Psalm 108 explained: Praise Before a Hard Battle

A steady heart sings (vv. 1-2)

The singer says their heart is settled and ready, and calls their harp and lyre to wake up. To 'awaken the dawn' means to be up praising before the sun rises.

Praise among the nations (vv. 3-5)

The singer wants to praise God publicly, even in front of foreign peoples. God's love and faithfulness are pictured as bigger than the whole sky.

A plea for rescue (v. 6)

The mood turns from praise to request: God's 'right hand' stands for his strength, and the people ask him to use it to save them.

God claims the land (vv. 7-8)

The singer recalls a promise God made, naming places on both sides of the Jordan River as belonging to God. Ephraim, a large northern tribe, is his protective helmet, and Judah, the tribe of the kings, is his royal staff.

Old enemies humbled (v. 9)

Moab, Edom and Philistia were Israel's hostile neighbors, and calling Moab a washbasin pictures it as a lowly servant's tool. Tossing a sandal onto Edom was probably a sign of taking ownership, though scholars are not completely sure.

Help from a God who seemed absent (vv. 10-13)

The 'fortified city' was likely a stronghold in Edom, and the speaker openly admits God seems to have stopped going out with Israel's armies. Even so, this wartime prayer ends trusting God, not human allies, to bring victory and crush the enemy.

Key verse: Psalm 108:12

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether the promises of land and victory here should be read mainly as about ancient Israel's wars, or also as a picture of God's wider rule that many see fulfilled in Jesus.

Something to think about

Can a person feel let down by something and still lean on it for hope, and what holds those two feelings together?