A Borrowed Psalm

A Borrowed Psalm

Psalm 108

This Psalm is interesting in that it appears almost verbatim in two other Psalms.

Verses 1-5 are found in psalm 57:7-11

Verses 6-13 are found in Psalm 60:5-12

David says his heart is fixed on God. He will sing and give praise because his heart is fixed on God. God is referred to personally over twenty times in this short Psalm. There’s an old song called “I only have eyes for you”. It’s a love song about a man who proclaims to his love that he is so fixated on her that he doesn’t know if it’s cloudy or bright or if he’s in a garden or on a crowded avenue with her. His heart is fixed on this particular woman so everything else just kind of fades into the background. David is so fixed on the Lord that everything else just fades away.

The old hymnist said:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

In Psalm 57 where these verses are found the first time David is in a cave. He is running for his life from Saul.

Can you imagine David singing in that cave? He says he will sing and give praise. Imagine the voice of David echoing throughout that cave for the glory of God. Whatever pit we find ourselves in we should be sure and test the acoustics there. We should be sure and sing praise to the Lord. If our heart is fixed on God we certainly will.

Illustration : Saul and Barnabas singing in prison.

David stirs himself up (8).

David tells his harp & lyre to wake up. David is going to awaken the morning with praise. It is a reality that we must often remind ourselves to praise God. We are a forgetful people. Can you see David waking up? He doesn’t feel much like worshipping, so he begins to preach to himself. He grabs his harp and lyre. He tunes his instruments. Soon the morning is filled with song and his heart with worship. We must be deliberate each day. We must start each day with “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!”

David celebrates the Lord.

There is no shame in David’s praise. He does not need fellow worshippers to give him the courage to worship the Lord. He says he will sing praises among the nations. This refers to the Gentile nations. A worshipping people will be a missionary people. Those who do not worship will not evangelize. If we are not captivated by the glory of our God it is doubtful we will desire that anyone else would be.

David will sing among the nations to declare who God is. His ultimate desire is to declare the glory of God. But he also desires that others join him in worship. It is David’s hope that as he sings the songs of the redeemed that others will be redeemed as well.

The mercy of God inspires the songs of David (4). He says in verse 4 that the steadfast love of God reaches to the heavens. The faithfulness of God extends unto the clouds. These are just poetic ways of describing the height of the love and faithfulness of God. David could not reach the heavens. He could not touch the clouds. In the same way he cannot measure the mercy of God.

When we think of how loving God has been to us we will soon discover we cannot measure His goodness. Thank God for forgiveness of sin. We cannot count the sins He has forgiven in our own personal lives. His love is higher than the heavens.

The glory of God fills the heavens and the earth. God is truly exalted above all creation. May He also be exalted in our lives. May our tongues tell of His greatness. If a caveman can do it, then certainly we can.

Notice in verse six David identifies Israel as the Lord’s beloved. God dearly loves His people. It is this love that David appeals to when he asks God to save His people.

God’s people can pray even when they have sinned. Thank God for that truth! If that were not true we would have no hope at all.

In verse 7 we see David rejoicing. What is he rejoicing in? He is rejoicing in the Word of God. I want you to notice something very important in verse 7. It reveals the reason we can trust the Word of God. It says God has promised in His holiness. God is perfectly holy. That means He is completely free of sin. God cannot sin. Because God cannot sin, He cannot lie. Therefore, we can trust everything that God says.

David begins to mention different geographical areas. In verses 7-8 he mentions Shechem, the Valley of Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, & Judah. Why does he mention all these places? These places represent land that God promised to His people. This was the Promised Land. David is not concerned about losing the battle and therefore losing land because the Lord has promised to give this land to Israel!

In verse 9 David extends passed the Promised Land and even mentions the land of Moab, Philistia and Edom. He knows that the entire earth belongs to the Lord (Exodus 19:5)!

Let’s look at what David says about some specific areas. He says Ephraim is My helmet (8). Ephraim represented the Northern and eastern tribes of Israel. This area was a mighty defensive force because of God.

He says Judah is His scepter (8). Judah represented the Southern tribes. The scepter represents dominion or governance. David was from this area. Ultimately Christ, the ruler of the entire universe, would come from the tribe of Judah.

He says Moab is his washbasin. The Moabites were the descendants of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter (Gen. 19:37). They were known as enemies of Israel. David says these people will be a washpot to Israel. The imagery is of a lowly servant coming to wash the dirty feet of the master.

He will cast his shoes at Edom. The Edomites were another enemy of Israel. They were the enemy that attacked Israel from the South inspiring Psalm 60 (where half of this Psalm was taken from). They would be reduced to a servant of Israel as well. They would be like the servant waiting for the master to come home so he could put his shoes up for him.

God will also give a victory shout over Philistia (8).

How did David know all of this would happen? He knew the word of God. He knew the promises God had given the nation of Israel. This is a great point for us. The bedrock of our faith should be the Word of God. Being a man or woman of faith doesn’t mean we are simply positive people. It doesn’t mean we refuse to see the negative. Being a person of great faith means we know what the Word of God says and we believe it.

David had hope because he knew that God had spoken and he knew what God had spoken. David didn’t give up because he knew what God had said. If we believe God’s word, we will be faithful in God’s work. If we believe the gates of hell will not prevail against the church then we will continue to be faithful to the mission of the church.

In verse 10 David asks two questions:

Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me into Edom?

David isn’t looking to make an alliance with another power to help him defeat the Edomites. He isn’t begging for earthly help. The “fortified city” David mentions is probably the city of Petra. Petra was well known as an impregnable city. It was all but impossible to overtake because of its position on a high mountain and its narrow entrance. A small army could defeat a large army if the small army was stationed in Petra. Petra was the stronghold of Edom. No earthly army could help David.

In verse 11 we see some despair. It appears as if the Lord has abandoned David’s army. Perhaps this was due to a loss of men or territory. The Psalmist connects the losing of the battle with the rejection of God. The good news is the feeling David had di not keep him from seeking the Lord.

The God whom he felt had rejected him was his only hope. Look at verse 12:

Oh grant us help against the foe!

David knows that unless the Lord returns to the ranks of the armies of Israel then Israel cannot win the battle.

Look at what he says in verse 12. He says the help of man is worthless. David doesn’t need more men, faster chariots or sharper swords. He needs the Lord to give him help. He needs the Lord to deliver him from his trouble. We need to remember this truth. We need the Lord! The Lord can do what the world cannot do.

Look at how David ends the Psalm. He says through God we will do valiantly. God is the One who will tread down our enemies. There is none more pitiful than the self-made man. Those who trust in themselves will soon find they cannot deliver. Our strength will fade. We are weak and we are getting weaker day by day. It is foolish to trust in ourselves.

We thank God for Jesus Christ who gives us the victory. If you receive victory over this world it will not be because you earned it. If you receive victory over this world, death, the grave and the devil it will be because you have entered into Jesus Christ. He is the victor! We are weak, Christ is strong. Trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ for the souls of men and women and you will have victory. Once you have entered into Christ continue to trust Him in every battle.

Thie first half of this borrowed Psalm teaches that God alone should be praised.

The second half of this borrowed Psalm teaches God alone should be trusted.