Psalms

In this Psalm, David combined parts of Psalm 57 and 60 to create a new song to celebrate victory.  David took existing songs and adapted them for new situations.  The truths and the principals of God are universal.  The call for praise, prayer and trusting His promises works in all circumstances.  In the same way we can take these Psalms and principals and apply to our life and times.

-A Song. A Psalm of David.

¹ O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
² Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
³ I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
⁴ For Your mercy is great above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the clouds.
David declared that his heart was steadfast in the Lord.  Steadfast is firm, or rooted so that it is stable.   James 1 tells us that a double minded man is unstable.  David is single minded with the Lord.

David's glory is his own reputation, his dignity or inner man.  To praise 'even with my glory' is to give all of himself to God's praise, single-mindedly.  It's to establish a reputation of being one with the Lord. 

David declares to him self, it's time to wake up and see and praise the Almighty, Everlasting God.  Praise Him among the people.  Sing about Him to all the nations.  His mercy is beyond anything we imagine..... David sized it up to reach to the heavens.  His truth reached to the clouds.  It was higher than David could imagine; far above his reach.  This 'truth' was God's ability to deal with any circumstance.  David had a high view of God.  He saw His glory above all the earth.

Are we single-minded in our worship to God?  Have we searched our inner self and given all our own glory over to him, or have we kept a little for our self?

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth;
⁶ That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and hear me.
David exalts God.  This is to place Him high up; to lift Him above all else, even the heavens.  David could stand and look at the sky and stars and vastness of it all and declare that God was bigger and higher than all of it.  God's glory was above the earth. 

The word used for glory is the same one David used for his glory.  God's reputation, splendor and honor was above all the earth.  That's big news that most inhabitants of earth reject.  To those who believe, He delivers and saves them.  God's right hand is his strength. 

⁷ God has spoken in His holiness:
"I will rejoice;
I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
⁸ Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
Judah is My lawgiver.
⁹ Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
Over Philistia I will triumph."
God has spoken.  He is set apart from man and His purposes because God's are greater in scope and measure and beyond comprehension of men.  It is in God's holiness that he speaks and in that the Psalmist does what all men should do.  He rejoices in the words of God.  He accepts them as true and right and holy.  

God is in control of Shechem, and the Valley of Succoth.  These are the lands on both sides of the Jordan.  Gilead and Manasseh are both God's lands also.  No man could divide the land and cut God out of the picture.  Ephraim was the means of protection in the North.  This is the reference to the helmet.  Judah is tribe that produced the governing body as prescribed by God.  This is the reference to the lawgiver.  David was of the tribe of Judah, as Jesus would be some day.  Just like God owns all these lands and places, He also owns all the other lands surrounding Israel.  Moab served God's purpose just a like a wash pot is in service to its owner.  Edom is in service to God like a servant who takes care of the master's shoes when he arrives home.  Philistia shouts in triumph because of God because they know the sovereignty of God.

God is sovereign over all the lands.  He is calling the shots regardless of what men think.  We can look at the history of Israel through history and see that it testifies to God's work.  But that isn't just true for Israel.   Second Chronicles 14 says.......if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

¹⁰ Who will bring me into the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
¹¹ Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
¹² Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
¹³ Through God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

The nation relearned that God is the only one who can grant victory.  God shook them out of their complacency.  Over time, we tend to make our own plans and revert to our own ways.  Occasionally God gives us a wake up call.  This is our opportunity to return to a right standing with Him.  The challenge is then to stay in that place.

When we look at the response of America after 9/11 it appeared that the nation was turning back to God unapologetically.  However, our resolve faded as the smoke from the towers cleared.  As a nation we turned back from God and returned to our lives.  How long will it be before He reminds us again?