Notes on Psalm 60

Notes on Psalm 60

(Psa 60:1) To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.
(Psa 60:2) Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.
(Psa 60:3) Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.
(Psa 60:4) Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
(Psa 60:5) That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.

David was a man after God's own heart.

Act 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

No matter how many times David failed God and even sinned. He was called a man after God's own heart because he desired to please God, he loved God and desired to be like God. He failed in this many times but in the depths of his heart God could see a man that loved Him and loved His word.

When David failed, he would seek God's help. He called on God continually. I believe the times when he failed was probably when he was comfortable and everything was going good and he didn't really have to seek God.

This should be something that we can learn from. Don't wait until trouble comes to seek the Lord. Seek the Lord at all times. Daily depend on Him for guidance. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. This will keep us in fellowship with God and keep us from making the big mistakes that not only harm us but hinder the furthering of the gospel.

In the 70's and 80's we had so much scandal in the ministry. This happened especially in the TV ministries. I believe Satan hates TV ministries because they are in a position to reach the entire world with the gospel. For this reason Satan tries to defile the TV ministers. This is done first by getting them off track. They start to get rich and comfortable or they could get so busy that little time is left for the quiet time they need to spend in the presence of God. I heard a minister once say that he needed to spend hours in prayer before he could deliver one sermon. If that man needed hours, how much more do the TV ministers need to spend with God. The bigger they get the less time they have to spend with God. If we do not spend time with God and the word of God, we soon become dry and empty with nothing to give the people. Our families and homes begin to fall apart. God is the glue that holds everything together. I don't believe most ministers that get into error start out that way. There may have been a few charlatans that started out to deceive to get money out of people but I believe most of these start out really sincerely trying to spread the gospel into the entire world. Later they started preaching the prosperity gospel to get people to give. While it is true that God blesses those that give and we reap what we sow, the prosperity gospel goes beyond what the bible says about giving.

There are lots of missionaries that barely make it and have to continually struggle. If one believes the prosperity teachings, it would make these who are poor for the gospel's sake seem to be people who do not have faith and are not blessed by God. That teaching is false. Jesus did not teach that we are to be rich in this worlds goods and anyone who was not was out of the will of God. The apostles left all to follow the Lord. They didn't get rich. I believe their reward will be in heaven. Their reward will be mostly to see all the souls that were saved because of their sacrifice. There are faithful unknown ministers of small churches who will be rewarded in heaven for their faithfulness. Everyone's eyes seem to be on success and the big mega churches are what we consider successful. They may be but I also believe their are many faithful people in small churches who will are just as big in God's eyes because of their faithfulness to the word of God.

Back to the subject of prayer though, I know this in my own personal life. When I have to work outside the home and cannot spend as much time in prayer as I need, I become irritable. I recognize my need for the presence of God in my life. I feel robbed if I don't pray. If we don't stay in the fellowship with God, it is easier to fall prey to false teachings such at the prosperity gospel which has enough of the truth to seem real but it is not the truth. We can also fall prey to the sins of the flesh and temptations that come when we lose our power to resist sin by getting away from the fellowship and dependence on God that we need daily. We can't do this alone. I don't care how much training and education we have, we cannot have a ministry without the presence of God daily in our lives.

(Psa 60:6) God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
(Psa 60:7) Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
(Psa 60:8) Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.
(Psa 60:9) Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
(Psa 60:10) Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?
(Psa 60:11) Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

If we back off the truth and the word of God to please men, it will profit nothing. To stand for God may bring the displeasure of the world but it will profit in the long run. We must depend on God and not man.

(Psa 60:12) Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Whether the enemy is spiritual or real flesh and blood enemies, those that trust in God will prevail in the end. God will not forsake those that trust Him.

Take the situation with Ake Green who was sentenced to a month in jail for preaching against homosexuality. This sounds very bad for him. His freedom of speech is violated and he is accused of giving a hate speech. In Sweden there is really no freedom of speech unless that speech agrees with the establishment or the Swedish government. Bad happened to Ake Green in this case but as a result of this event, Ake's sermon is on the Internet for the whole world to read. It was originally in Swedish but was translated to English. Sweden meant to silence him but now everyone can hear his words. God wins in the end. Sweden is nothing compared to the power of God. At His word they stand or fall. Read the last to chapters of Revelation to see that those that trust in God will be the winners.

As David was a person after God's own heart, we can be too. Through receiving Jesus Christ as our own personal savior and being filled with God's spirit, we can begin to understand and live by the word of God He provided for us. We do not have to be alone.

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Teaching means to teach all the word of God even if it offends some. Jesus offended many. He did not just teach love and prosperity. Jesus taught that we need to be born again. We need to repent of sin. Jesus taught that we must not love the world but love Him. He didn't just come to forgive our sins but to save us from our sins. To receive Jesus one needs to turn from sin and believe the gospel. There is no other way to be saved.

Psalm 61

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