RETURN TO SYLLABUS
PSALMS 60
LESSON #17/P2
A PERMANENT WALKING STICK: CHASTENING THROUGH LOVE

• MEMORY VERSE: HEB 12:6

• THE SUB-TITLE: "To the chief Musician upon Shushan-eduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand."

• "SHUSHAN-EDUTH" = SUNG TO THE TUNE OF THE LILY OF THE COVENANT
• "MICHTAM" MEANS = ENGRAVEN OR PERMANENT AND USUALLY HAS TO DO WITH DELIVERANCE.
• "ARAM-NAHARAIM" = THE ARAMAENS FROM NORTHWEST MESOPOTAMIA.
• "ARAM-ZOBAH" = THE ARAMAENS FROM CENTRAL SYRIA.
• THIS IS A TEACHING OF DAVID REGARDING A SPECIFIC VICTORY OVER THE EDOMITES.
• READ 2SAM 8:13-14
• READ 1KIN 11:15-16
• READ 1CHR 18:12)
• WHEN DAVID WAS LEADING THE BATTLE IN THE NORTH AGAINST THE ARAMAENS, THE EDOMITES ATTACKED JUDAH IN THE SOUTH. JOAB AND ABAISHAI WERE GENERALS WHO FOUGHT ALONG SIDE DAVID.
• THE SUB-TITLE OF PSA 60 SAYS THAT 12 THOUSAND OF THE EDOMITES WERE KILLED WHILE 1CHR 18:12 SAYS THAT 18 THOUSAND WERE KILLED.
• THE ENTIRE MILITARY CAMPAIGN WAS UNDER GENERAL ABAISHAI. GENERAL JOAB WAS CREDITED FOR KILLING 12 THOUSAND OF THE TOTAL KILLED. THE TOTAL KILLED IN THE ENTIRE CAMPAIGN WAS 18,000.
• THE VALLEY OF SALT WAS LOCATED NEAR THE DEAD SEA IN THE AREA NEAR THE LAND OF EDOM.

• THE PRIMARY INTERPRETATION:
• READ PSA 60:1-5 A PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE
• DAVID WAS LOSING THESE BATTLES. HIS ARMY WAS SCATTERED. (1)
• DAVID ATTRIBUTES HIS DEFEATS TO GOD’S ANGER AGAINST HIM. (1)
• DAVID DOES NOT SAY WHY HE THINKS GOD IS ANGRY WITH HIM, BUT WE GET A CLUE LATER IN THE PSALM.
• EVEN DAVID’S TROOPS WERE ASTONISHED BY THE DEFEAT. (3)
• THESE DEFEATS WERE HARD TO SWALLOW.
• "SELAH" (4)
• SELAH IS A MUSICAL REST THAT TELLS US WE SHOULD STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WAS JUST SAID.
• VERSE 4 IS A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND.
• IT SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT GOD HAD CALLED THEM TO BATTLE BY RAISING A BANNER. THE ISRAELITES WERE TO BE THE ONES WHO FEARED GOD. THEY WERE TO BE THE ONES WHO BATTLED FOR TRUTH. THEY WERE TO BE GOD’S MODEL EXAMPLE OF TRUTH TO THE WORLD.
• THE SURPRISING THING IS THAT THEY WERE NOT WINNING VICTORIES! WHY?
• IT IS BECAUSE OF SIN. THEY WERE FAILING TO BE A MODEL OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. TO CHASTEN THEM, GOD PERMITTED DEFEAT.
• READ HEB 12:6-11
• GOD CHASTENS THOSE HE LOVES. SOS 2:4 TELLS US THAT GOD’S BANNER OVER US IS LOVE.
• NOTICE THAT HEB 12:11 TELLS US THAT THE RESULT OF CHASTENING IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. HOWEVER, RIGHTEOUSNESS ONLY COMES IF WE PAY ATTENTION TO THE LESSON GOD IS TEACHING US THROUGH THE CHASTENING.
• DAVID KNEW GOD WAS ANGRY BECAUSE OF SOME SIN. WE ARE NOT TOLD THE SPECIFIC SIN. HOWEVER, DAVID UNDERSTOOD THE DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHASTENING AND DEFEAT. HE WAS PAYING ATTENTION AND WAS WILLING TO LEARN GOD’S LESSON.
• DAVID KNOWS GOD’S CHASTENING IS DUE TO GOD’S LOVE. HE BASES HIS PLEA FOR DELIVERANCE ON GOD’S LOVE. (5)
• "…THY RIGHT HAND…" (5)
• THIS FREQUENT BIBLICAL PHRASE REFERS TO GOD’S POWER. THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE BODY WAS THE SIDE OF BLESSING AND FAVOR, POWER, AND STRENGTH.

• READ PSA 60:6-8 THE ASSURANCE OF VICTORY
• THE HOLY GOD SPEAKS:
• BECAUSE ALL THE LAND BELONGS TO GOD, HE WILL GIVE IT TO THOSE HE DESIRES.
• THE CITY OF SHECHEM WAS IN THE CENTER OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL IN THE LAND BELONGING TO THE TRIBE OF EPHRAIM. ALONG A VALLEY TWENTY MILES EAST OF THE CITY OF SHECHEM, THERE WAS THE CITY OF SUCCOTH IN THE LAND BELONGING TO THE TRIBE OF GAD ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE JORDAN RIVER.
• THE TRIBE OF EPHRAIM WAS A LARGE, VERY STRONG TRIBE. IT WAS TO BE THE DEFENSE OF THE NATION HOLDING THE NATION TOGETHER. (7)
• HOWEVER, THROUGH ISRAEL’S HISTORY (JDG 12), THIS TRIBE OFTEN CAUSED INTERNAL PROBLEMS THAT RESULTED IN DISUNITY. THIS TRIBE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR FINALLY SPLITTING THE NATION INTO TWO AFTER THE DEATH OF KING SOLOMON.
• READ ISA 13:2-6
• "…JUDAH IS MY LAWGIVER…" (7)
• IN GEN 49:10 GOD GAVE A PROPHECY THAT THE KINGS (THE LAWGIVERS) OF ISRAEL WERE TO COME FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH UNTIL THE MESSIAH CAME. DAVID WAS ISRAEL’S FIRST KING FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH.
• KING SAUL WAS NOT A KING ACCORDING TO GOD’S PERFECT WILL BUT ACCORDING TO GOD’S PERMISSIVE WILL. KING SAUL WAS FROM THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN.
• "…MOAB IS MY WASHPOT…" (8)
• THIS IS AN INTERESTINGLY DESCRIPTIVE PHRASE TO DESCRIBE A NATION.
• THE MOABITES WERE ISRAEL’S ENEMY. HOWEVER, WHEN THE ISRAELITES LOST THEIR FAITH, GOD CHASTENED THEM WHEN THEY LEFT THE PROMISED LAND AND SETTLED IN MOAB.
• GOD USED THEIR TIME IN MOAB TO WASH OUT THEIR SIN AND INCREASE THEIR FAITH THROUGH CHASTENING.
• NAOMI AND HER FAMILY IN THE BOOK OF RUTH IS THE PRIME EXAMPLE.
• "…OVER EDOM WILL I CAST OUT MY SHOE…" (8)
• THE EDOMITES WERE ALWAYS BITTER ENEMIES OF ISRAEL FROM THEIR BEGINNING WITH ESAU. GOD GAVE THEM THE LAND OF EDOM BUT THEY WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH IT. THEY WERE ALWAYS TRYING TO INVADE ISRAEL TO GAIN MORE LAND.
• THEREFORE, THIS PHRASE IN VERSE 8 REFERS TO THE PROPERTY OF EDOM BEING TRANSFERRED TO GOD.
• THE PERSON WHO OWNED PROPERTY HAD THE RIGHT TO WALK OVER THAT PROPERTY. THEREFORE, TAKING OFF THE SHOE AND GIVING THAT SHOE TO ANOTHER WAS A JEWISH SYMBOLIC CUSTOM FOR THE TRANSFERENCE OF PROPERTY.
• THIS CUSTOM IS ALSO OBSERVABLE IN THE BOOK OF RUTH WHEN A CLOSER RELATIVE THAN BOAZ TOOK OFF HIS SHOE AND GAVE IT TO BOAZ TO INDICATE HE GAVE UP HIS RIGHT OF KINSMAN REDEEMER.
• "…PHILISTIA, TRIUMPH THOU BECAUSE OF ME "(8)
• THE PHILISTINES WERE ISRAEL GREATEST , STRONGEST, AND MORE PERSISTENT ENEMY.
• IT WAS NOT UNTIL KING DAVID’S TIME DID ISRAEL FINALLY TRIUMPH OVER PHILISTIA AND TOTALLY WIPED THEM OUT ONCE AND FOR ALL.
• THE PHRASE TELLS US THAT PHILISTIA WILL SEE THE TRIUMPH OF DAVID.

• READ PSA 60:9-12 CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S ULTIMATE VICTORY
• DAVID ASKS FOUR QUESTIONS:
• =1= "WHO WILL BRING ME INTO THE STRONG CITY?" (9)
• THE "STRONG CITY" REFERS TO A FORTIFIED CITY THAT DAVID’S ARMY WANTED TO CONQUER.
• =2= "WHO WILL LEAD ME INTO EDOM?" (9)
• BECAUSE DAVID’S ARMY WAS LOSING BATTLES, DAVID QUESTIONS WHETHER OR NOT GOD WILL BE WITH HIM IN THE BATTLE AGAINST EDOM.
• =3= "WILT THOU O GOD WHICH HADST CAST US OFF? (10)
• DAVID WONDERS IF ISRAEL HAS LOST GOD’S FAVOR FOREVER.
• =4= "AND THOU O GOD WHICH DIDST NO GO OUT WITH OUR ARMIES? (10)
• AGAIN, DAVID KNOWS THEY HAVE BEEN LOSING BATTLES BECAUSE GOD HAS NOT BEEN WITH HIM.
• THE UNDERLYING TONE OF THESE FOUR QUESTIONS IS SARCASM. IN OTHER WORDS, DAVID IS SAYING, "GOD IF YOU’RE NOT WITH US, THERE IS NO ONE WHO WILL HELP US WIN."
• HELP FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE IS VAIN. (11)
• ONLY THROUGH GOD WILL THEY WIN VALIENTLY. (12)
• ONLY GOD CAN WALK ALL OVER THEIR ENEMIES. (12)
• SUMMARY AND APPLICATION:
• THE KEY POINT IN THIS PSALM IS THAT VICTORY COMES THROUGH A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. WHEN WE FALL INTO SIN, GOD CHASTENS US. WE SHOULD CONSIDER THAT PERHAPS GOD MAY BE CHASTENING US WHEN WE DON’T HAVE THE VICTORY.
• DAVID UNDERSTOOD THIS PRINCIPLE. DAVID ALSO KNEW THAT CHASTENING CAME FROM A LOVING GOD.
• TO LEARN FROM CHASTENING CALLS FOR A REPENTANCE FROM SIN AND THROWING YOURSELF IN GOD’S LOVING ARMS.
• IT IS THIS PRINCIPLE OF CHASTENING BY A LOVING GOD THAT HELPS US WALK THE CHRISTIAN WALK. IT’S A PERMANENT AND STRONG WALKING STICK BECAUSE WE CAN TRUST IN THAT LOVE AS WE WALK THROUGH CHASTENING.

• APPLICATION OF PSA 60
• IS THERE SOME AREA OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED VICTORY?
• HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT IT MIGHT BE DUE TO GOD’S CHASTENING? IN WHAT AREA OF YOUR LIFE HAS THE LORD BEEN TRYING TO CORRECT AND YOU HAVE BEEN RESISTING?
• IF THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS SOMETHING TO MIND, REPENT AND PRAY FOR GOD’S FORGIVENESS. LIKE DAVID, THEN TRUST IN GOD FOR THE VICTORY.

• PREPARATION FOR PSA 61 AND PSA 62
• READ PSA 61:1-8
• IF DAVID FEELS DISTANTLY SEPARATED FROM GOD, WHAT IS IT THAT CAUSES THIS FEELING?

• READ PSA 62:1-12
• COUNT HOW MANY TIMES THE WORD, "ONLY" IS USED IN THIS PSALM.
• WHY DOES DAVID SAY HE CAN TRUST IN GOD?

• MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 62:2