A Song of Victory

We find ourselves in Psalm 108 this morning, if the Lord’s people would begin turning there. Have you ever stopped to ponder what it is that motivates you to do something nice, a courtesy, a good deed? On rare occasions, we may observe some need and immediately respond out of a pure sense of goodwill. Occasionally, sometimes we observe someone or a group of individuals preparing to engage in some benevolent undertaking, and we fold in with them, practically supporting their kind efforts. Other times we’re guilt-tripped into participating in some service project, and sometimes I would actually say quite often, we do something nice for someone because they did something nice for us.

We reciprocate their kindness. As humans, we have an almost innate tendency to live by the strict rule of reciprocity. We’re inclined toward basing everything that we do upon what others first have done. We tend to do this with regard to kindness, that if someone has done something nice for us, we respond accordingly. We call it returning a favor. And the person, if the person hasn’t done anything to earn such kindness from us, when we show kindness to them, At least in our mind we say, now they owe us one.

We do this with regard to affection. We don’t go out on a limb and show affection until others show affection to us. We do this with regard, unfortunately, to forgiveness. We at least wait until someone has apologized. Until we begin the difficult artwork of forgiveness. We do this with regard to service, gauging our efforts on behalf of others based on what they have done to us first. We do this with regard to hospitality.

I think I’ve shared this before. I’ve lived in a lot of places in this country. In the South, if you go to church, you’re going home with someone for lunch. In California, they will take you to a restaurant and they will even pay, but they don’t tend to have you into their homes. These are generalizations, I realize it, but this is what I’ve observed.

In the Midwest, they’ll talk about it several times. They’ll bring it up, we need to have you over. And when they have you over, Lunch on Sunday lasts until dinner on Sunday evening. And in Colorado, I know you’re waiting for this. Hospitality all seems to be built on reciprocity. They had us over. It’s our turn. And it goes the other way as well. We’ve already had them over. We tend to live by this law of reciprocity, and at times it seems as everything is conditional. Everything is contingent upon what someone else has done.

Psalm 108 sets forth a beautiful pattern. Our psalmist, in this case David, engages in an unconditional worship of his God first and foremost. He simply praises God for who he is. And then, based upon God’s generous character, he makes an appeal, a request. In his unconditional worship, it leads to his conditional request. Not a matter of greed on David’s part. It’s a rather due to God’s character. David sees God for who he is.

Jesus, in one of his many lessons on prayer, told his disciples, all things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive. Matthew 21, verse 22. Now, we could errantly focus on that simple promise, you will receive all things for which you ask. We could find ourselves getting really greedy, couldn’t we? given that kind of a promise? But there’s a key word there that we have to consider. Believing. Do we really believe that God can answer our prayer? Do we believe that God can provide? And then, if we do, what is our appeal to God? Why wouldn’t we ask God to fulfill it.

That’s not greed, that’s faith. And this is essentially what David does here in Psalm 108. Knowing God as he does, having seen him work, observing his character, believing in him. David does what is reasonable. He brings his request before his God. If you haven’t already done so, please turn to Psalm 108. Psalm 108 is the second Psalm of the fifth book of Psalms, our 10th in this series, coursing through the book of Psalms. And if you’re there in Psalm 108, I’d like you to follow along as I read, noting any differences between what I’m reading and what you Read there silently. Psalm 108. My heart is steadfast, O God. My heart is steadfast.

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises. Awake, my glory. Awake, harp and lyre. I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations, for your loving kindness is great to the heavens and your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, oh God, let your glory be above all the earth. That your beloved may be delivered, save with your right hand and answer us. God has spoken in his holiness. I will exalt. I will portion out Shechem and measure out the valley of Sukkoth. Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine. Ephraim is also the helmet of my head. Judah is my scepter. Moab is my washbowl. Over Edom I shall throw my shoe.

Shout loud, O Philistia, because of me Who will bring me into the besieged city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have not you yourself, O God, rejected us? Will you not go forth with our armies, O God? O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, and it is he who will tread down. our adversaries. Did you notice any differences? You had to have.

Because what David has done in Psalm 108 is take a portion of Psalm 57 and a portion of Psalm 60 and effectively make a new Psalm. Psalm 108. You read the words of Psalm 108. I read the portions from those original Psalms, and you probably noted that the words are taken almost verbatim from those earlier Psalms. There are some slight differences, but the differences are minimal and inconsequential to the overall thrust of this Psalm.

It shouldn’t be unsettling to us that there are portions of Psalms that are repeated, After all, they are divinely inspired, and since it was perfect material, the moment it was written, it’s not unreasonable that it should be repeated at some point.

In this case, all three Psalms, Psalm 57, Psalm 60, and Psalm 108, were all written by the same author, King David. So it’s not as if David is plagiarizing here. Think back on his body of work thus far. Though he finds himself here in a new situation, he recalls some familiar and encouraging words and thoughts from earlier Psalms that he had written and he cites them. Portion from Psalm 57 and a portion from Psalm 60. And David, our psalmist, does something really wonderful here. He begins with a portion of one of his Psalms and uses it to build a new one. In Psalm 57, the portion is his conclusion. The response to the first six verses. But here in Psalm 108, it’s the foundation. It’s the starting point. He begins this psalm with exuberant worship. There’s no buildup. There’s no lead up. There’s no context. There’s no condition. Just the psalmist worshiping his God.

Then, in the verses that follow, he borrows a portion from another one of his psalms, Psalm 60, and he uses the concluding portion of that psalm as well. But this portion of that psalm is the portion where he does make a request of God. And this request that he makes of God, because of its position in that psalm, is conditional. It’s contingent upon what he has already observed. It’s conditional upon his unconditional worship of God. Because God is inherently worthy of his worship. He is eager to come before him with his needs. And he expresses a passionate plea for help. It’s a simple psalm. Simple to outline, it has two parts. Unconditional worship and a conditional request.

Together they form this new psalm. A psalm that I would suggest is a song of victory. Here in Psalm 108, David exemplifies the sequences in our worship of God. I’ve said this so many times, almost every time I have opportunity, that little motto for prayer, that acrostic A-C-T-S, adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. Essentially what we have here is a blend of adoration and thanksgiving together with an appeal, a request. So we want to look at this song of victory. And as we see the progression of worship, we will see the sequences of our own worship of God.

First, we begin back in verses 1 through 5 with unconditional worship. This is where he starts. In his song of victory, David begins his worship with a sequence of unconditional worship. He’s not reacting to anything in particular that God has done. He’s not trying to manipulate God by flattering him. He isn’t using his worship in order to establish a case for God to reciprocate in kindness. We get the sense from the positioning of these words that regardless of what happens, David will worship his God at the outset. David makes a powerful declaration here.

My heart is steadfast, oh God. That word steadfast means to be made ready, to be prepared, established. Heart was firm and fixed upon the Lord. His mind and his heart were fixed, focused on God and his glorious character. That word is the same word that was used to refer to the character quality that David feared was waning from him after his fall with Bathsheba. Psalm 51, renew in me a steadfast spirit. Yet another psalm writer uses this word. to describe its nature. Speaking of the righteous, he says his heart is steadfast. What does steadfast look like?

Trusting the Lord. He’s not uncertain about whether or not he could trust God. He wasn’t wishy-washy about his commitment to Him. His heart was unshaken. It was resolute. Many things had come into David’s life that might have brought him to a place of doubt for a season. Many such things will come into our lives. David was not content to remain there in a doubtful, fretful condition. Instead, his heart was settled. upon his faithful God. My heart is steadfast, O God. And because his heart was fixed on God, he begins to set his course.

He will worship. Worship is his intention in the sustained theme throughout these first five verses. I will sing, he twice declares, sing praises from the depth of his being, his soul. Whether he has any musical accompaniment or not, his intention is to sing praises to God, to worship him with his voice. Such is the purest kind of worship, isn’t it? Whether it’s on key or not. whether it’s metered or not, whether it rhymes or not. Such praise is the individual child of God’s expression of love and devotion to his or her God. Pure worship.

With his impromptu worship service now underway, he calls for instrumentation Awake, harp and lyre, I will awaken the dawn.” And here he personifies the dawn as if he could awaken her. Dawn usually wakes us up, doesn’t it? It’s a strong metaphor here for the believers’ enthusiastic worship in the pre-dawn hours.

The harp and the lyre almost certainly refers to others responding to his call to join him in worship, because not even David could play two instruments at once. Not only does David desire that others may join him in worship, but he also wants others to hear his worship, even the Gentile nations around him. I will give thanks to you, he says, O Lord, among the peoples, he joyfully declares. By the peoples, he obviously means not only the Jewish people, but all people, any kind of people, and especially the ungodly heathen around him. This is the result of the worship of God’s people. They are proclaiming it to the world. cannot hide his faith in God. It must be proclaimed, others must hear, and he must participate in it.

The psalmist supports this attitude of praise in verse four. with that little statement for your loving kindness is great above the heavens, your truth to the skies, the loving kindness that we’ve seen over and over again already in the Psalms. Once again, one of the most frequently cited attributes of God, His love and loving kindness for us. It’s certainly one of God’s most beloved character qualities. And together with that truth, Think of this, believability, trustworthiness. Is it once that assuring and calming quality that comforts the once misled and disillusioned child of God?

If the psalmist’s intentions are not yet clear, in verse five he proclaims, be exalted. O God, be exalted, O God, above the heavens, your glory above all the earth. In the original version of this psalm, Psalm 57, this thought is expressed twice. Kind of a chorus that is repeated in that psalm.

That short sentence, be exalted, is essentially a wish Better yet, a blessing that God would be lifted up, magnified, exalted. May all people come to know and appreciate your abundant goodness, God. Your abundant mercy, your power. May they worship you because of it. That’s David’s prayer. Other psalm writers use this expression as well. but it is most used by David. Exalted be the God of my salvation, Psalm 18, 46. I will extol or exalt you, O Lord, Psalm 30, verse one. Let us exalt his name together, Psalm 34, verse three.

And so here in Psalm 108 and 57, it is a call to the saints and the heavenly host to join in this magnificent chorus of praise to God, that God would be exalted high and lifted up. That was David’s one great desire. And to be exalted above the heavens is to glorify and magnify God as He is upon His throne to the highest place and with the greatest intensity, purest motives. And not only in heaven, but that He would be glorified both in heaven and on earth. It expresses the desire that God would be known and loved and worshiped throughout the whole world.

That’s our calling. We have to worship God without pretense. We worship God for who he is. We can worship God for all that he has done for us, but that those deeds basically come because of the character of God. Regardless of what he may do in the future, or not do, we must not presume upon His kindness or His benevolence. We worship Him for who He is.

And so I would ask, how steadfast are you? How committed, how fixed, how intentional is your own heart for worship? How resolute and unshaken is your faith in God? Do you worship Him from the depth of your being regardless of what’s going on around you or in your world? Are you withholding your worship unless and until God does something for you?

Come to another. sequence of the worship of God, not only unconditional worship, but a conditional request. We find this in beginning in verse 6. Thomas worship was unconditional. Just from the fact that he began this song with the concluding portion of Psalm 57 shows that he begins with unconditional worship, but here in verses 6 through 13, It begins a very conditional request. And by conditional, mind you, I’m not suggesting that the psalmist is in any way negotiating with God, establishing some kind of terms of agreement that I will worship you if By conditional, I mean to suggest that David, our writer, conditions his request based on what he already knows of God.

He knows and has already expressed his heartfelt worship for who God is. Thomas begins his plea with one of the most common cries of a poor, weak sinner. Save me, O God. David looks about him, and he sees the heathen and their ungodly influences flourishing in the land. He cried, Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to be.

Psalm 12.1. In the midst of a fierce battle, David cried to God, Psalm 20, verse 9, Save, O Lord! May the King answer us in the day we call. And the means by which God asks, or David asked God to intervene, is again by his right hand. We looked at this phrase a few weeks ago, Psalm 74. God’s right hand is his hand of power. which is unlimited. He knows that God has the ability to do this.

Sentence itself is interesting because it places the purpose first. Lancet verse six. He says, that your beloved may be delivered, save. And that gives the, The reason that he provides their particular emphasis. That beloved in that little phrase could refer exclusively to David. That maybe David’s praying for himself. Or even for his armies. That they are beloved in God’s eyes and therefore worth saving. Since David and his armies are serving on behalf of God’s people, it most likely refers to Israel as a nation, God’s beloved in that sense. And perhaps the most recognizable example would be from Isaiah 5. Listen to this. Isaiah 5 verses 1 and 2.

Let me sing now for my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved has a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around and removed its stones and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in the midst of it, and he hewed out a wine vat in it. Then he expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones.”

Isaiah there, in Isaiah 5, is referring to Israel. that though God had loved her and provided for her, she was unfaithful. But as God is love, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son as savior. This expression broadens widely, and the adversary from which he delivers is far worse than any earthly foe, the devil himself. and the effects of our own sin.

Well, in emphasizing that purpose statement, that your beloved may be delivered, he places it up front and emphasizes it thereby. David is being exceedingly forthright. He’s not hiding anything. Now David will elaborate on that request, but for now, He basically appeals. We’re under attack. We’re in a state of siege. We desperately need deliverance. Please save us. He cries. In a moment of trial or need, is that your immediate response? Do you call out to God in faith? Do you know that he can answer your prayer? Do you know that he can Fulfill every need. Solve every dilemma. You call out to him in confidence.

Immediately on the heels of this request, we have to note this. David cites God’s omnipotence and his grand character as the basis of his request. I told you this was conditional. And for this, he essentially quotes God himself. Glance, if you would, at verse seven. God has spoken in his holiness.

David already knows that God has promised a land for his people, and he trusts that God will fulfill that promise. And though these neighboring nations seem to stand in the way, he knows that God will deal decisively with them. in time. He knows what God thinks of these foreign nations, and he quotes God’s words here, detailing his sentiments and his plans, not only for his people, but even for these heathen nations. He begins here with a decisive declaration.

Listen to this. I will exalt. These are God’s words. There will come a time when I will rejoice. I will exalt. Like a victorious warrior over these conquered nations, he admits no struggle at all with these heathen nations. He only admits that a day is coming when his people will have their land. God’s promises will be fulfilled and God himself will exalt. Looking at these verses, just glance one by one.

When he says, I will portion out Shechem, the territory west of the Jordan River, east of the Jordan River, Sukkoth, both of which Israel currently occupied. When he speaks of the portioning and measuring, it indicates the fact that God is the outright owner of these lands. He is surveying them, he is measuring them, and he can divide them up however he pleases.

Likewise, with Gilead and Manasseh, the land of Bashan, countries on the east side of the Jordan River also belonged to the Lord. God has dominion over the entire land, he says. West of the Jordan, Ephraim and Judah are entirely under God’s dominion.

He calls Ephraim, listen to this, the helmet of my head, referring to the fact that she was the most powerful tribe and had the responsibility of defending the nation. And of Judah, she is my scepter. A scepter was a symbol of law and sovereignty. And so to Judah, David’s tribe, belonged the responsibility of government of God’s people.

God’s land. Well, in verse nine, he turns from the regions that are directly under his control to those neighboring enemies. pests, really, Moab, Edom, Philistia. And the mocking rebukes spoken about each of these are almost humorous. Moab is my washbowl. Over Edom, I shall throw my shoe. Over Philistia, I will shout aloud. He reduces arrogant Moab to a foot-washing bowl. You’re nothing more. He likewise humbles Edom by considering them as no more than a sandal slave, a servant that was assigned to cleaning shoes. And over bothersome Philistia, the perpetual enemy of Israel, there will be a day where he lets out a shout, a shout of triumph.

In the face of expressing great need, Do we take God at His word? Do we understand and live according to God’s promises? Do we respond to Him based on His character? David did, at least initially. And every one of us has gone through this next episode.

Because in having recited God’s own words in verses 10 and 11, even though he knows that God is sovereign over all peoples and nations, yet he laments that they are overwhelmed even by these peoples. He identifies the problem that they are currently facing. He articulates the cause or at least the reason for his request. And to do so, he asks four vexing questions.

First, in verse 10, he asks, who will bring me into the besieged city? Now, besieged sounds as if the enemy city is ready to fall. Israel has it surrounded. They’re starving them out. They probably cut off the water supply, no groceries. That’s what a siege is.

But the word can also be used to speak of a fortified city, a city that was seemingly impervious to David’s army, and that’s how I would take it here. In the context, David may well have been speaking of the seemingly impenetrable city of Petra, capital of Edom.

More generally, he wonders, will you God, lead us in triumph. Are you even there? Likewise, in verse 10, who will lead me to Edom? David isn’t suggesting that he didn’t know the way to the enemy’s capital, but that even though they had tried to conquer this foe by their own power and resources, thus far they were completely unable, and they now desire God’s help. Here’s the third and fourth question. In verse 11, David utters this faithless and foolish lament. We’ve all done it. Have not you yourself, O God, rejected us? And will you not go forth with our armies, O God?

This is likely the prevailing sentiment among his armies, among the people in general. But the complaint resides in his own heart as well. And it finds expression on his lips. Even if only for a grumbling moment. Because he now issues a new appeal to his merciful and faithful God.

When you’re in a trial, when you’re in a season of difficulty, Are you able to specify and articulate what even your particular need is? Are you just in the glum, you know, the depression and you don’t even know what the problem is, you just know you’re sad and depressed? Are you able to articulate what your particular need is? Or do you just whirl and grumble hopelessly?

Now remember I told you, that David’s initial appeal in verse six, that God would save him, his armies, his nation, I told you that he was going to refresh that appeal, and he enlarges upon that request here in verse 12. Here he states his appeal in its entirety. Generally he prayed that God would save him, Here, he says it in full.

Give us help against our adversary. In his original request, we had some clues that he sought to be delivered. Someone or something was holding him captive in some way, and he pleaded for God to save him. But here, he identifies the specific problem. It’s an adversary with whom David needs help. We might well have conjectured that he was facing an adversary, some rogue nation, but now he spells it out to God. David, he was known for his valor, his accomplishment, both as a warrior individually and as a leader, but even he knew his limitations. And his specific request for help against an adversary was inseparable from the reason that he provides for his request.

Second line of verse 11, would you look there? He adds, for deliverance by man is in vain. Pointless. David calls for God’s help because no human agent No battle force would be adequate to conquer this particular enemy. Often tempting to seek out human resources, isn’t it? Instead of leaning upon God and His means, there’s an immediacy to human assistance. And that inclines us to employ that resource more than any other. We can talk to people. We can unload on them. We can wear our emotions on our sleeves. We can get people motivated. With God, however, we pray. And we wait. We wait. And we wait.

With human help, we may be able to quickly build a coalition, a team that is going to offer us some comfort and protection in fighting whatever battle we’re facing. Quite often, however, our friends are impetuous. They leap into action, even running ahead of us. With God, however, Even though we must wait patiently, we have the strongest of forces behind us. When he moves, as Paul said, if God is for us, who can stand against us? When we employ the aid of men, oftentimes, among our other motives, we just want people to know what our adversary has done to us.

We call it counseling or sharing, but usually it amounts to fruitless gossip. Do you realize this? With God, however, when you come before God with your complaint, you come before the righteous judge. He knows all of your faults and failings as well as those of your foe. When we come to him, we come to him in complete humility. me and God.

When we lean toward the aid of men, we know that there may be some resources available to us, some help available, but friends can only take us so far. With God, however, We know that we come before Almighty God, whose resources are completely unlimited.

There’s a vast difference between human help and God’s. There are situations and circumstances that mere human help cannot touch. They cannot overcome and secure a victory like God can. When God moves, There is nothing like his vindication. A victory by man’s help, if it can even be called such, is incomplete and empty. In a sense, we win, but most likely it’s a localized success over a small portion of the battle, not a complete triumph in the war itself. The only sure victory must come by the Lord’s help, not men’s.

Once it’s clear in our minds, do we communicate our specific need to God? Is He shaping our prayers? He wants us to know our need as well as our resources and our limitation. He wants us to trust in Him. And although God has not yet replied to David’s prayer, that isn’t recorded, David does seem to have secured God’s answer. Would you look at verse 13? We have it almost as a forecast of an answer to his request. Though God will do, through God we will do valiantly, and it is he who shall tread down our adversaries. That’s a pretty clear answer. David is confident that God will provide him the help, the divine assistance for which he seek. And he reiterates his conviction that deliverance by man is vain. He does so twice here.

He attributes the eventual victory to God. Through God, we will do valiantly. And it is he who shall tread down our adversaries. David doesn’t conclude that his armies might just as well lay down their weapons and let God do the fighting. They must labor, they must fight, but God will supply the necessary grace. Through God, we will do valiantly. God’s help there to David is an encouragement to maximize his effort, not to quit.

When the victory is done, all glory goes to God. Do we have that same confidence that God will do valiantly? In responding to our various needs and difficulties, are we prepared to gloat over our own efforts when the victory is achieved? But do we recognize God’s grace and favor? Paul declared the same truth at the close of Ephesians chapter 3.

Just listen. Now to him, to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us. To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Would you look to him now?

Our gracious God, we rejoice in this song of victory. And we see that even though this is, in a sense, a manufactured psalm, it is done so magnificently. It is what we needed to hear. Lord, we thank you for your servant, King David. We thank you for the fact that he penned these originals. and then sought to draft portions from them to create a new song, to present before the world these sequences of worship, not only coming before God and worshiping him as he is, but also having seen God coming before him with great confidence, and laying our requests at his feet. Lord, we thank you for the provision that you’ve made for a Savior for us, and we thank you that for so many of us, one of our first conditional requests was to call out to you in repentance and in faith in our Lord Jesus. We pleaded with you for mercy and you abundantly granted it.

Lord, if there are any here who do not know the Lord Jesus as their Savior, God has already provided all that sinners need. Lord, for so many of us, we have already embraced that. We’ve already made that conditional plea. Lord, how could we not come before you with hearts of worship? Lord, we pray that you would have your way with every person in the room. Bring sinners to repentance. Bring those who are saved into a greater understanding of their standing before you and their faith in you. We thank you and we praise you in Jesus name. Amen.