Psalm Devotional
King of the Nations
The title of this psalm places it in the context of 2 Samuel 8, where David’s impressive victories are glowingly cataloged at the height of his military power.
It is striking, therefore, that the first half of Psalm 60 reads like a lamentation. David perceives that God has cast off and broken down His people (v. 1), and that hardship and danger are the order of the day (v. 3). Why the disparity of perspective?
In one sense, David gives voice to the brutal realities of war that stand hidden behind the brief biblical accounts of his victories. The resilience of his enemies and the cost of his victories are seen as “hard things” (v. 3) from the hand of God despite the successful outcome of his campaigns. At the peak of his military power, David could only find cause for repentance in the aftermath of his conquests. To David, victory hardly mitigated the pain of having to fight in the first place, and he perceived even the cost of success as a failure of sorts. David would not rejoice, much less gloat, over his vanquished enemies. Instead, he would turn to the Lord and confess His sovereign kingship over the nations.
