March 28, 2017
KEEP YOUR HAND OUT OF THE JAR
Psalm 60
Shelley Price
Central Truth
The sin battles we face every day are just as important to God as David’s military battles. He wants us to rely on Him to overcome and defeat our foes.
Key Verse | Psalm 60:11–12
Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
(Psalm 60:11-12)
Psalm 60
He Will Tread Down Our Foes
To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam 1 60:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
1
O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; oh, restore us.
2
You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair its breaches, for it totters.
3
You have made your people see hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.
4
You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it from the bow.
2
60:4
Or that it may be displayed because of truth
Selah
5
That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
6
God has spoken in his holiness:
3
60:6
Or sanctuary
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
8
Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
4
60:8
Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph
9
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10
Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11
Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
12
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 60
We have a candy jar in our kitchen. Not only does it always have something in it, but it’s see-through, so the candy is constantly tempting you to come and delight in it. Most of the time, I can resist, but when I am stressed, procrastinating, or in-between check marks on my to-do list, it gets to me. It’s not a coincidence that when I’m trying to control my day, I dig into the candy jar.
Psalm 60 was written by David to remind us to trust God in our difficulties. While most of us aren’t currently in a military battle, we can relate this to the sins we face. David prays for God to relieve them of their hardships, reminds himself of previous God-given victories, and asks God to take control once again.
The first two steps in this psalm are our part. We need to recognize what is happening, pray to Jesus, and remember Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus is the fixer, and our attempts to do it alone are in vain. Only when we yield control of our lives to God will we be able to resist the candy in the jar.
The candies in my jar include, but are not limited to, pride, control, selfishness, and being "Martha" (Luke 10:38-42). I’d also like to think my “sin jar” is see-through, so that my community group and people I surround myself with can tell me when I’m reaching in.
Discussion Questions
1. What makes you visit the candy jar, and what are you delighting in?
2. What are some past victories that you and God fought together? How does remembering that help you move forward?
3. There is no sin too big for God (Romans 8:1). Do you trust Him to vanquish your sin, and are you willing to hand it over?