Psalm 60 (59):12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Will You not guide us down after You have brought us back? But why have You brought us back? Because You have laid us low. Why have You laid us low? Because You were angry, yet showed compassion towards us. So You will guide those who have been brought back; You, O Lord, who will not advance in our own strength, will lead us down. What do You mean, we will not advance in our strength?

Are You not the One, O God, who has driven us away? Who will lead us into the sanctuary of safety if not You, who have expelled us from Your presence due to our sins?

The Prophet speaks to You, O Lord, who have forsaken us and allowed us to fall under the dominion of the Babylonians. In doing so, he exemplifies a vision of hope and intercedes for those who grieve. Will not God rise up in our defense? He observes the intensity of their assaults upon us and notes that You do not guide us or display Your might against our adversaries, as is customary for You.

The prophet who provides guidance poses the question, ‘Have You not, O God, rejected us? (Ps. 59: 11.)’ This signifies that You, O Lord, initially turned away from us due to our transgressions, yet now, in Your mercy, You have compassion on us, leading us into a stronghold of protection and guiding us even to Idumea, as indicated in the previous interpretation (Ps. 59: 11). Furthermore, You will not depart, O God, in our own might. For the Lord will not stand with those who rely solely on their own strength, those who depend on their weapons and seek deliverance through their own efforts. Rather, the Lord will surely engage against unseen foes and provide assistance to those who, in unity with God Himself, confront adversaries and vanquish those who oppose them in His name (Psalm 43:6-7).

This should be interpreted as a question: Who else will guide me, a people held captive, to the holy city of Jerusalem, but You, O Lord, who for our transgressions have abandoned us and handed us over to the Babylonians? Or who else will lead me to Idumea except You, O Lord, who for our sins have turned away from us and did not accompany our forces, meaning our armies, in the battle against our adversaries? The phrase “thou shalt go out” is expressed through the mutual use of the tense, rather than “went out.” Similarly, it is stated elsewhere: “and thou shalt not go out, O God, in our strength” (Ps. 43:10). Isychius remarked that it is the sole task of Christ to guide the way of Israel to the church; although He turned away from the Jews for their lack of belief in Him, He did not entirely reject them.

At the culmination of the law, which is realized in Christ for all who have faith in righteousness (Rom. 10:4), and at the conclusion of this age, this psalm is to be proclaimed with eternal glory and divine honor. For those who seek transformation—from the old self to the new, from darkness to light—this refers to those who were once in darkness, but now dwell in the light of Christ the Lord (Eph. 5:8). In the imagery of the pillar, the profound humanity of God, as disclosed through Christ the Lord, deserves to be inscribed on both the pillar and the heart, ensuring it is remembered forever. This psalm was inspired by the Holy Spirit to David, teaching him to instruct all to express gratitude to God and to exalt Him for His indescribable gifts to humanity (Theodoret).