Psalm 108 - Only With God

Psalm 108:1-13 NIV

My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. 

Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;

 I will sing of you among the peoples. 

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

 your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. 

Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

God has spoken from his sanctuary:

 “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth. 

Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter. 

Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal;

 over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 

Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? 

Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. 

With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 108 is interesting. It starts as a psalm of praise given from a personal perspective, but with a heart of intercession for the nation of Israel. I like to think that this is a prayer for a king or a military commander. I can see a general of the army praying this prayer.

Of course the psalm speaks specifically from a Hebrew perspective. After praising the God of Israel for His great love and faithfulness, after committing to sing for the Lord in worship, the psalm turns suddenly to a cry for help.

Psalm 108:6 NIV

Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

Then God is quoted as a way of reminding God of His divine proclamations. God is reminded that He said all the land promised to Abraham would be the inheritance of his descendants. The regions of Canaan are named: Shechem, Sukkoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah, Moab, Edom and Philistia. Yet Israel does not have total possession of the promised land. Even in the days of Joshua they never fully drove out the occupying nations from their inheritance.

This prayer comes at a time when Israel's armies are failing in battle. The commander feels that God has rejected Israel for He no longer goes out with their armies into battle. Without God their efforts are useless. And so the general entreats the Lord to return to them, to give them aid in their battle against the enemy.

How many times have you felt God has rejected you, that He is no longer with you in your plans? In ministry I sometimes feel that God is not blessing something we are trying to accomplish. It's so important to remember that apart from Christ we can do nothing of any divine and lasting value. How often have I charged off doing what I think is best, but truly have not searched my heart for God's will? Gut instinct is not necessarily divine guidance.

Psalm 108 reminds me to seek out and adequately discern God's will. I must also repent of doing that which would separate me from God. Unconfessed sins build barriers to hearing God. An unrepentant heart is a fortress wall protecting a rebellious king inside. When we behave like we are king of our own lives, we are not open to God's leading. When we are gods unto ourselves we won't be relying on the true God. Our will shall be in conflict with His will.

But when we understand that only with God can we be successful at His mission in the world and His purpose for our lives, then we will seek the Lord with all our heart and find Him.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things needed will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)