Psalm 60 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 60 Short Summary:

Psalm 60 is an expression of lament by David, it came about after God allowed Israel to suffer a defeat in battle. David prayed for God to empower his men to defeat their enemies. He emphasized that human power was useless without God’s blessing.

Psalm 60 Summary

AUTHOR:

• David authored Psalm 60.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No Known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• Israel defeated by their enemies.

• David asks God to give his army victory over his enemies.  

DEFINITIONS:

• Valley of Salt (60:1) – A place of some significant Israelite battles. The Valley of Salt sits at the southwest corner of the Dead Sea.

OUTLINE:

• *CONTEXT: The context of this psalm is given to us in verse 1. Psalm 60 was written around the time David and his men were fighting with Aram-naharaim, Aram-zobah, and the Edomites (see 1 Chronicles 18:12-13).

• MILITARY DEFEAT AND A PRAYER FOR VICTORY (60:1-12):

  • Israel had evidently suffered some kind of defeat at the hands of their enemies, and David suspected it was because the Lord was angry with them.

  • “Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies (60:10).

  • He asked God to change His temperament towards them and help them defeat their foes.

  • David knew God had promised to help them conquer the land. He mentioned several geographical areas that were to fall under the control of God and His people, these included: Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah, Moab, Edom, and Philistia.   

  • David asked God to lead their army to Edom and give them victory.

  • He knew the strength of men wasn’t sufficient, he needed the strength of God.

  • “With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes” (60:12).
    

APPLICATION:

• As far as I know, Israel’s defeat which is described by David in this chapter isn’t recorded in the books of Kings or Chronicles.

• Its important to keep in mind that the Bible wasn’t intended to be a comprehensive history of the world (it would be a lot longer if it was).

• The Bible was inspired to highlight the information necessary to tell God’s story, the story of the redemption of mankind through Jesus and the story of the Kingdom of God.

• Sometimes people ask, “Why doesn’t the Bible mention ___?”

• The answer very well might be because ___ isn’t vital to the subject matter of the Bible.