For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 108

1 My heart, O God, is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2 Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.
3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

6 Save us and help us with your right hand,
    that those you love may be delivered.
7 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
    ‘In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah is my sceptre.
9 Moab is my washbasin,
    on Edom I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.’

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.
13 With God we shall gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies.

A. Find Out: 

1. What does David say he will do? v.1-3
2. Why? v.4
3. What does he ask of the Lord? v.6
4. What has the Lord declared? v.7-9
5. What does David feel he has to do? v.10
6. What does he feel about God & what does he ask Him to do? v.11-13

B. Think:

1. What is David’s intent in v.1-5?
2. Yet what does he ask in v.6,10-13?
3. What encouragement does he take from v.7-9?

C. Comment:

  In the back of David’s mind there is a problem: it seems like the Lord is not with them, is not blessing them and not winning battles for them (v.11). Nevertheless David determines that his heart will be set to praise the Lord (v.1). He will use all the musical instruments (v.2) that his musicians use and he will testify among the nations (v.3) of the Lord’s love and faithfulness (v.4). He may not be sure what is going on but he will nevertheless praise the Lord, for He is worthy!

  Because the Lord doesn’t appear to be turning up for them, he feels vulnerable and cries to the Lord to save them (v.6a) from the surrounding nations (implied by what follows) so that the people that God loves will be delivered from their attacks (v.6b).

  David knows that the Lord has spoken about His own people (v.7 & 8) that the land will be saved from invading enemies (implied) and about the surrounding nations (v.9) who oppose them. He is aware that the cities of Edom , in the strongholds of the hills, are a problem (v.10) that needs dealing with, and for that reason he cries out to the Lord for help (v.12), for it seems their strongholds are beyond the work of man to bring down; it needs the Lord to come and do it. He knows that if God will only come to their help then victory against these surrounding enemies will be assured. (v.13)

D. Application:

1. People, problems & difficulties often seem beyond us.
2. They are not beyond the Lord. Ask for His help.