Big Idea: When life’s defeats have no explanation, we must affirm victory by God’s help, for all human help, without God, is worthless.

Understanding the Text

Psalm 60, judging from the first-person plural pronouns (“us,” “our,” “we”), is a community lament, prayed by the congregation after Israel’s daunting defeat in battle, perhaps by the Edomites (60:8b). In the psalms of lament, the complaint can take one of three directions, or any combination: against God, against oneself, and against one’s enemies.1Here the complaint is against God (60:1–3, 10). Like the Asaph psalms (Pss. 50; 73–83), which sometimes contain a direct word from God (50:7–15, 16b–23; 75:2–5; 81:6–16), Psalm 60 also contains such a word, spoken by a prophet or priest, or perhaps even the king, who is the psalmist, …