Victory Promised

Psalm 60:6-8

In this passage, David rejoices in the military/political victory God has given.  The amazing aspect is this…war was still raging.  The battle was ongoing.  The outcome was still unsettled, from a human perspective.  So why does David rejoice?

David had heard from God; and what God gave was His word.  God made a promise to David.  He promised “by His holy nature” – this is what’s meant by “God has spoken in His sanctuary” (vs. 6).  God made a promise based on His character/nature.  There was no way – and David knew this – for this promise to go unfulfilled.  God had stated it…it would be.

As the battle rages around you, do you have such faith?  I think God intends for us to know Him so well, to trust Him so deeply, that we too can have such confident faith.  In fact, to not have such faith in God is to fundamentally not trust Him.  This is sin.

The promise was from God, but it was for David.  So when verses 6b-8 are in quotations, it is God speaking words that David could claim.  It’s as if God put the words in David’s mouth for him to say out loud.  Let’s see what he said.

6 “I will triumph!  I will divide up Shechem.  I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.  7 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is My helmet; Judah is My scepter.  8 Moab is My washbasin; on Edom I throw My sandal.  Over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

David rejoices for God has promised two important things.

First, the battle in his own kingdom would be successfully completed (vs. 6b-7).  “I will triumph,” David said.  Shechem he would possess, as he would the Valley of Succoth, and do as he pleased with both – dividing and apportioning them as he desired.

Shechem was a pleasant city in Mount Ephraim; in the center of the region on David’s side of the Jordan River.  This ancient city appeared in Scripture several times.  Abram camped near it (Gen. 12:6).  Jacob bought ground there (Gen. 33:18,19).  The Hivites lived there (Gen. 34:2), but were slaughtered by Simeon and Levi (Gen. 34:25-29).  Shechem became a city of refuge for the Israelites (Joshua 20:7).  Joseph was buried there (Joshua 24:32); and it was where Joshua’s farewell address occurred (Joshua 24:1,25).  In the time of the Judges, Shechem had become a center of idol worship (Judges 9:1,4-7), and was destroyed (Judges 9:23,45).

The Valley of Succoth was in the heart of the region on the other side of the Jordan River.  Jacob once resided there (Gen. 33:17); and it was the site of Israel’s first camp (Ex. 12:37).  The valley belonged to the tribe of Gad. 

Gilead and Manassah are mentioned next in God’s promise.  These two comprised an area east of the Jordan River; a tableland between the Arnon and Jabbok rivers assigned to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh.  Of many things that happened in the area, some of the more notable include David taking refuge there (2 Samuel 17:26,27), and it being the birthplace of Elijah (1 Kings 17:1).

Shechem and the Valley of Succoth, along with Gilead and Manasseh, meant that conquest and  victory on both sides of the Jordan were being promised to David.  His kingdom would possess all these lands, and he would be able to do with them as he desired.

As his kingdom expanded and become victorious, David was promised military and political strength.  “Ephraim is My helmet” meant these people would furnish him with soldiers for his lifeguards and his standing forces.  Ephraim was the most numerous and powerful of all the tribes.  “Judah is My scepter” shows that Judah would furnish David with able judges for his courts of justice.

With the kingdom’s success and stability inwardly promised, God gives His second promise: the battle against enemies outside the kingdom also would be victorious.

Moab would become David’s washbasin…they would be enslaved and given the lowest drudgery.  In ancient Persia, a royal attendant carried the washbasin for the king both when in battle and when on a journey.  Moab, God promises, will not only carry David’s washbasin, but serve as the washbasin attendant – signifying total subjection of the Moabites to David’s kingdom.  The fulfillment of God’s promise is recorded in 2 Samuel 8:2.

Next God deals with Edom: “on Edom I throw My sandal.”  The Edomites were crafty and malicious; but David would utterly defeat them.  In ancient times, this act of throwing one’s sandal on or over something or someone was a sign of subjugating them.  Abyssinian kings cast a shoe on something as a sign of forcible possession.  Thus, David would do to Edom, God promised.

And finally, God promised victory over the Philistines.  The people of Goliath, they were a constant irritant to the Israelites for most of their history.  David bested them many times (2 Samuel 5:17-25).  But they were not ultimately defeated until their destruction by Pharaoh (Jeremiah 47:1-7).

David was in a battle…war was raging.  In the midst of these circumstances God made a promise, and David believed Him.  Remember the first words in this section:

“I will triumph!”

Such faith and confidence in God always results in His miraculous activity on your behalf.  Don’t fear the enemy.  Don’t run from the battle.  If you are serving the Lord as He has directed, then know this one thing for sure: “The battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47)…there is no way you can lose!

Interesting Note:

This passage from Psalm 60:6-8 is repeated verbatim in Psalm 108:7-9.  The first six verses of Psalm 108 are quoted from Psalm 57:7-11.  Psalm 108 has the heading, A Davidic psalm; but only because it is compiled out of two earlier psalms he did pen.  It is very unlikely he took pieces of earlier psalms and wed them together.