Show Don't Tell: Psalm 60

Instead of saying "Israel prayed after military defeat," feel the earth crack. When David fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah and Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. "You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us; you have been angry—now restore us! You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking." Earthquake imagery—land cracking, nation reeling. "You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger." Staggering like drunks. "But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow." A rallying point amid chaos. Then God speaks: "God has spoken from his sanctuary: 'In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter. Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.'" Divine real estate claim—Israel as armor, enemies as footstool. "Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?" The military question. "Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies."