I WILL AWAKEN THE DAWN

Psalm 108:1-13 / Keywords 108:2

Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

 

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 scepter.

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 will gain the victory,

    and he will trample down our enemies.

Footnotes

a. Psalm 108:1 In Hebrew texts 108:1-13 is numbered 108:2-14.

1. The Psalmist here makes a decision to praise God with music early in the morning, keeping his heart steadfast in difficult times. He wants to praise God loudly enough so that the earth itself awakens (1-2). He praises God for his great love and faithfulness, wanting to make that faithfulness known in all the world (3,5). Praise is the most meaningful activity because it is God’s creation echoing his own glory back to him. Praise can also wake us up from our spiritual slumber and set our heart right.

 

2. Then, the psalmist gives his request for salvation, for deliverance from powerful enemies (6). He recalls God’s promises to Israel, that the tribes (he mentions Manasseh, Ephraim, and Judah) belong to God and for that reason God will give them victory over their enemies (Moab, Edom, the Philistines) (7-9). Only at the end of the Psalm do we see the Psalmist’s actual situation. Israel has suffered humiliating defeats, leading some to say that God has taken away his presence from Israel’s armies (10-11). But he renews his plea for help with confident faith, acknowledging that human help is useless (12-13).

 

Prayer Father, I am deciding to give you praise first of all, regardless of my circumstances. May my heart make music that glorifies you.

One Word Awake, my heart, to praise God