1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; oh, restore us.
2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair its breaches, for it totters.
3 You have made your people see hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah
5 That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
6 God has spoken in his holiness:
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
Comment: The first three verses are an honest statement about where the people find themselves before God. They are in hardship, disgraced and in need. It is always good to be honest with God! The remaining 4 verses, are presumably based on hope rooted in the prior statements of God. The banner is God’s promise and steadfast love. God has repeatedly called His people to repent and flee back to Him. The named places show the broad extent of God caring for the land and the touching use of helmet and scepter define the intimacy of God’s relationship with His people.
Prayer: Thank You for the banner of Mercy and Grace which are there for us to shelper under.
As I read it! 