Psalm 108 New King James Version
Assurance of God’s Victory over Enemies
A Song. A Psalm of David.
Introduction:
In Spurgeon’s summary he, like many of the other commentators, makes note of the similarities with Psa 57:7-11 and Psa 60:5-12 with this Psalm. But he notes that “The Holy Spirit is not so short of expressions that he needs to repeat himself, and the repetition cannot be meant merely to fill the book: there must be some intention in the arrangement of two former divine utterances in a new connection; whether we can discover that intent is another matter.” So while we are digging deeper into the psalm, there will be many mentions of the similarities but I trust that the Holy Spirit will lead us to what He wants us to pay attention to……Bill
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Summaries:
J.A.Motyer
Psalm 108. A recipe for an hour of need
Although it is composed of parts of two other psalms (1–5, Ps. 57:7–11; 6–13, Ps. 60:5–12), this is no (mere) anthology. Even if we knew nothing of Psalms 57 and 60 (which may be consulted for the details of this psalm), Psalm 108 would still stand by its own merits. The enmity of Edom was a constant backdrop to the life of Israel (cf. Am. 1:11) and we may assume that the Edomite crisis of Psalm 60 was not the last David heard from that restless quarter. In some such critical moment David drew on his earlier psalmody and fashioned it afresh for new needs. The poem falls into three stanzas held together by ‘domino’-linking: the first stanza (1–5) ends with prayer and the second (6–9) opens with prayer. The first hinges on the reality of the Lord’s unchanging love (4) and the second begins with those you love (a different word, ‘those dear to you’). The second stanza ends with a reference to Edom (9) and the third (10–13) begins with the problem of Edom.
Each stanza contains prayer: first, that God may be glorified (5), secondly, that his people may be delivered (6) and finally that the crisis may be met (12). This is a true order of biblical praying and arguably the foremost lesson of the psalm. But prayer derives its confidence from truth about God and each stanza brings a particular truth to the fore: (i) God’s love (4) is ‘ever-unchanging’—his faithfulness is comparable to the highest reality we observe, the skies, but his love is even higher, i.e. his loving commitment to us is the supreme reality of all. Hence we can face a crisis with a steadfast heart, with vocal and public praise, and with prayer that in this situation he will prove himself to be what he really is (1–5). (ii) God’s promises cover the crisis (7–9). The Lord had committed himself beforehand to the subservience of Edom. Prayer, resting on promises, possesses certainty (6). (iii) His power alone is sufficient for the crisis (10, 13) and in answer to prayer he will return to favor his people and give them needed help (11–12).
J. A. Motyer, “The Psalms,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 558–559.
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Michael Wilcock
Arriving at this psalm after working steadily through the previous hundred-odd, we may well have the feeling that we have been here before. Does this not duplicate something somewhere else in the Psalter, as 53 very nearly duplicates 14?
Yes, it does; it reproduces parts of two earlier psalms, in fact—half of 57 and two-thirds of 60.
1. An old enmity reawakened
As with 60, the last four verses explain what 108 is about. Here are armies and enemies, the hope of victory and the fear of defeat, and Edom named as the antagonist whose fortified city Israel wants to capture.
This was an enmity that went back a long way, to the rivalry between the brothers Jacob and Esau, the ancestors of the two nations. In the histories of the Old Testament we learn of repeated hostilities during the period of the monarchy, from the reign of Saul in the eleventh century bc to that of Ahaz in the eighth. In the prophecies, one final incident later than any of these is the sole subject of the book of Obadiah, which condemns Edom for standing aloof, in the famous security of her mountain fastness,389 and gloating over the Babylonians’ destruction of Jerusalem in 587 bc.
In the Psalms, this same incident will be referred to in 137:7. More important for our present purpose however is the earlier appearance of 108:6–13 in the form of 60:5–12. That psalm was linked by its heading with one of David’s military campaigns. Evidently, the later use of this prayer has to do with some subsequent clash, when there was again a sense that all had not been well between God and his people (v. 11), and yet this time a confidence also that he would come to their aid (vv. 1–5, taken from 57:7–11). Of such conflicts recorded in the reigns of Jehoram, Amaziah, and Ahaz, perhaps that of Amaziah fits these circumstances best. This will still be a David psalm, however, and whenever it may be adapted.
2. An old promise remembered
The prayer for help centers upon what God has said, concerning not only Edom but the peoples and territories of the region in general (vv. 6–9). All prayer, not least when God’s people are under pressure, must be an appeal to his word. Times may change, but what God has spoken in his holiness (v. 7 rv) remains inviolable and true.
The proper names in these verses, as we saw in 60, point to places east and west of Jordan (v. 7), and tribal districts north and south, as well as on both sides of the river (v. 8). This was God’s land even while the Canaanites lived there, and is still his now that he has given it to Israel. So are the lands of the Moabites and Edomites and Philistines (v. 9). All these peoples are under his control, and each fulfills a role in his scheme: those who recognize him, one of honor, and those who do not, one of subordination. We are well aware of all this from 60:5–8.
Such was the plan to which the holy God had committed himself from the outset, and which he would infallibly carry through. Such was the promise which another generation of Israel was now remembering as it found itself in a like situation.
Not so like, however, that the sixtieth psalm was appropriate just as it stood. An old prayer was refashioned to suit new circumstances; or rather, a new prayer was made out of parts of two older ones.
3. An old prayer refashioned
We should dismiss all thoughts of an unscrupulous mechanic welding the front end of one crashed car onto the back end of another! For one thing, the adapter has combined two ‘back ends’, prefacing the final two-thirds of 60 with not the first but the second half of 57. For another, he must have realized that they fitted together extraordinarily well. The resulting poem has as satisfying a poetic structure as either of the earlier ones. For a third, there is nothing wrong with either of the discarded ‘front ends’. It is simply that each begins its psalm in the shadow of ‘disaster’ and ‘desperate times’ (57:1; 60:3); while 108, whatever sobering experience it may be recalling in verse 11, is a thoroughly positive psalm, which as a whole celebrates God’s covenant love and faithfulness (v. 4).
Many commentators place it in the days after Israel’s return from exile. Not that Edom was then a threat to the returned community, so far as we know (though her treachery in 587 would not have been forgotten); such a view has to imagine such a threat. But those circumstances would certainly sharpen two observations to which the rewritten psalm should give rise in any case. One is that the praises of a past generation can repeatedly come up as fresh as ever, the harp of verse 2 awaking even after years of silence in a foreign land (137:2–4). The other is that the claim of God’s people to the whole land—meaning, in a figure, the whole earth—is as real as ever, even when her territory seems tiny. For as verse 4 reminds us, the changeless truth is that his faithfulness reaches to the skies, and his covenant love even higher.
Michael Wilcock, The Message of Psalms: Songs for the People of God, ed. J. A. Motyer, vol. 2, The Bible Speaks Today (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), 153–155.
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Charles Spurgeon
We have before us THE WARRIOR’S MORNING SONG, with which he adores his God and strengthens his heart before entering upon the conflicts of the day. As an old Prussian officer was wont in prayer to invoke the aid of “his Majesty’s August Ally,” so does David appeal to his God and set up his banner in Jehovah’s name.
DIVISION.—First we have an utterance dictated by the spirit of praise, Psa 108:1-5; then a second deliverance evoked by the spirit of believing prayer, Psa 108:6-12; and then a final word of resolve (Psa 108:13), as the warrior hears the war trumpet summoning him to join battle immediately, and therefore marches with his fellow soldiers at once to the fray.
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Enduring Word
This psalm is titled A Song. A Psalm of David. It is actually a compilation of sections from two other Psalms. Psalm 108:1-5 is very similar to Psalm 57:7-11, and Psalm 108:6-13 is almost identical to Psalm 60:5-12. These are David’s words, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, taken and applied to a present challenge. The enemies specified in Psalm 108:9-13 are Moab, Edom, and Philistia (with the emphasis on Edom). It may be that the old foe, subdued earlier in David’s day, rose again and Israel must defeat her again. Psalm 108 shows us that we can and should use the words of Scripture as our present prayers and praises, suitable to our present situation. (Guzik)
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Matthew Henry
This psalm begins with praise and concludes with prayer, and faith is at work in both.
I. David here gives thanks to God for mercies to himself (v. 1-5).
II. He prays to God for mercies for the land, pleading the promises of God and putting them in suit (v. 6-13).
The former part it taken out of Ps. 57:7, etc., the latter out of Ps. 60:5, etc., and both with very little variation, to teach us that we may in prayer use the same words that we have formerly used, provided it be with new affections. It intimates likewise that it is not only allowable, but sometimes convenient, to gather some verses out of one psalm and some out of another, and to put them together, to be sung to the glory of God. In singing this psalm we must give glory to God and take comfort to ourselves.
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Clarke
This Psalm is compounded of two Psalms which we have had already under review. The Psalms 108:1-5, are the same with the Psalms 57:7-11 of Psalms 57:0: And the Psalms 108:6-13, are the same with the Psalms 60:5-12 of Psalms 60:0: The variations are few and of little moment, and the explanation may be seen in the notes on the preceding Psalms, which need not be repeated here. That the Psalms referred to were made by David, and were applicable to the then state of his affairs, has been the opinion of many; and it is probable that the captives in Babylon composed this out of two above, and applied it to the state of their affairs. Their captivity being now ended, or nearly at an end they look and pray for their restoration to their own land, as amply as it was possessed in the most prosperous days of David. The Syriac considers it as a prophecy of the vocation of the Gentiles. The Hebrew and all the Versions attribute it to David.
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Tony Evans
108:1–6 David expresses his confidence in God, praising him for his faithful love and faithfulness (108:1–4). He desires to see God exalted and to see him save his people (108:5–6). Thus, he worships God for what he has done in the past and for what he hopes he would do in the future.
108:7–13 God answers, declaring his ownership of the territories of Israel (108:7–8) and his power over Israel’s enemies (108:9). Yet, David knew that he needed leadership and help. Unless the Lord accompanied David’s armies, there was no hope; human help is worthless (108:11–12). Without God, we are impotent to achieve anything. With God we will perform valiantly (108:13).
Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019), 562.
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Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. Ps 60:12 KJV
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