shall tread down our adversaries.”
So while David was crushed against the rock of his own weakness,
He was lifted by the power of God.
And David learned not to trust his own strength
But rather to TRUST GOD’S SOVEREIGN GRACE
That is to say, to trust that God will in fact
Deliver those whom He has chosen to deliver.
It reminds of the famous passage in Zechariah:
Zechariah 4:6 “Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
David learned that through his defeat.
So we have two Psalms that appear to be
The opposite sides of the same coin.
In both of them David is afflicted.
• In the first he is taught to trust God’s vengeance and let God fight his battles.
• In the second he is taught to trust God’s grace and not his own strength in battle.
And now in Psalms 108
David brings part of them back together for us to remember tonight.
• David remembers a time of deliverance where he learned to trust God’s
vengeance.
• David remembers a time of defeat where he learned to trust God’s grace.
Now he puts them together.
So let’s look at Psalms 108 now quickly
And remember what David was trying to remind us of.
We’ll break the Psalm where it naturally breaks.
#1 REMEMBERING COMMITMENT IN DANGER
Psalms 108:1-5
• Perhaps David finds himself in danger again like he did back in the days of Saul,
• Or perhaps he is encouraging someone else who is trying to learn what it means to leave room for the vengeance of God.
Either way David is compelled to sing this song again.
And again it begins with a tremendous statement of commitment.
“My heart is steadfast, O God;”
It brings to your mind the great statement of Paul which is rooted in the resurrection of Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
• Because death is defeated and heaven is certain Paul calls for believers to be
steadfast.
David still believes that God will care for His own, and he confesses it again.
• He is not a vacillating man.
• He is not a half-hearted follower like the one whose seed was sown among the thorns.
• He is not a shallow-hearted follower like the one who seed was sown on the rocks.
Both of those only talk a good game until the going gets tough.
No David would be wholly devoted.
David would be committed no matter the danger.
And even though danger has arrived again David remains steadfast.
Notice also HIS SINCERITY
“I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.”
This is evidence of a regenerate heart.
• David is not forcing a song against his will.
• David’s soul is so confident in God that it is filled with singing.
See HIS URGENCY
“Awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn!”
There is no time like the present.
There is no time to wait.
• It is not time to make battle plans.
• It is not time to double-check the defenses.
• It is not time to secure the rations.
It is time to praise the God who saves.
It is first on his agenda.
We see HIS ZEAL
“I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations.”
• This was no private devotion.
• This was no intimate song.
• David’s song was meant to be a declaration to the God who avenges His own.
It was important to David that the world know
Where his trust was in the midst of danger.
Notice HIS DISCERNMENT
“For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the skies.”
• Why is David steadfast?
• Why is David sincere?
• Why is David urgent in praise?
• Why can David announce it to the world?
Because David knows how great the loyalty of God is.
He knows that God is for him.
He knows that God is with him.
He has sung this song before in faith,
Now he sings it in confident experience.
God will care for him again.
And we see HIS GOAL
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And Your glory above all the earth.”
• There is a purpose in the danger.
• There is a sovereign reason behind it.
God is going to use this to glorify Himself
And David is still happy to be a part of it.
He saw God do this before with Saul.
• He saw God glorify Himself by preserving David and placing him on the throne.
Now He will see God glorify Himself again
By continuing to secure David’s throne even in new trials.
IT IS GREAT PERSPECTIVE FROM DAVID.
He has sang this song before and he will sing it now again.
He also remembers when God taught him humility by allowing him to suffer defeat and David is good with that too!
#2 REMEMBERING HUMILITY IN DEFEAT
Psalms 108:6-13
• Perhaps God will deliver like He did in the cave.
• Perhaps God will teach David humility like He did with the Edomites.
• Either way David is committed.
He knows that God and only God can deliver.
And so by singing this song again, David reiterates to God
That he has not forgotten that lesson learned long ago.
As he waits for victory he makes sure to confess again
That victory apart from God is impossible.
You see again his plea for salvation.
(6) “That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer me!”
David still wants deliverance.
You see again that he has remembered God’s sovereign election of Israel over other nations.
(7-9) “God has spoken in His holiness: “I will exult, I will portion out Shechem And measure out the valley of Succoth. “Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; Judah is My scepter. “Moab is My washbowl; Over Edom I shall throw My shoe; Over Philistia I will shout aloud.”
God’s sovereign grace in selecting Israel
Is still the very root of David’s confidence.
And you see again David’s humility and commitment to understand that deliverance only comes from God.
(10-13) “Who will bring me into the besieged city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us? And will You not go forth with our armies, O God? Oh give us help against the adversary, For deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we will do valiantly, And it is He who shall tread down our adversaries.”
The refreshing thing about the repeat found in Psalms 108
Is that we see that in David’s life NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
It is heartbreaking to us when we see men or women
Who seemed to trust God only to fall away from Him in future trials.
DAVID WAS NO SUCH DEFECTOR.
In Psalms 57 and 60 David LEARNED great things about God.
In Psalms 108 David is CONTINUING TO APPLY what he learned.
• It’s not like we only face certain trials once.
• It’s not like we only face danger once and then never again.
• It’s not like we only face opposition once and then never again.
No, each time we face it there is a lesson involved
To help us face it even better the next time.
That is part of the process of sanctification.
I suppose the good question tonight for us to ponder would be
“Do I trust those things?”
When we looked at Psalms 57
We talked about how a lack of meekness is actually an indictment against God.
• When we refuse to turn the other cheek…
• When we insist on getting our own revenge…
• We are actually saying that we don’t think God will handle it.
• Psalms 57 taught us to “Destroy Not” and leave room for the vengeance of God.
• Psalms 57 taught us to be meek like Jesus who even though He was reviled He did not revile in return.
Have you learned that lesson?
My notes say we studied that text on December 15, 2019.
(about 19 months ago)
Well we certainly had a year of frustration
Where we had every opportunity not to take our own revenge,
But to leave room for the wrath of God.
On December of 2019 none of us had a clue what 2020 was going to bring.
Did we learn the lesson?
Can we still sing 108 with David and say, “Absolutely, I am still steadfast in my belief that God will avenge”?
Or how about the lesson of Psalms 60.
I show that we studied it on January 19, 2020.
David taught us that the defeats and the hardships of life
Were meant to humble him.
David taught us that we were supposed to learn
That there is no victory apart from God.
Well again we saw 2020 come.
• We saw an election year.
• We saw defeats and struggles and hardships.
Did they humble us and teach us to rely on God
Or did they only anger us and cause us
To take matters into our own hands.
It is a pretty unique progress report God just dropped in our lap.
• We were first taught those truths a year and a half ago
• And then we were given every opportunity to see if we learned them.
• And now God has brought them around again to remind us
• And to give us a barometer by which to test our progress.
I’m not about to tell you how I think we did or you did.
I can certainly tell you that I don’t think I like the grade on my scorecard.
But it is a reminder to do better.
That when we face danger or trials or hardships,
• Don’t take your own revenge but leave room for God and He will deliver.
And when we face defeats,
• Don’t get angry,
• Be humble and recognize that God disciplines those whom He loves
• And He humbles them so they will rely on Him and Him alone for their future.
Tonight we are reminded again to TRUST GOD’S JUDGMENT
And to TRUST GOD’S SOVEREIGN GRACE.
• God has chosen us.
• God loves us.
• God has determined to work all things for our good.
And God has promised that we do not have to take our own revenge,
For He will do that for us.
That is good news.
Perhaps over the next 18 months
We’ll do a better job of applying that truth to our lives.
