Psalm 108–A Song. A Psalm of David.
1 O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. 2 Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. 4 For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth; 6 that Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me. 7 God has spoken in His holiness: “I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver. 9 Moab is My washpot; over Edom I will cast My shoe; over Philistia I will triumph.” 10 Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? 12 Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. 13 Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
There is a different application of the words used in Psalms 57 and 60 as compared to Psalms 108. "In the former they were prophetic of prosperity yet to come, and consolatory in the expectation of approaching troubles. In the latter, they are eucharistic for mercies already received, and descriptive of the glorious things which God has prepared for His Son and for Israel His people. The Psalm, thus interpreted, announces that Messiah's travail is ended, when the troubles of Israel are brought to a close.” (R.H. Ryland) David begins to sing Immanuel's song in glory.
“’O God, my heart is ready,’ so the old translation hath it; the new translation, ‘My heart is fixed.’ The word in the Hebrew signifies, first, ready, or prepared. Then, secondly, it signifies fixed. We first fit, prepare a thing, sharpen it, before we drive it into the ground, and then drive it in and fix it. So ask seriously and often, that thy heart may be ready, and may also be fixed, and this by a habit which brings readiness and fixedness, as in other holy duties, so in that of meditation.” (Nathanael Ranew) “Man's thoughts naturally labour with a great inconsistency; but meditation chains them, and fastens them upon some spiritual object. The soul when it meditates lays a command on itself, that the thoughts which are otherwise flitting and feathery should fix upon its object.” (John Wells) “’I will sing and give praise, even with my glory’- or with my spiritual or resurrection body.
“Under typical terms we are taught to make use of all sanctified means for stirring of us up unto God's service: for this the psalmist intends, when he saith, ‘Awake psaltery and harp.’ We ourselves must first be stirred up to make right use of the means, before the means can be fit to stir us up: therefore saith he, ‘I will awaken the dawn.’” (David Dickson)— “With reference to this passage the Talmud says, ‘A cithern used to hang above David's bed; and when midnight came the north wind blew among the strings, so that they sounded of themselves; and forthwith he arose and busied himself with the Torah until the pillar of the dawn ascended.’ Rashi observes, ‘The dawn awakes the other kings; but I, said David, will awake the dawn.’ (Franz Delitzsch)
“‘I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth; that Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand,’ etc. (3-4) There is more stuff and substance of good in the Lord's promises than the sharpest sighted saint did or can perceive; for when we have followed the Promise, to find out all the truth which is in it, we meet with a cloud of unsearchable riches, and are forced to leave it there; for so much is included in this, ‘Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.’” (David Dickson)
“‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth;’ (5) God being thus exalted according to the majesty of His truth, the special plea of the Spirit of Jesus, founded on the mercy which has throned itself above the heavens, is next urged on behalf of the nation of His ancient love.— ‘that Your beloved (ones) may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.’ (6) It is the Spirit of Immanuel that thus makes intercession for His well remembered people according to God. His land should be rid in due time of those who had burdened it with wickedness. For God had spoken in His holiness concerning the portion of His anointed.” (Arthur Pridham)
“The setting up of King Messiah upon the holy hill of Zion is graphically described... Messiah is described as a Conqueror when the battle is won, and kings and nations, prostrate at His feet, await His sentence and judgment upon them. ‘I will rejoice. I will divide and portion out Shechem and the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and I give it to the children of Gad and Reuben. And Manasseh also is mine. Ephraim is my strength in war: my horn of defence. Judah is my king.’ Thus in gracious and flattering words, the Victor addresses His confederates and subjects. In a different strain, a strain of sarcasm and contempt, He announces His pleasure respecting His vanquished enemies. ‘Moab I will use as a vessel to wash my feet in. Over proud Edom I will cast my shoe, as an angry master to a slave ministering to him. Philistia follow my chariot, and shout forth my triumph.’ But what is to be understood of the next passage, Psalms 108:10, ‘Who will bring me into Edom?’ Edom is already treated as a vassal state, Psalms 108:9. When all the nations become the kingdoms of Messiah, what is this Edom that is to be amongst his latest triumphs? One passage only seems to bear upon it, Isaiah 63:1, and from this we learn that it is from Edom as the last scene of His vengeance, the conquering Messiah will come forth, ‘clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.’ This Edom is therefore named with anxiety, because after its overthrow, Messiah will shine out ‘King of kings, and Lord of lords’, Revelation 19:13-16.” (R.H. Ryland)
“‘Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?’ in times past. “’Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.’ etc. No fears should weaken. Faith is assured that God, who has given help, will help to the end. For a little time the enemy may seem to succeed. Brief is the appearance. Final victory is sure. But let there be no trust in an arm of flesh. Human policy and resolves are slender props. Man in his best estate is the shadow of a shade. Yet if God upholds, strong and valiant will be the arm, and triumphs will be near. Shall we not praise, and pray, and trust, knowing that the Lord of hosts is with us, and that omnipotence is our sword? Let faith go forth and behold the servants of the Lord doing valiant exploits in the Christian warfare, and marching over the necks of their enemies...” (Henry Law)