Well, good morning. Please turn in your copies of God's Word to the Book of Psalms. And Psalm 60. Psalm 60 being our psalm of the month, give your attention now to the reading of God's holy and infallible word. To the chief musician, set to lily of the testimony, a midstom of David for teaching, when he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, And Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. O God, you have cast us off. You have broken us down. You have been displeased. O restore us again. You have made the earth tremble. You have broken it. Heal its breaches, for it is shaking. You have shown your people hard things. You have made us drink the wine of confusion. You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. That Your Beloved may be delivered. Save with Your right hand and hear me. God has spoken in His holiness. I will rejoice. I will divide Shechem and measure out the valley of Sukkoth. Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also is the helmet for my head. Judah is my lawgiver. Moab is my washpot. Over Edom I will cast my shoe. Philistia, shout in triumph because of me. Who will bring me near to the strong city? who will lead me to Edom. Is it not you, O God, who cast us off? And you, O God, who did not go out with our armies? Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is he who shall tread down our enemies. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever. The titles that sometimes appear over our Psalms or at the beginning of our Psalms, this little inscription Oftentimes, it gives us some sort of insight as to the circumstance that resulted in the writing of this particular psalm. Other times, it tells us who the author was. On this occasion, we have both. We're told that it is a mitzvah of David. We're told that the occasion when he penned this psalm was when he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, the conquest that we read about in 2 Samuel 8. But we're also told that David intends this psalm for a particular purpose, for teaching. Now, if you noticed, in the reading of 2 Samuel, as well as the way in which this psalm begins, there seems to be not necessarily a contradiction, but there's missing details. What we read in 2 Samuel was an account of victory. And yet, David begins this psalm with a recognition that in one sense, God has cast off His people, broken them down, He's humbled them really, and brought them to a place where they were defeated. So we don't know the particular defeat that David is referencing. Because the God-given accounts in Scripture of this event They're accounts of victory. They're not accounts of defeat. Now that doesn't mean that there's something wrong with the writing in those accounts. It just means for whatever reason, the Holy Spirit chose not to have that particular defeat recorded. And perhaps the reason for this is so that we wouldn't be confused as to what was going on in those battles. You see, as David writes this psalm, he paints a very clear picture that there is one cause for the defeat. There is one cause for why, in this particular instance, Israel suffered defeat at the hands of their enemies. You see, if it had been recorded, we might be tempted to think, well, it was because of numbers or unwise planning or a host of other things. But what we know from this account is that prior to or sometime around the events recorded in 2 Samuel 8, there was another military battle that was lost. And David tells us precisely why that battle was lost. Now as we work our way through this psalm, we're going to divide the psalm according to the various speakers. You'll notice that the psalmist, David, is speaking in verses 1-5. In v. 6-8, God is said to be the Speaker. God has spoken in His holiness is how v. 6 starts off. And then there's a subtle shift in v. 9 where the psalmist starts speaking again. So first, David. Notice what David says as he cries out to God. David acknowledges that the ultimate cause of the defeat that they have suffered is not poor planning. It is not even necessarily cowardice on the part of his soldiers. Or a lack of wisdom on the part of his commanders. It's a much deeper issue. That their defeat is because God cast them off. God broke them down. God was displeased. This is a reminder, a very subtle and yet very clear and profound reminder. that sometimes God brings His people into particular circumstances, into particular experiences, because we have something that we need to learn. And that is what has happened here. Notice in v. 3. David says, speaking of God, you have shown your people hard things. You have made us drink the wine of confusion. David is highlighting that this casting off, this displeasure from God, It was intentional. It was deliberate. And it was because. The people needed to learn. A very difficult truth. What is that difficult truth? Well, David doesn't come right out and say it, but the implication throughout is that Israel has sinned against God. And that Israel has remained unrepentant in that sin. And because of that, Because of that sin and that lack of repentance, God has brought them to a place where they would taste defeat at the hands of their earthly enemies. That they might learn the very real consequences of sin. Sin, first and foremost, results in a breach of relationship between God and His people. Think back to Adam and Eve in the garden. What was Adam and Eve's first response after they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? What happened? They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden. And what did Adam and Eve do? They hid themselves. They hid themselves from the presence of their Creator. They hid themselves from the very One who created them. who spent time with them. We read like just prior to that, that God had taken Adam out and had him name the animals. And yet sin, this sin of eating of that forbidden fruit, broke the relationship. And in a similar way, the sin, whatever it is, the sin that Israel has committed and remained unrepentant for broke the relationship, broke the fellowship that Israel had as a nation with her God. And so, God pursues Israel in a different way, but he pursues Israel. And the way in which he does it is he brings them to a place of defeat. He shows them hard things. And David recognizes this. He recognizes that what they are experiencing comes directly from God. that they're seeing this breach, they're seeing this displeasure play out in real time. They're experiencing the effects of a ruptured relationship with God. They're experiencing the brokenness that comes from this ruptured relationship. But David also knows that there is one who can fix the relationship. There's one who can heal the breaches, who can make the repairs. And so David doesn't call Israel to do these five things so that they will live. But he leads Israel to God. And he leads Israel to God for the purpose of restoring that relationship. Not merely getting defeat. As if all they need to do is just appease this God and they will win the victory. David sees the root problem. And the root problem is a ruptured relationship with their God. first and foremost. You see, apart from God, there can be no victory. And we actually saw that emphasized in 2 Samuel. That God was with David wherever he went. It's highlighting that even David's victories, as recorded there in 2 Samuel 8, David's victories came about not because he was a great military mind, though he clearly was. His victories came about because God was with him. So David sees this as the issue that it is, as the problem, that it's a rupture of the relationship. And he also understands that there is one thing that unites God's people both together and unites us with God himself. It is this banner that God gives. In another place, this is actually a name that is ascribed to God. The Lord Our Banner. You see, the thing that unites God's people, it's not military might. It's not politics. It's not living in the right country or having the right skin color. It's not being from the right era of history or speaking the right language. The thing that unites people and unites God's people is the Lord Jesus Christ, that promised Messiah that Israel looked forward to. that promised king that would come from David, who would sit on the throne, on Israel's throne, forever. And David understands that it is this banner, this is the source of unity. And why? Because unity must be formed around truth. And there is only one source of truth. We often hear in our day the expression that something is your truth or my truth. And it's almost like there can be polar opposite truths. There's only one truth. There's only one sure foundation. There's only one banner that can bring together people from all walks of life. There's only one banner that can restore broken relationships, both amongst humans and from humans to God. There is one uniting banner. There is one truth. David understands that the cause of the breach is the sin that Israel has committed. And the experience of this displeasure is God showing them hard things for the purpose of restoring them, and drawing them back under this one banner. And so David cries out. He cries out. And he throws himself upon that truth, saying that your Beloved may be delivered, save with your right hand and hear me. Do you understand what David is doing with this? He's not merely saying, save me as your anointed King. He is saying, be faithful to your promise, the promise that you have made. Be faithful to your word, O God, and hear and save. He is calling upon God. To simply do what God has already promised to do. That when his people cry out to him, acknowledging their sin, that he would heal. That he would restore the relationship that was broken. That he would bind up the wounds. David isn't asking for God to do some wild thing that no one had ever heard of. David is asking that God would be true to His own Word. And he's asking that He would be true to His Word and that He would save those that he has called his beloved, that he would save his people with his right hand. David understands that God doesn't need any assistance. God doesn't need someone else to come alongside and help him do what he's promised to do. He simply needs to act. When God acts, what God intends to do is done. David is crying out that God would hear and deliver His people from the sins that they have committed. He's asking that God would restore the broken things, heal the breaches, And he understands that those breaches, those broken relationships, are the consequence, ultimately, of Israel's own sins. And we see that as God responds He reminds David and he reminds Israel that even in the hard things, God remains in control, which ought to be a great point of comfort for us, even as we go through difficult times. But also, he reminds them and assures them of Israel's restoration. Now, I realize that's not spelled out word for word, but let me make the case. In v. 6, we're told, God has spoken in His holiness. I will rejoice. I will divide Shechem and measure out the valley of Sukkoth. And then notice where he goes from there. What does he say? Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. Ephraim is the helmet for my head. Judah is my lawgiver. Do you see the contrast between that and what David started off the psalm saying? You have cast us off. It's a way of saying, like, you've disowned us. You've broken us down. You've been displeased. And what do we find when God responds? What we see are these words of reclaiming His people. What we see is God rejoicing. And what is God rejoicing in? Their repentance. Rejoicing that His people, those people that He led into hard things, those people that He made to drink wine of confusion, which is a way of saying He disciplined them. That those people that He disciplined, His people, are responding with repentance and faith. That is the response that He was wanting. That His people brings to Him. And so His response to that is rejoicing. But it's not merely rejoicing. It's rejoicing and restoring. This dividing Shechem and measuring out the Valley of Sukkoth? Where else do we read about God dividing and measuring out? When He is dividing the portions for the Promised Land amongst the tribes of Israel. This is a way of stating that He is reinstating their position within the covenant community. He's restoring them to fellowship with him. And that gets encapsulated in the following statements. Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. Ephraim is the helmet for my head. And Judah is my lawgiver. What tribe is David from? Judah. What was the declaration that was made when Saul became king? Israel demanded a king like the nations. How did God comfort Samuel in that? They haven't rejected you. They rejected me as king. When David is anointed, God says that he would find a man after his own heart. And in identifying Judah as his lawgiver, he is essentially saying, this is my king. Not my king in the sense of Judah is over God, of course. but in the sense that this is the king, this is the lawgiver that God anointed. And then as he turns his attention to those national enemies of Israel, notice the place assigned to them. Moab is a washpot. Not just a washpot, my washpot. He's calling Moab his servant. He's calling Edom his servant. And he's saying, that he shouts in victory over Philistia. Again, another national enemy. You see, what God is doing here is He's saying that the very thing that has happened to Israel because of their sin, that military defeat, is and will be turned around. Where the defeated become the victors. Which is exactly what we read in 2 Samuel 8. That David and his armies were victorious. And why? Because God was with them. And what David would have us to know here is that they were victorious not merely because God was with them, but because they were restored by God to a right relationship with Him. This ought to be an encouragement. If we think in terms of our own experience, that sometimes as we battle our own sins, that we have times when our sins win the battle against us. And we fall back into old patterns or old sins. And it seems like this tug of war And sometimes it can even seem that we're taking a step forward and two or three steps backwards. And what God would have us to know here is that for His people, when we sin, He is ready with open arms to restore us if we will turn to Him. He's ready with open arms, he's not hesitant. He's not going and keeping this log that says, well, you know, last time you said you were sorry, you turned away for a little bit, and then you went right back to it, so I don't, I don't know. I don't know that I'm gonna trust. That's not what he's saying. Immediately. We have this sense as it goes from David crying out for this salvation to God answering and God speaking. This sense of immediate restoration. I think it can also and should be an encouragement. It should be an encouragement to know that our biggest critic when it comes to our sins is actually us. That's not to say that God just turns a blind eye, but God is willing and eager to forgive His people who repent of their sins. Why is that? Why is that the case for David and why is that the case for us? What did God do with our sins? Where did God put our sins? the sins of His people were nailed to the cross with Christ. That God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. That the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus of Nazareth, when He went to the cross, He took our sins as if He committed them, though He committed no sin. And so when God forgives, He forgives because those sins are paid for. And for David, this crying out to God is this understanding that God will pay for his sins. He's promised to do so and he will bring about that promise to fruition. So we're standing in a little bit of a different place from David, right? A few thousand years, not a huge deal, only a few thousand. But for us and for David, we're looking at the same thing. David and Israel in the Old Testament looked to the promise of the Messiah. They looked ahead. They waited. trusting that the God who promised to send a Savior who would save them from their sins would do that. And when He did that, all of their sin debt would be gone. That's what the sacrificial system pointed to. And these instances of Recognizing sin, repenting of it and turning to God is simply a practical outworking of that faith. That trust. That God will do what he promised to do. David looked ahead. at a promise that would be kept, would be fulfilled at some unknown point in the future. Because God didn't tell David when it was going to happen. We look back. We look back about 2,000 years ago to the point when God did fulfill that promise. We're not going out and fighting physical battles against physical national enemies like David and Israel were. But just like David and Israel had their physical enemies, we have an enemy. And those physical enemies were intended to point to. And we're even called in places like Ephesians to put on armor for those battles. We fight, Paul tells us, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in the heavenly places. And so what was true of David and his armies in their physical battles is also true of us in our spiritual battles. That if God does not go with us, we will not be victors. It's really a matter of there's only one victor. And we simply get to bask in the glory of His victory. David asks the question in v. 9, who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom? And he says, is it not You, O God, who cast us off? It's this recognition that the restoration that God gives is so complete that God doesn't merely restore them to the status of citizens, but He re-enlists these soldiers that were cast off and gives them victory. And beloved, that's what our experience is and will be as well. That when we feel cast off, when we have that experience of being broken because of our sin and God being displeased with us, that when we turn to Him and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, that He restores and restores in such a way that we're not only brought back into his family, but we are led to victory by God himself. David said, is it not you, O God, who cast us off? That is, is it not you who will bring us to the strong city? And is it not you who will lead me to Edom, even though you didn't go with our armies then? That God, in restoring his people, turns around and gives the help that we so desperately need. And then he strengthens us, as he strengthened David and his people, to do valiantly Because ultimately, it's God who tramples our enemies. It's God. He doesn't rely upon us to conquer the flesh, the devil, our own sin. But He does that Himself. And He did that. in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And He continues to do that through the work of the Holy Spirit in each of our hearts. God proves Himself, shows Himself time and time again to be the victor even when we breach relationships and enter into God's fatherly displeasure. And I think that's the point we need to take home. That it's not a matter of God becoming altogether opposed to us as if we are sin itself. But it's a fatherly discipline, a fatherly displeasure, where he disciplines us with the goal of our restoration to him. Not with the intention that this will be a forever thing. Though he may lead us into seasons, when we feel that separation, it is so that we would be brought to a place of longing for God. so that then God can show Himself yet again to be that merciful and gracious God that He's declared Himself and proven Himself to be over the centuries. The Lord, the Lord God. The victor. The merciful and gracious God. who forgives iniquity and transgression and sin. And yet, in that, He brings us to a recognition of the sinfulness of our own sin. But it's God who defeats sin. He simply wants to show us how ugly it is so that we would hate it as He does. It's God who is the victor. But He's not a victor who pursues victory at whatever cost, with no concern for His people. But He's a victor who, when His people fall, is also the one who binds their wounds, who heals them, that they may share in His victory. He is the victor, the hero that we all need, and yet also not the hero we expect. He's the hero who saves us from our own plight, from our own sin, and from the separation from him that we create. He is a merciful and gracious victor who cares for his people more than princes and chariots could ever do. Let us pray.