“Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 60:3 Mean?
David addresses God directly about national suffering: "Thou hast shewed thy people hard things." The word "shewed" (ra'ah) means to cause to see, to make experience. God didn't just allow hard things — he showed them. He's the one behind the curtain of Israel's suffering.
The "wine of astonishment" (yayin tar'elah) describes being made to drink a disorienting, staggering wine. The nation is reeling — dizzy, confused, unable to stand straight. And David attributes this state not to enemies or bad luck but to God. The disorientation is divinely administered.
This verse is remarkable for its honesty about divine severity. David doesn't blame the Philistines or attribute the suffering to natural causes. He looks at national devastation and says: you did this, God. You made us drink this. The prayer that follows (verses 5-12) then asks for restoration — but only after the honest acknowledgment of who caused the crisis.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Can you pray 'you showed us hard things' to God — and what does it take to be that honest?
- 2.How do you handle the tension between God's goodness and his role in your suffering?
- 3.When have you felt like you were drinking 'the wine of astonishment' — and what caused the disorientation?
- 4.Why does naming God as the source of hard things actually require more faith than blaming circumstances?
Devotional
"Thou hast shewed thy people hard things." Not the enemy showed us hard things. Not circumstances showed us hard things. You, God. You made us stagger. You poured the wine of disorientation.
This is the prayer of someone who takes God's sovereignty seriously enough to blame him to his face. David doesn't soften the accusation with qualifiers. He doesn't say, "You allowed hard things" or "The enemy brought hard things and you didn't intervene." He says: you showed us this. You made us drink this. The staggering, the confusion, the national reeling — it comes from your hand.
This kind of prayer requires a particular kind of faith: the faith that God can handle your accusation. The faith that honest confrontation is better than polite distance. David would rather have a God who does hard things and can be confronted about it than a God who's absent and can't be addressed.
The wine of astonishment is a powerful image for seasons of disorientation. When nothing makes sense — when the ground you trusted is shifting, when the certainties you built on have been pulled away — you're drinking that wine. And David's first response isn't to ask why. It's to name who poured it. Because only the one who administered the disorientation can also administer the restoration.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Thou hast showed thy people hard things,.... As to have their city and temple burial, multitudes of them slain, and the…
Thou hast showed thy people hard things - Thou hast caused them to see reverses, disappointments, and trials. This…
The title gives us an account, 1. Of the general design of the psalm. It is Michtam - David's jewel, and it is to teach.…
hard i.e. calamitous.
the wine of astonishment Better as R.V., the wine of staggering. The cup of God's wrath is a…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture