Daily Meditations

Psalm 61:6 Increase the days of my life Earlier in this Psalm, David talks about his heart growing faint and he pleads to be  “led to the rock that is higher than I.”  He may have been laid low by sickness or some kind of physical disability; whatever the problem it was enough to cause him to cry out to God for help. As we have seen, he is reminded of all the blessings that the Lord has given him and he voices a longing to be in God’s presence in an intimate relationship. The Psalms have taught us that the literal travails of the songwriters mirror the spiritual battles that hound those who follow Christ. Thus, we may not be close to death in any physical way, but the enemy can drag us down to the pit of despair and weakness where we may feel that the death of our spirits is imminent. Satan loves to rob us of our joy, he plans assaults on our integrity, he shifts the ground beneath our feet until we feel as if our spiritual life has drained away, and the Lord is a distant acqu...

Psalm 61:5 Vows and heritage A vow, in these ancient times, was not to be taken lightly. It was made in the inner court of the Tabernacle or Temple and accompanied by sacrifice. It was an oath before God and usually followed by a fellowship or freewill offering (Leviticus 7:16-18). After the ceremonial offering there was often a celebratory meal, with family and friends, using part of the meat from the offering. Such vows were therefore solemn affairs but also public, other people knew what had been promised to the Lord God and would hold you to your word. David pleaded with the Lord, on many occasions, to save him from danger and to protect the kingdom. Time and again he made promises based on the hope of deliverance from trouble. These were not empty words, they were written down and became public property in the Psalm Book of David. Why we read them still today! David was usually a man of his word, if he made a promise or a vow to God he would endeavour to keep it. Against the backd...

Psalm 61:4 The shelter of His wings This is a beautiful verse and is full of hidden meaning. Firstly, David longs to dwell in God’s tent forever. He was not alluding to some kind of nomadic existence with a cosy canvas covering at night where he could snuggle down beside the Lord God. The tent that David was speaking of was, of course, the Tabernacle, the Holy Place where God dwelt. This tent inspired David throughout his life, and he was the man who planned to set up a permanent, replacement temple in Jerusalem. David danced before the Tent, he wrote songs for the worship that went on around the Tent, he refers constantly to those who work at the Tent. This holy dwelling of God was at the centre of national life and was at the centre of David’s spiritual longings. “O to be able to live there, to be close to the Lord and never have to leave. What is the point of palaces when we have the Tabernacle, and the Lord is in residence?” The symbolism becomes even more personal in the next phra...

Psalm 6:3 My strong tower The synonyms keep coming! In the previous verse the Lord God is a cliff, now He is a shelter or refuge and a strong tower. Mankind has always needed protection, sadly most have relied upon themselves to design and build safe places. It was no different in David’s day as impregnable fortifications were built, cities were constructed with thick outer walls, towers were erected like castle keeps, and battlements were raised to keep enemies out. People always feel safer if they have walls around them and there is some kind of defence against the foe. We all feel better when the key is locked in the door or the security cameras are turned on or the safety catch is engaged. Security devices are used in thousands of different ways so that we can all feel that we are protected and guarded against any threat, from a petty thief to intrusion into our computerised devices. National security is a big deal and armies, navies and air forces are the equivalent of the strong ...

Psalm 61:2 Lead me to the rock It would be intriguing to know what David means by the “ends of the earth.” These had not been explored in David’s day, there was no knowledge of the Americas or Australia! There have been references before in the Psalms to the heights of Hermon and the wilderness places in the south. Abram travelled to Canaan from Ur of the Chaldees (Iraq) and the Israelites lived for 400 years in Egypt. It seems likely therefore that David was not referring so much to the extremities of travel but to the brink of the world beyond, to Sheol and the place of the departed. This is borne out by the announcement that his heart grows faint, in other words he feels close to death and in this “far off” state of human existence, he reaches out to the heavens,  “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.”  There follows a beautiful phrase that has often been picked up by song writers and poets over the centuries,  “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  Do ...

Psalm 61:1 A National Prayer for God’s help   The background to this Psalm and the following Psalms 62-64, are warfare and deliverance. The dangers are everywhere, and life is threatened, David feels morbidly afraid and helpless as he pens his cries the the Lord. There are references to “the king” which suggests that these songs were written at a time of personal as well as national calamity. David is almost obsessed by that threat of his enemies, and I suspect that if you are a king then any threat to your safety and well-being reflects a grave risk to all those whom you serve. Psalm 61 is a plea for the Lord God to protect the king, to increase the days of his life and to restore the kingdom. Some have speculated that these words were written when David was fleeing for his life, from his son Absalom who deviously grabbed the reigns of power for a short time.     v1         “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer.”  This is a...

Psalm 60:12 With God we will gain the victory! This is a statement of fact! Without God there is nothing but defeat and hopeless despair. Our enemies will overcome us, temptations will beset us, life will be lived in a constant state of warfare in which there is little hope of victory. Without God means exactly the same as, without hope. Without God is to be without strength, without guidance, without any kind of spiritual help. Without God is to be without life. How awful it must be to live this way and yet, many seem to be content with their lot. Their aspirations and their longings do not reach beyond the pleasures of the world. Our Psalm ends with a ray of hope. All that we have said above is reversable! There is victory. There is hope. There is strength and guidance and spiritual aid but first we must have the Spirit of life within us. These things do not come easily, for us it meant the suffering and death of Yeshua as He fought for them on our behalf. But the prophesy in Genesis...

Psalm 60:11 Unholy alliances Well, we move on from a verse that states that God has rejected His people to one that asks for help to fight the enemy. We know that David, his commanders, his army and his countrymen were equipped and prepared for warfare against any foe. It was a given that the internal forces were “up for the fight” and more often than not they had experienced remarkable success.  As the Psalm is speaking to the nation, who are the human helpers that are worthless? I think this verse is talking about alliances and about forming military pacts with surrounding nations. This was common enough in Bible times and many are the coalitions that came against Israel. But David realises that this is not the way forward. He is king of a nation that stands alone, that does not share its special status and that relies solely on the support and guidance of the Lord God. That is why he cries out for heavenly aid. There is a lesson here for us. I have seen and been part of chu...

Psalm 60:10 Rejected by God? Many have known the blessing, protection and provision of the Lord God in their lives and have been thrilled to know that He is caring for them. You and I may well give testimony to this. But there are also genuine believers who have tasted rejection! Maybe some kind of besetting sin has overwhelmed them. Maybe their faith has come under attack. Maybe it has been necessary for the Lord to expose their weakness in order that they might find new strength in Him.  Israel lived under the shadow of two mountains referred to in verse 6. Shechem lay at the feet of Gerazim and Ebal and, as you know, these sites were where the blessings and curses had been proclaimed. Rejection for Israel meant their produce and their flocks would be cursed; disease, famine and plague would torment them, and drought would hit the land. Enemies would prevail against them, their women would be raped, violence would increase, and many would be driven to madness. Nations would take ...

Psalm 60:9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? David asks two questions here and they both suggest that he is fearful of the future and the threat posed by the surrounding forces. He is not confident in the men around him, even the army commanders, and he is certainly not confident in his own powers of leadership. The powers mentioned in the previous verse are both well-equipped and resolute, if the king is to triumph, he needs more than just human resources. Fortified cities lie beyond Israel’s present borders and the mighty army of the Edomites waits in expectation of easy pickings when David’s forces begin to move. It is interesting to note that Israel today is still surrounded by the same enemies. While Jordan does not threaten the Jews by amassing an army against them, there have been bitter battles in recent history and the truce with “Moab and Edom” remains an uneasy one. Philistia in David’s time is now Gaza, from where 4,000 rockets were fired earlier in 2021. The Pal...

Psalm 60:8 Moab is my washbasin The three nations or tribal lands that are mentioned in this verse are nothing to do with Israel. They are foreign lands, adversaries of the Israelites, outside of God’s promises, unrelated by birth, pagan by faith and the sources of constant hostilities. Geographically, Moab occupied land mainly to the east of Israel, Edom mainly to the south and Philistia was to the west along the Mediterranean coast. When Moses and Miriam sang their song of triumph after the crossing of the Red Sea they proclaimed, “ The nations will fear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away .” Exodus 15:14-15. It’s easy to read the various conquests and battles of the Israelites and think of these pagan nations as the aggressors but, more often than not, it was Israel that caused fear and panic amongst the surrounding peoples.  Moab lay a...

Psalm 60:7 It's all in a name It’s easy just to glance at the names in this verse and move on, but we must stop and consider them carefully. Firstly, Gilead. Before the Israelites moved into the Promised Land, two and a half of the twelve tribes chose to take up residence outside of the perceived boundaries. Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh chose to occupy territory east of the River Jordan. Gilead was the name for the area that was occupied by the half tribe of Manasseh; it was between Galilee and the Dead Sea in what we call Jordan today. You may be aware that Ephraim and Manasseh were not sons of Jacob but were the sons of Joseph and were adopted by Jacob, and thus they became two of the tribes of Israel. Both occupied northern lands and the name of Ephraim was later used as a term for all of the ten northern tribes; Judah was the name for the southern territory that included Benjamin’s inheritance. Thus, Ephraim and Judah were the leading tribes of Israel. Jacob’s ...

Psalm 60:6 Setting the  boundaries The next few verses of this Psalm are geographic – they show us the extent of the land of Israel under David, and they are also prophetic in that he is writing here about the victories that are to come and he claims that it is God who has spoken and told him where the boundaries of the Promised Land will lie.   Let’s have the geography lesson first.  The area between Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal in Samaria housed a famous Biblical city called Shechem. Later it became Sychar and it was at Sychar that Yeshua spoke to the Samaritan woman. John 4.    ·        This is the place where Abraham first camped when he arrived in Canaan from Babylon ·        This is where God first promised to give Abraham and his descendants the Promised Land ·        This is where the first altar was built to the Lord God in Israel ·      ...

Psalm 60:5 The right hand of God It’s that right hand again! The right hand of God. In Scripture the right hand always takes precedence, as when Jacob divided the blessings upon his sons before he died. Someone of high rank or position who put another person at their right hand was giving them equal honour and status to themselves. Paul is not alone in telling us that Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God, equal in power and authority.  " And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age"  Ephesians 1:19-21. The fact that Jesus Christ is at the "right hand of God" was a sign to the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In  Joh...

Psalm 60:4 The banner of truth, righteousness and justice There have been many debates about the meaning of this verse but to my mind the literal meaning is quite simple, however, the implications require some consideration. Firstly, there is no doubt that the word “banner” describes something that is lifted up, such as a flag or a standard, or some kind of signal. In the context of this Psalm and the battles and conflicts that were going on at the time it was written, it is likely that the banner was uplifted on a mountain or a high place. It signified invasion or a call to arms. It could also be the “standard” of an army around which soldiers rallied before engaging in battle. The verse clearly states that this banner is to be wielded by God’s people – those who fear Him. It could not be raised by foreign powers or just to “show off!” As we have seen many times now in the Psalms, the over-riding calling of God’s soldiers is to serve righteousness, truth and justice. These qualities, ...

Psalm 60:3 The judgement of God In Deuteronomy 11 Moses implores the Israelites to love and obey the Lord and he reminds them of the great things that the Lord has done. (v7) He urges the people to observe all of God’s commands so that they will have the strength to go in and take the land on the other side of the Jordan. (v8) Moses tells the people that if they love the Lord their God and serve Him with all their heart and with all their soul, the rain will fall on the land and they will prosper. (v13-15) If they worship other gods then the Lord’s anger will burn against them and rain will not come. (v16-17) Moses tells the people to fix God’s commandments in their hearts and minds, to teach them to their children, to talk about them at all times, to write them on the doorframes of their houses and on their gates so that their days will be many. (v18-21) If they obey God’s commands, He will drive out the foreign nations and their territory will be extended, and they will be feared whe...

Psalm 60:2 The land, the people and their God We should always keep in mind that Israel was, and is, all about a people and their land. The people began through a promise given by God to Abraham. Jacob and his successors were nurtured in Egypt for 400 years until the time came to inherit the land. Moses led the people to the land and gave them all of God’s laws and commands that they would need to live there successfully. Joshua conquered the land and established the nation. David, with others, expanded the boundaries, appointed the capital city and laid the foundations for a permanent Temple to the Lord. The people – the land. The land – the people. Both are called Israel and both are inseparable by definition. When the people prosper, the land prospers. When the land prospers, the people prosper. If the people disobey and dishonour their God, they lose their land. If they obey and honour the Lord God, then the land is enriched. So, it is people, land and God, a sacred trinity that ha...

Psalm 60:1 A National Prayer for God's help The background to this Psalm is not entirely clear. We need to remember that for much of David’s reign he was heavily engaged in warfare against the surrounding nations. In so doing he extended the boundaries of Israel and overcome many foreign and pagan neighbours. The battle lines ebbed and flowed but the general direction of the country was towards expansion and growing influence. Some enemies were overcome and then regrouped, calling others to join them in their attempts to hold back the Israelite forces. 1 Chronicles 18 and 2 Samuel 8 describe some of these conflicts and the accounts are interspersed with phrases like,  “The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.”  In 2 Samuel 8:13 we read,  “And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.”  The Edomites occupied land in what is now southern Jordan and the Valley of Salt is now called the Dead Sea. The t...

Psalm 59:17 I sing praise to You Sometimes it pays to stop and ponder our songs of praise. Who am I singing this to? Do I really believe the words? Am I just repeating familiar refrains, or do they come from my heart? Is it the music that inspires me or is it my emotions, or is the Holy Spirit motivating me from His temple within? Do I sing praises only when I am in a good place, or can I sing all of the time? Are the songs of praise an expression of a sincere attitude of worship within? You see, I think David had crossed the line into a deeper place of adoration and glory in the presence of His God. The Israelites believed that only the High Priest could truly enter into God’s presence and this on the Day of Atonement, just once a year. Of course, there was singing and dancing and joy on many other occasions, as we have noted the Levites were chosen and trained for this purpose. But, as with now, much of this outward show of celebration was no more than ceremonial – a brief respite fr...

Psalm 59:16 A fortress of praise One of the greatest weapons that the Lord God has given us, to equip us against the enemy is – praise. We’ve said it before and will, no doubt, be saying it again. When God is enthroned in praising hearts, when His glory is proclaimed, when fearful lips sing of His strength and might – the enemy flees. David had learned this and his psalms always seem to move from outbursts of woe and indignation against his foes, to exclamations of joy and wonder at the power and might of the Lord. Think about it, what an outpouring of angry, fearful condemnation we have experienced in this song, David is afraid but also outraged at the affrontery of Saul and his minions, to parade their arrogant threats and lies outside the walls of his home. How dare they?  “Destroy them Lord in Your wrath. Destroy them till they are no more.”  But now the fury turns to praise,  “I will sing of Your strength. In the morning I will sing of Your love.”  How can anyon...

Psalm 59:14-15 The demons of the city A quick look back at verses 6-8 of the Psalm will confirm that the “dog” analogy has already been used. In fact, verses 8 & 14 are identical. Earlier in this Psalm David takes delight in the thought that the Lord laughs at His enemies, and He scoffs at the nations who oppose Him.  We should never forget that our enemies are primarily spiritual, we have been called out of darkness into the kingdom of light, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against authorities and powers in the heavenly realms. The demonic powers are often likened to wild animals in the Scriptures. In this Psalm the demonic wild dog spirits enter cities at dusk and their vile deeds are perpetrated through those who expose themselves by indulging in drink and drugs and many kinds of debauched behaviour. Most of the vilest of human practices are carried out in the night hours when the “dogs” enter the city.  Is the comparison between the natural world and spir...

Psalm 5-9:13 God rules over Jacob This verse seems a little bit out of place. The previous request is that David’s enemies be uprooted, brought down and tripped up by their pride. Now he wants them to be consumed by God until they are no more! David has had enough, the evil men that surround him, the hostility of their words, the constant threat of their movements has driven him to despair. He wants vengeance and to be free of his captors. He wants them to be publicly disgraced and removed so that everyone knows how evil they are. He cries out,  “Destroy them Lord in Your wrath, destroy them till they are no more.”  If you and I have any sense of the battle that we are in, the forces that surround us, the violations against us, the whispering voices and lies that are concocted against us, then we will want the same. If we have any sense of the truth of God’s Word, the holiness of His being and the purity of His reputation, then we will want all His enemies to be consumed. If w...

Psalm 59:12 The sins of their mouths This is not the first time, in the Psalms, that we find our attention being drawn to the improper use of speech! Here David talks about,  “the sins of their mouths .” There is a constant theme throughout the Psalms that the most damaging, and incriminating, tools of the enemy are not his sword or his spear but the words that he speaks. Lies, slander and curses, these are the most potent of weapons and they are available to all. On an international scale, long before tanks, fighter jets and frigates go into action, there has already been a war of words. In the office, the school playground, the home and even in churches, the battle lines are drawn by verbal exchanges and the same old rules apply. Tell lies about your adversary. Make up stories, bend the truth, spread rumours, and if you really hate them – curse them! Perhaps we should not judge any conflict by just the numbers of the fallen but by the proliferation of lies, slander and curses? In...

Psalm 59:11 Called to seerve I’m afraid that the politics and authority structures of human history have blunted our concepts of a good king or a godly ruler or even what it means to have power. The ancient principle was that those who were born into leadership or who were appointed to any kind of ruling status did not assume the role for selfish reasons or for ambition; the whole point was to watch over and care for those who they ruled. A good ruler is one who thinks only of those he serves. In God’s kingdom, ruling is serving in the same way that He serves us! Christ came to serve, His followers called Him Lord, but their Lord got down on His knees and washed their feet. Our Lord had only one ambition, it was not to save Himself but to save His people. In this way He became and still is, our shield. He watches over us and He guards us, and He demonstrates His love by being prepared to give up everything of Himself for us. How many human rulers have been like Him? So, if you are a Go...

Psalm 59:10 God will go before me Some of the verses of the Psalms leave me feeling a bit uncomfortable. Are you like that too? The words of the Lord Jesus ring in my ears,   “ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, ...”  Matthew 5:44. David didn’t seem to think this way, he despised his enemies and certainly didn’t bless them, in fact he couldn’t wait to see them defeated and exposed for their wickedness! Is this contrast between the words of Jesus and the words of David related to Old and New Testament thinking? Was Jesus kinder than David? Can you imagine going up to the ancient King of Israel and wagging your finger and asking him to be nice to all those who oppose Him because Messiah will be nice to them? Has God changed the way He views His enemies?  Correct me if I am wrong but I think this argument is all about two different kingdoms. David was treated unju...

Psalm 59:9 You are my fortress This verse is a statement of positive intent, a direct contrast to what has previously been said about the wickedness of men and whole nations. Here David expresses his determination to trust in the Lord God who is his strength and his fortress.  “I watch for you,”  he says. What does he mean? The Hebrew word for watch is “shamar” and it means to look expectantly for help. It is sometimes rendered “to cling to.” The Bible often speaks of those who cling to idols and foreign gods; it does not literally mean that they carry them around holding them tightly in their hands, it means that their hopes and their expectations are placed on these things. When we watch for the Lord, we are pinning all our hopes on him, we are transferring all expectations from ourselves and others and placing them on Him. We are trusting that He alone has the answers and that He is the true source of our reliance.  That’s not a bad place to be in! The Lord God is...

Psalm 59:8 Laughter in heaven? Don’t you just love this expression? It’s not the first time that we have come across it. In Psalm 2:2-4 we read that the kings of the earth rise up and band together against the Lord and His anointed thinking that they can shake Him off.  “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.”  In Psalm 37:12-13 we read that the wicked plot against the righteous,  “But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.”  And now we have the Lord once again hooting with laughter at the stupidity of men who think that they can outwit Him, that they can do as they please and that no one hears their abusive talk.  I must say that I’ve never really pondered what it is that makes the Lord laugh! This isn’t the laughter of One who enjoys good humour, this is the amusement of a God who understands irony! That those who rebel against Him and against His righteous ones are literally digging their own graves. In the...

Psalm 59:7 Who can hear us? The tongues of the wicked are cruel and harmful weapons, David likens them here to swords that cut and maim and even kill. He imagines these vile enemies pouring out their filth and describes it as spewing, in other words vomiting out their lies and obscenities.  Whist we may not be as offensive as the men that David is describing, it’s sobering to think about the vast damage that our tongues or our mouths can cause! Lies, innuendo, blasphemy, curses, abuse, boasting, jibes, seduction, perverted humour, insults, anger, put-downs, invective, criticisms - the list is a long one and “utterly” depressing! All of this stuff comes from our lips but is an expression of something far deeper – the attitudes of our hearts. Speech is a window into the soul. The wicked people described in our Psalm do not, of course, believe that they are accountable. They think that they can say anything they like and they are arrogant enough to believe that no one can stop them. G...

Psalm 59:6 Going to the dogs! I don’t know if you have sampled the night-life in a town or city, any time recently? You might be surprised! I’m not talking about clubs and bars and disreputable establishments; I’m talking about the animal nightlife. Foxes, muntjacs, badgers and cats are in evidence everywhere nowadays, especially as we humans are not as clean and tidy as we’d like to think. There are plenty of rich pickings for hungry scavengers. And so it was in David’s day. People were not pet lovers, dogs were kept for work only, the rest hunted at night and city streets were full of their barking and their scuffles. Our songwriter likened these nocturnal prowlers to his enemies who may have disappeared underground during the day, but they were out and about with their scheming and their snarling predatory ways as soon as the sun went down.  It is true,  “Men love darkness rather than light for their deeds are evil. Everyone doing wicked things hates the light and does not ...

Psalm 59:5 Punish the nations! This verse addresses the Lord God Almighty or more traditionally, the Lord of Hosts. He is the Lord of all angelic and spiritual beings, unseen and unknown to us on earth. He is also Lord of all human worshippers who faithfully serve Him on this planet. He is Lord of those who have served and passed into the next life to await His rule and reign. The numbers must be huge, He is indeed, the Lord of hosts.  To know Him as Lord is to worship Him but not just by singing hymns and songs. True worship is to lay down our lives in full recognition of who we serve. A servant is only as good and as important as the one he serves; the Queen’s butler ranks higher than the housekeeper of a retired Civil Servant! Servants of the Lord of Hosts include all who fight in His army and who would lay down their lives for Him. Instead of the Army, Navy and RAF services, we have joined the heavenly fighting services. It’s quite a privilege, isn’t it? So, the Lord that David...

Psalm 59:4 Arise to help me, Lord We commented, yesterday, on how the Satan hates those who do good and who live lives of faithfulness, integrity, kindness and love. It’s extraordinary how much trouble can be caused by doing what is right, by obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit and by seeking to serve others. Sometimes the attacks come from the most unlikely of sources, from people close to us and even from those who we are trying to help. We can imagine David wringing his hands in desperation as he writes these words. I wonder if he sometimes turned the clock back and wished that he had stayed as a shepherd, guarding his flock; an unknown, humble farmer whose only hassles were caused by wild beasts and unruly sheep. Since the anointing by Samuel and the promise of the kingdom, he had been hounded and vilified and yet in all of this he was innocent!  There are some Psalms when David retreats deeper into self-pity and defeatism, but this is not one of those occasions. Despite all t...