Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Book III

(Psalms 73—89)

Psalm 73

Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (Jeduthun) were Levites who served as musicians and worship leaders at the sanctuary during David’s reign (1 Chron. 15:16–19; 16:4–7, 37–42; 2 Chron. 5:12–14; 29:13; 35:15). Apparently they established “guilds” for their sons and other musicians so they might carry on the worship traditions. Twelve psalms are attributed to Asaph (50; 73—83). This one deals with the age-old problem of why the righteous suffer while the ungodly seem to prosper (37; 49; Job 21; Jer. 12; Hab. 1:l3ff.). Asaph could not lead the people in divine worship if he had questions about the ways of the Lord, but he found in that worship the answer to his problems. Note five stages in his experience.

1. The Believer: Standing on What He Knows (v. 1). The French mystic Madame Guyon wrote, “In the commencement of the spiritual life, our hardest task is to bear with our neighbor; in its progress, with ourselves; and in the end, with God.” Asaph’s problems were with God. Asaph affirmed “God is,” so he was not an atheist or an agnostic, and he was certain that the God he worshipped was good. Furthermore, he knew that the Lord had made a covenant with Israel that promised blessings if the people obeyed Him (Lev. 26; Deut. 28—30). The phrase “a clean [pure] heart” means, not sinlessness, but total commitment to the Lord, the opposite of verse 27. (See 24:4; Matt. 5:8.) But it was these foundational beliefs he stated that created the problem for him, because unbelievers don’t face problems of this sort. If the Lord was good and kept His covenant promises, why were His people suffering and the godless prospering? This first verse marked both the beginning and the end of his meditations. He came full circle. Note that he used “surely” or “truly” in verses 1, 13, and 18 and that “heart” is used six times in the psalm (vv. 1, 7, 13, 21, 26). When pondering the mysteries of life, hold on to what you know for sure, and never doubt in the darkness what God has taught you in the light.

2. The Doubter: Slipping from Where He Is Standing (vv. 2–3). The Hebrew word translated “but” in verses 2 and 28, and “but” (or “nevertheless) in verse 28, indicates a sharp contrast. In verse 2, the more he measured his situation against that of the ungodly, the more he began to slip from his firm foundation. There is a difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt comes from a struggling mind, while unbelief comes from a stubborn will that refuses surrender to God (v. 7). The unbelieving person will not believe, while the doubting person struggles to believe but cannot. “Prosperity” in verse 3 is the familiar Hebrew word shalom. It’s an act of disobedience to envy the wicked (37:1; Prov. 3:31; 23:17; 24:1, 19).

3. The Wrestler: Struggling with What He Sees and Feels (vv. 4–14). From Asaph’s viewpoint, the ungodly had it made. They were healthy (vv. 4–5) and had no struggles in either life or death (Job 21:13, 23). They were proud of their wealth and stations in life, and they wore that pride like jewelry. They used violence to get their wealth and wore that violence like rich garments. Like an overflowing river, their hard hearts and evil minds produced endless ideas for getting richer, and they frequently spoke words of opposition against the Lord in heaven. The words of the arrogant would “strut through the land” and take possession of whatever they wanted. But the greatest tragedy is that many of God’s people don’t seem to know any better but follow their bad example and enjoy their friendship (v. 10)! These ungodly men are sinning, but their foolish followers are “drinking it all up.” (For drinking as a metaphor for sinning, see Job 15:16; 34:7; Prov. 4:17; 19:28; Rev. 14:8.) To encourage their hard hearts and quiet their evil consciences, the wicked affirmed that God didn’t know what they were doing (Ps. 10).

Based on the evidence he could see around him, Asaph came to the wrong conclusion that he has wasted his time and energy maintaining clean hands and a pure heart (vv. 13 and 1; and see 24:4; 26:6). If he had ever read the book of Job, then he had missed its message, for we don’t serve God because of what we get out of it but because He is worthy of our worship and service regardless of what He allows to come to our lives. Satan has a commercial view of the life of faith and encourages us to serve God for what we get out of it (Job 1—2), and Asaph almost bought into that philosophy. (See also Dan. 3:16–18.)

4. The Worshipper: Seeing the Bigger Picture (vv. 15–22). Before going public with his philosophy and resigning his office, Asaph paused to consider the consequences. How would the younger believers in the land respond if one of the three sanctuary worship leaders turned his back on Jehovah, the covenants, and the faith? To abandon the faith would mean undermining all that he had taught and sung at the sanctuary! The more he pondered the problem, the more his heart was pained (see vv. 21–22), so he decided to go to the sanctuary and spend time with the Lord in worship. There he would be with other people, hear the Word and the songs of praise, and be a part of the worshipping community. After all, Jehovah isn’t a problem to wrestle with but a gracious Person to love and worship—especially when you are perplexed by what He is doing. God is awesome in His sanctuary (68:35 NIV), and when we commune with Him, we see the things of this world in their right perspective.

Asaph did get a new perspective on the problem when he considered not the circumstances around him but the destiny before him. He realized that what he saw in the lives of the prosperous, ungodly people was not a true picture but only pretense: “You will despise them as fantasies” (v. 20 NIV). In New Testament language, “the world is passing away, and the lust of it …” (1 John 2:17 NKJV). Although God can and does give success and wealth to dedicated believers, worldly success and prosperity belong to the transient dream world of unbelievers, a dream that one day will become a nightmare. (See Luke 12:16–21.) Asaph was humbled before the Lord and regained his spiritual balance.

5. The Conqueror: Rejoicing Over God’s Goodness (vv. 23–28). The psalm opened with “Truly God is good to Israel,” but Asaph wasn’t sure what the word good really meant. (See Matt. 19:16–17.) Is the “good life” one of wealth and authority, pomp and pleasure? Surely not! The contrast is striking between Asaph’s picture of the godless life in verses 4–12 and the godly life in verses 23–28. The ungodly impress each other and attract admirers, but they don’t have God’s presence with them. The Lord upholds the righteous but casts down the wicked (v. 18). The righteous are guided by God’s truth (v. 24), but the ungodly are deluded by their own fantasies. The destiny of the true believers is glory (v. 24), but the destiny of the unbelievers is destruction (vv. 19, 27). “Those who are far from You shall perish” (AB). The ungodly have everything they want except God, and the godly have in God all that they want or need. He is their portion forever (see 16:2). The possessions of the ungodly are but idols that take the place of the Lord, and idolatry is harlotry (Ex. 34:15–16; 1 Chron. 5:25). Even death cannot separate God’s people from His blessing, for the spirit goes to heaven to be with the Lord, and the body waits in the earth for resurrection (vv. 25–26; 2 Cor. 5:1–8; 1 Thess. 4:13–18).

When the worship service ended and Asaph had gotten his feet firmly grounded on the faith, he left the sanctuary and told everybody what he had learned. He had drawn near to God, he had trusted God, and now he was ready to declare God’s works. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37 NKJV).

Psalm 74

Psalm 73 deals with a personal crisis of faith, but Psalm 74 moves to the national scene and focuses on the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587–86 BC. The author is obviously not the Asaph of David’s day but a namesake among his descendants. Psalm 79 is a companion psalm, and you will find parallel passages in the book of Lamentations (v. 4/2:6–7; v. 7/2:2; v. 9/2:6, 9) and Jeremiah (vv. 6–7/10:25; vv. 1, 13/23:1). Even though the prophets had warned that judgment was coming (2 Chron. 36:15–21), the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple were catastrophic events that shook the people’s faith. As he surveyed the situation, Asaph moved from despair to confidence and in the end affirmed that all was not lost.

The Sanctuary: “The Lord Has Rejected Us!” (vv. 1–11). This was a logical conclusion anyone would draw from beholding what the Babylonians did to the city and the temple (Lam. 5:20–22). But the Lord had promised not to abandon His people (Deut. 4:29–31; 26:18–19), for they were His precious flock (77:20; 78:52; 79:13; 100:3; Num. 27:17), and He was the Shepherd of Israel (80:1). Israel was the tribe of His inheritance, and the future of the messianic promise depended on their survival. (The Authorized Version reads “rod” in v. 2, and the word can also be translated “scepter.” Num. 17 shows the connection between rods and tribes.) He had redeemed them from Egypt and made them His inheritance (Ex. 19:5; 34:9; Deut. 32:9), and He had come to dwell with them on Mount Zion. The word remember (v. 2) doesn’t mean “call to mind,” because it’s impossible for God to forget anything. It means “to go to work on behalf of someone.” Why did God permit a pagan nation to defeat the Jews and destroy their Holy City and sacred temple, and why was He doing nothing about it?

The people of Judah thought that the presence of the temple was their guarantee of security no matter how they lived, but the prophet Jeremiah refuted that lie (Jer. 7). Jeremiah even used the phrase “everlasting [perpetual] ruins” (v. 3 NIV; Jer. 25:9) and warned that the temple would be destroyed and the nation taken into captivity. Many times in the past, God had intervened to save Israel, but now He seemed to be doing nothing. Asaph prayed, “Lift up Your feet! Take Your hand out of Your garment! Get up and plead our cause!” (vv. 1, 11, 22). Do something!

Shouting their battle cries, the Babylonian soldiers brought their pagan ensigns into the holy precincts of the temple and began to chop at the gold-covered panels of the walls (see 1 Kings 6:18–22). The sanctuary was where God had met with His people (Ex. 29:42), yet He didn’t come when they needed Him. The word synagogues in verse 8 means “meeting places,” for there were no synagogues until after the Jews returned to their land following the captivity. There was only one temple and one altar for sacrifices, but there must have been other places where the people met to be taught the Scriptures and to pray. Babylon was determined to show its power over the God of Israel. God’s messengers had already warned the leaders and the people that judgment was coming, but they refused to listen. Therefore, the Lord didn’t raise up any new prophets (Lam. 2:9). As far as the captivity was concerned, the question “How long?” (vv. 9–10) was answered by Jeremiah (Jer. 25; 29:10). As far as the length of Babylon’s destroying and disgracing Israel’s capital city and temple, there was no answer. The people felt that they were cast off forever (v. 1), desolate forever (v. 3), humiliated forever (v. 10), and forgotten forever (v. 19). If we had been there, perhaps we might have felt the same way.

The Throne: “The Lord Reigns!” (vv. 12–17). Verse 12 is the central verse of the psalm and the turning point in Asaph’s experience. He lifted his eyes by faith from the burning ruins to the holy throne of God in the heavens and received a new perspective on the situation. (The Asaph who wrote 73 had a similar experience; see 73:17.) No matter how discouraging his situation was, Asaph knew that God was still on the throne and had not abdicated His authority to the Babylonians. Jeremiah came to the same conclusion (Lam. 5:19). “Thou/You” is the important pronoun in this paragraph. God brings “salvations” (plural) on the earth (v. 12; see 44:4), so Asaph reviewed the “salvation works” of God in the past. The Lord orchestrated Israel’s exodus and the defeat of the “monster” Egypt (vv. 13–14; Ex. 12—15). He provided water in the wilderness (15a; Ex. 17; Num. 20) and opened the Jordan River so Israel could enter Canaan (15b; Josh. 3—4). Asaph even reached back to creation (v. 16; compare 136:7–9; Gen. 1—2) and the assignment of territory to the nations (v. 17a; Gen. 10—11; Acts 17:26). What a mighty God! What a mighty King! When the outlook is bleak, try the uplook.

The Covenant: “The Lord Remembers Us!” (vv. 18–23). Since righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne (89:14), it was logical for Asaph to move in his thoughts from God’s throne to God’s covenant with Israel (Lev. 26; Deut. 28—30). Asaph knew the terms of the covenant: If Israel obeyed the Lord, He would bless them; if they disobeyed, He would chasten them; if they confessed their sins, He would forgive them. If the Babylonians were mocking the Lord as they destroyed the city and temple, the Jews had mocked the prophets whom God sent to them to turn them from their idolatry (2 Chron. 36:16). Israel had not honored God’s name but had turned His temple into a den of thieves (Jer. 7:11). Asaph saw the nation as a defenseless dove that had no way of escape. Had the kings and leaders listened to their prophets and led the nation back to the Lord, all this carnage and destruction would have been averted. But the Lord was paying attention to His covenant! That was why He was chastening His people. Asaph was concerned about the glory of God’s name and the survival of God’s people. It was God’s cause that was uppermost in his mind. The prophet Jeremiah had preached about the dependability of God’s covenant (Jer. 33:19–26), and Asaph was asking God to fulfill His purposes for the nation.

The nation had been ravaged, the city of Jerusalem had been wrecked, and the temple had been destroyed and burned—but the essentials had not been touched by the enemy! The nation still had Jehovah God as their God, His Word and His covenant had not been changed, and Jehovah was at work in the world! God is at work in our world today, and we need not despair.

Psalm 75

This psalm by Asaph may be read as the “digest” of a worship service called to thank the Lord for what He had done for His people. Because of the warning against boasting (vv. 4–7), some students associate the psalm with King Hezekiah and Jerusalem’s deliverance from the Assyrian invaders (Isa. 36—37). They also associate 76; 77; and 78 with that great event. Sennacherib’s officers certainly boasted about their achievements, but when the right time came, God destroyed the Assyrian army encamped around Mount Zion. The tune “Destroy Not” is used with 57; 58; and 59. Now let’s go to the worship service.

We Begin with an Invocation of Praise (v. 1). True worship centers on the Lord and not on us, our personal problems, or our “felt needs.” We praise God for who He is—His glorious attributes—and for His wonderful works (see 44:1–8; 77:12; 107:8, 15). God’s name is a synonym for God’s person and presence (Deut. 4:7; Isa. 30:27). He is indeed “a very present help in trouble” (46:1), and when God’s people call on the Lord, they know He will hear them. We thank the Lord for all He has done, and we tell others about His wonderful works. Though God wants us to bring our burdens to Him and seek His help, worship begins with getting our eyes of faith off the circumstances of life and focusing them on the Lord God Almighty.

We Hear the Lord’s Message (vv. 2–5). If we expect the Lord to receive our words of praise, we must pay attention to His Word of truth as it is read, sung, and preached. The message delivered here was twofold: a word of encouragement for believers (vv. 2–3) and a word of warning to the godless (vv. 4–5). As we see the wicked prosper in their evil deeds, we often ask God “How long?” (See 74:9–10; 79:5; 89:46; Rev. 6:9–11.) God assured His people that He had already chosen the appointed time for judgment and that His people could wait in confidence and peace because He had everything under control. The Lord has His times and seasons (102:13; Acts 1:7), and He is never late to an appointment. It may seem to us that the foundations of society are being destroyed (11:3; 82:5) and that the “pillars” of morality are falling down, but the Lord knows what He is doing (46:6; 1 Sam. 2:8). Jesus Christ is on the throne and holds everything together (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3).

But there is also a message for the godless (vv. 4–5), and it warns them not to be arrogant and deliberately disobey the will of God. Before it lowers its head and attacks, a horned beast proudly lifts its head high and challenges its opponent, and the ungodly were following this example. The Hebrew word translated “lift up” is used five times in this psalm (vv. 4–7, 10), and in verses 4–5, it is associated with arrogance that leads to trouble. A “stiff neck” and proud speech are marks of an insolent and rebellious person, not one who is bowed down in submission to the Lord (Deut. 31:27; 2 Kings 17:14; 2 Chron. 36:13; Jer. 7:26).

We Apply God’s Message Personally (vv. 6–8). How easy it is to hear God’s message, leave the meeting, and then forget to obey what we heard! The blessing doesn’t come in the hearing but in the doing of God’s Word (James 1:22–25). The word translated “lifted up” or “exalted” in verses 6, 7, and 10 has to do with God delivering His people from trouble and setting them free. (“Promotion” in v. 6, has nothing to do with getting a better job or being highly publicized.) The arrogant were lifting themselves up only to be cast down by God, but the humble wait on the Lord, and He lifts them up (1 Peter 5:6). A Jew could search in any direction—east, west, or the desert (south, Egypt)—and he would never find anybody who can do what only God can do. Why is north omitted? To look in that direction would mean seeking help from the enemies, Assyria and Babylon! (See Jer. 1:13–16; 4:6; 6:22–26.) The Lord delivered Joseph and made him second ruler of Egypt. He delivered David and made him king of Israel. He delivered Daniel and made him third ruler of the kingdom. (See 1 Sam. 2:7–8; Luke 1:52–53.)

The cup (v. 8) is a familiar image of judgment (Job. 21:20; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15ff.; Rev. 16:19; 18:6). The Jews usually drank wine diluted with water, but this cup contained wine mixed with strong spices, what they called a “mixed drink.” (Prov. 23:30). If the believers went home from the worship service trusting the Lord to deliver them and judge their enemies, the ungodly should have gone home concerned about future judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ drank the cup for us (Matt. 26:36–46), but those who refuse to trust Him will drink the cup of judgment to the very dregs.

We Close with Praise and the Fear of the Lord (vv. 9–10). “As for me” (v. 9 NASB) indicates decision on the part of the psalmist. Asaph had participated in the sanctuary worship and helped lead the music, but he, too, had to make a decision to obey the Lord and tell others about Him. Witness and praise go together. “The God of Jacob” is a frequent title for Jehovah in the Psalms (20:1; 24:6; 46:7; 81:1, 4; 84:8; 94:7; 114:7; 132:2, 5; 146:5). It’s easy for us to identify with Jacob, who was not always a great man of faith, and yet God deigns to be called by Jacob’s name! What an encouragement to us! The fact that God will one day judge the wicked ought to motivate us to share the gospel with them, and the fact that God’s people (“the righteous”) will be exalted ought to humble us and give us faith and courage in the difficult hours of life.

Psalm 76

The background of this psalm is probably God’s judgment of the Assyrian army as recorded in Isaiah 37—38 and 2 Kings 18—19. Other “Zion” psalms include 48; 50; 87; 125; 128—129; 132; and 137. But the emphasis in this psalm is on the God who accomplished the victory and not on the miracle itself. God’s mighty works reveal the greatness of His character and His power (75:1). Sennacherib’s officers boasted of their king and his conquests, but their dead idols were no match for the true and living God (115:1–18). Asaph shares four basic truths about Jehovah God.

God Wants Us to Know Him (vv. 1–3). When the northern kingdom of Israel was taken by the Assyrians in 722 BC, many godly people moved into Judah, where a descendant of David was on the throne and true priests ministered in God’s appointed temple (2 Chron. 11:13–17; 15:9). Asaph named both Israel and Judah, for though the kingdoms had been divided politically, there was still only one covenant people in the sight of the Lord. God’s name was great in Judah and Jerusalem (47:1–2; 48:1, 10; 77:13), but it needed to be magnified among the neighboring nations, for that was Israel’s calling (v. 11; Gen. 12:1–3; Isa. 49:6). “You who are far away, hear what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might” (Isa. 33:13 NASB).

Jehovah had chosen Judah to be the ruling tribe (Isa. 49:10) and Jerusalem to be the site of His holy sanctuary (Ezra 7:19; Zech. 3:2). When the Assyrian army camped near Jerusalem and threatened to attack, the angel of the Lord visited the camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. All their abandoned implements of war were but silent monuments to the power of the God of Israel.

“Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22); and if we are to know the true and living God, we must read the Bible, a Jewish book, and trust the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came through the Jewish nation and died for the sins of the world. The true and living God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3).

God Wants Us to Trust Him (vv. 4–6). When you read in 2 Kings and Isaiah the account of Assyria’s invasion of Judah, you see how difficult Hezekiah’s situation was and how much faith he needed to trust God for victory. But the God of glory, more resplendent than the brightest light and more majestic than the mountains, wiped out the Assyrian soldiers as they slept. Instead of Assyria plundering Jerusalem, Jerusalem plundered Assyria, and the Assyrian lion was defeated by the Lion of Judah (Isa. 14:24–27; Nah. 2:11–13). The God of Jacob (v. 6; see 75:9) not only put an end to those soldiers and their chariot horses, but He also took the weapons (v. 3) and put the fear of the Lord into their leaders (v. 12). Why? Because King Hezekiah, the prophet Isaiah, and the elders of Judah in Jerusalem all listened to God’s Word and put their faith in the Lord. “For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake” (Isa. 37:35 NASB). “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17 NASB).

God Wants Us to Fear Him (vv. 7–9). The fear of the Lord is a major theme in this psalm (vv. 7, 8, 11, 12). It means, of course, the reverential awe, the respect and veneration that belong to God alone. God’s people love Him and rejoice in Him, but they also “[w]orship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling” (2:11 NASB). “No one can know the true grace of God,” wrote A. W. Tozer, “who has not first known the fear of God.” The Lord had been long-suffering toward Sennacherib’s officers as they blasphemed His name and threatened His people, but then He revealed His wrath, and the siege that never really started was over. The question asked in verse 7 is also asked in 130:3 and Revelation 6:17, and it is answered in Ezra 9:15. We rejoice that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), but we must remember that “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29).

From His throne in heaven, the Lord announced the verdict, and the trial was over (v. 8). There could be no appeal because God’s court is the very highest and His judgment leaves the defendants speechless (Rom. 3:19). “The earth feared and was still” (v. 8 NASB). According to verses 9–10, God’s judgments accomplish at least three purposes: They bring glory to God as they reveal His justice and holiness, they punish the wicked for their evil deeds, and they bring salvation to those who trust the Lord. (See 72:4.)

God Wants Us to Obey Him (vv. 10–12). Compared to the wrath of God, the wrath of man is nothing. The more men rage against Him, the more God is glorified! The longer Pharaoh refused to submit to God, the more Egypt was destroyed and the more God was glorified (Ex. 9:16; Rom. 9:14–18). Scholars have wrestled with the translation of the second line of verse 10, and some translations append a note stating that “the meaning is uncertain” or “the Hebrew is obscure.” The idea expressed seems to be that the Lord isn’t agitated about man’s wrath but wears it like a sword (or a garment) and will use it against His enemies at the right time.

Instead of resisting the Lord—a losing battle—we should be grateful to Him for rescuing us (v. 9) and saving us from our sins. Asaph spoke to the Jewish believers and told them to keep the promises they made to the Lord when Jerusalem was in danger. How easy it is to make vows and not keep them (Eccl. 5:1–6)! The Lord’s great victory should also have witnessed to the neighboring nations and motivated them to go to Jerusalem with gifts to worship Him. (See 2 Chron. 32:23.) The psalm begins at Jerusalem and its environs (vv. 1–6), then moves to the entire land of Israel (vv. 7–9), and now it reaches the whole earth (v. 12). There will be a day when the rulers of the earth will bow to Jesus Christ and worship Him as King of Kings (Isa. 2:1–4; 11:1ff.; Rev. 19:11–16).

Psalm 77

This appears to be a companion psalm to 74, which also lamented the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of Israel. Both deal with the Lord’s apparent rejection of His people (74:1; 77:7), and both look for renewed hope back to the exodus (74:12–15; 77:16–19). When Jerusalem fell, many Jews were slain, and many were taken captive to Babylon. Asaph may have been in Jeremiah’s “circle” and left behind to minister to the suffering remnant (Jer. 30—40). But Asaph himself was suffering as he lay in bed at night (vv. 2, 6) and wrestled with the meaning of the terrible events he had witnessed. In this psalm, he described how he moved from disappointment and despair to confidence that the Lord would care for His people.

The Darkness of Despair (vv. 1–9). Unable to sleep, Asaph began by praying (vv. 1–2), then moved into remembering (vv. 3–6), and finally found himself questioning (vv. 7–9). In times of crisis and pain, prayer is the believer’s natural response, and Asaph reached out his hands in the darkness and cried out to the Lord. He was God’s servant and had led the people in worship in the temple, yet he found no comfort for his own heart. When he remembered the Lord and pondered the matter (v. 3; see also vv. 6, 11–12), he only groaned, for it seemed that the Lord had failed His people. But had He? Wasn’t the Lord being faithful to His covenant and chastening Israel for their sins? Their very chastening was proof of His love (Prov. 3:11–12). Asaph remembered the former years when Israel enjoyed God’s blessing, and he also recalled the songs he had sung at the temple, even when on duty at night (134; see 42:8; 92:2; Job 35:10). He had lifted his hands in the sanctuary and received the Lord’s blessing, but now he lifted his hands and received nothing.

It isn’t a sin to question God, for both David and Jesus asked the Lord the same question (22:1; Matt. 27:46), but it is a sin to demand an immediate answer or to suggest that God needs our counsel (Rom. 11:33–36). Asaph asked six questions, all of which dealt with the very character and attributes of God.

Has He rejected us? No! He is faithful to His Word. (Lam. 3:31–33)

Will He ever again show favor to Israel? Yes! (Ps. 30:5; Isa. 60:10)

Has His unfailing love vanished forever? No! (Jer. 31:3)

Have His promises failed? No! (1 Kings 8:56)

Has He forgotten to be gracious? No! (Isa. 49:14–18)

Is He so angry, He has shut up His compassions? No! (Lam. 3:22–24)

It has well been said that we should never doubt in the darkness what God had told us in the light, but Asaph was about to do so. No matter what God’s hand is doing in our lives, His heart has not changed. He still loves us and always will.

The Dawn of Decision (vv. 10–12). During the crisis experiences of life, there comes a time when we must get ourselves by the nape of the neck and shake ourselves out of pity into reality, and that’s what Asaph did. The repeated “I will” indicates that he had come to the place of decision and determination. “It is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High has changed” (v. 10 NASB). That would be grief indeed if the character of God had altered! “God has deserted His people, and this is a burden I must bear!” He was wrong, of course, because the Lord doesn’t change (102:26; Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29). But he was right in that, by an act of will, he abandoned his former posture of doubt and determined to see the matter through, come what may. He decided to meditate on what God had done for Israel in the past and to learn from His deeds what He was intending for His people.

The Day of Deliverance (vv. 13–20). The pronouns suddenly change from “I” and “my” to “thee” and “thou,” referring to the Lord. When we look at our circumstances, we focus on ourselves and see no hope; but when we look by faith to the Lord, our circumstances may not change, but we do. Asaph didn’t completely solve his problems, but he did move out of the shadows of doubt into the sunshine of communion with the Lord and confidence in Him.

First, he looked up by faith and rejoiced in the greatness of God (vv. 13–15). He realized that God’s ways are always holy, that He is a great God, and that His purposes are always right. (See Ex. 15:11, 13–14, 16.) Then Asaph looked back to Israel’s exodus from Egypt (Ex. 12—15) for proof of the grace and power of the Lord. Would God have bared His mighty arm to redeem Israel only for their destruction? No! These are the descendants of Jacob, whose twelve sons founded the twelve tribes of Israel. These are the brethren of Joseph, whom God sent to Egypt to preserve the nation. Why preserve them if He planned to destroy them? The exodus account says nothing about a storm, although it does mention a strong wind (Ex. 14:21). Some think that verses 17–18 refer to creation rather than to the exodus, and creation does magnify God’s power and glory (but see Gen. 2:5–6).

As believers, we look back to Calvary, where the Lamb of God gave His life for us. If God the Father did not spare His own Son for us, will He not give us everything else that we need (Rom. 8:32)? There is a wonderful future for the people of God!

Finally, Asaph realized afresh that the Lord was the Shepherd of Israel (v. 20; see 74:1; 78:52, 70–72; 79:13; 80:1). Just as He called Moses and Aaron (Num. 33:1) and David (78:70–72) to lead His flock, so He would appoint other shepherds in the years to come. One day, the Good Shepherd would come and give His life for the sheep (John 10). Asaph had some struggles during this difficult period in his life, but in the end, he knew he could trust the Lord to work out everything for good, and like an obedient sheep, he submitted to the Shepherd. That is what we must do.

Psalm 78

This is a history psalm (see 105—106; 114; 135; and 136). The German philosopher Hegel said that the one thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history. If you study the Bible and church history, you discover that God’s people make that same mistake. As Asaph reviewed the history of his people, he saw a sad record of forgetfulness, faithlessness, foolishness, and failure; and he sought to understand what it all meant. These things were written for the profit of believers today (1 Cor. 10:11–12), so we had better heed what Asaph says. As A. T. Pierson said, “History is His story.”

The psalm concludes with the coronation of David, but the mention of the temple in verse 69 indicates that David’s reign had ended. “Ephraim” in verse 9 probably refers, not to the tribe, but to the northern kingdom (Israel) that had split from Judah and Benjamin when Rehoboam became king (1 Kings 12). The leaders of Israel abandoned the faith of their fathers and established a religion of their own making, while the people of Judah sought to be faithful to the Lord. In this psalm, Asaph warned the people of Judah not to imitate their faithless ancestors or their idolatrous neighbors and disobey the Lord. He admonished them to know the Scriptures and teach them to their children. Judah had the temple on Mount Zion, the covenants, the priesthood, and the Davidic dynasty; and all this could be lost in one generation (see Judg. 2). Since Israel is a covenant nation, she has the responsibility of obeying and honoring the Lord, and this psalm presents three responsibilities God expected His people to fulfill.

1. Protecting the Future (vv. 1–8). Where would we be today if over the centuries the remnant of Jewish spiritual leaders had not preserved the Scriptures for us! Until the New Testament was completed near the end of the first century, the only Bible the early church had was the Old Testament. It was God’s law that each generation of Jewish people pass on God’s Word to the next generation (71:18; 79:13; 102:18; 145:4; see Ex. 10:2; 12:26–27; 13:8, 14; Deut. 4:9; 6:6–9, 20–25), and this law applies to His church today (2 Tim. 2:2). In telling the “praises of the LORD”—His deeds worthy of praise—Asaph helped his readers understand an enigma in their history. (See Matt. 13:35.) He explained why God rejected the tribe of Ephraim and chose the tribe of Judah and David to be king and why He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh and had a temple built on Mount Zion. Future generations needed to understand this so they would obey the Lord and do His will. Asaph did not want the people to imitate the “exodus generation” that died in the wilderness, or the third generation in Canaan that turned to idols, or the ten tribes that forsook the Lord and established a new kingdom and a false religion. The nation had been stubborn and rebellious (vv. 8, 37; Deut. 21:18) and had suffered because of their disobedience. On the positive side, Asaph wanted the future generations to trust God, to learn from the past, and to obey God’s Word (v. 8). Only then could they be sure of the blessing of the Lord. That principle still applies today.

2. Understanding the Past (vv. 9–64). Asaph reviewed the past, beginning with the apostasy of Ephraim (vv. 9–11) and continuing with Israel’s sins in the wilderness (vv. 12–39) and in Canaan (vv. 54–64). One of the causes of their rebellion was that they forgot God’s victory over the gods of Egypt and His deliverance of Israel from bondage (vv. 12–13, 40–53). They also did not take to heart His care for them during their wilderness journey. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (George Santayana).

The apostasy of Ephraim (vv. 9–11). This passage refers to the northern kingdom of Israel. When the ten tribes broke away from Judah and Benjamin, they informally adopted the name of their strongest and largest tribe, Ephraim. Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, were adopted and blessed by Jacob, who made Ephraim the firstborn (Gen. 48:8–20; see Deut. 33:13–17). This added to the tribe’s prestige. Moses’ successor, Joshua, came from Ephraim (Num. 13:8), and so did Jeroboam, the founding king of Israel/Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26; 12:16ff.). Proud and militant, the tribe created problems for both Joshua (Josh. 17:14–18) and Gideon (Judg. 8:1–3). The tabernacle was in Shiloh, which was located in Ephraim, and this also added to the honor of the tribe. Like a warrior fleeing from the battlefield, Israel turned back from following the Lord, disobeyed Him, and forgot what He had done for them. (For the image of the “bow,” see also verse 57 and Hos. 7:16.) By opening this long historical section with a description of the apostasy of the northern kingdom, Asaph was warning Judah not to follow their example.

The nation’s sins in the wilderness (vv. 12–39). Asaph now returned to the account of the sins of the whole nation, before the political division after Solomon’s death. The Jews forgot what the Lord did for them in Egypt when He sent the plagues to Egypt and delivered the Jewish people at the exodus. The people saw one miracle after another as the Lord exposed the futility of the Egyptian gods and goddesses (Ex. 12:12; Num. 33:4), but the memory soon faded. (Asaph will again mention the Egyptian experience in vv. 40–53.) God led the nation both day and night and miraculously provided water for all the people. In verses 15–16, he combined the water miracles of Exodus 17:1–7 and Numbers 20:1–13. But the people would not trust the Lord but tempted Him by asking for food, “a table in the wilderness” (vv. 17–31). He sent manna, the “bread of heaven,” as well as fowl to eat (Ex. 16; Num. 11), but He judged them for their insolence and fleshly appetite. Sometimes God’s greatest judgment is to give us what we want. (See vv. 21, 31, 49–50, 58–59, 62.) “He brought their days to an end in futility” (v. 33 NASB; 90:7–12) at Kadesh Barnea when they refused to enter the land (Num. 13—14). They wandered for the next thirty-eight years until the people twenty years and older all died (Num. 14:28–38). From time to time, God’s discipline did bring them to their knees in temporary repentance, but their confessions were insincere flattery (v. 36), and they soon rebelled again. In His mercy, God forgave them and held back His wrath, but they were a generation that grieved His heart.

The forgotten lessons of Egypt (vv. 40–53). The people did not remember the demonstrations of God’s power in sending the plagues to Egypt (Ex. 7—12; Num. 14:32–35) and in opening the Red Sea to set the nation free (Ex. 12—15). Asaph listed six of the ten plagues but did not mention the gnats (Ex. 8:16–19), the killing of the livestock (Ex. 9:1–7), the boils (Ex. 9:8–12), and the three days of darkness before the death of the firstborn (Ex. 10:21–29). After this great display of divine power, the people should have been able to trust the Lord in any situation, knowing that He was in control; but they grieved Him, provoked Him, and tempted Him to display His anger against them! Human nature has not changed. Charles Spurgeon said that we are too prone to engrave our trials in the marble and write our blessings in the sand. They opposed the Holy One of Israel (v. 41; 71:22; 89:18), and He disciplined them time after time.

The sins in Canaan (vv. 54–64). After caring for the nation in the wilderness for thirty-eight years, the Lord brought them again to Kadesh Barnea (Deut. 1:1–2). There Moses reviewed their history and taught them God’s law as he prepared the new generation to enter the land and conquer the enemy. Often in his farewell speech (which we call Deuteronomy—“second law”), Moses exhorted them to remember and not forget what the Lord had said to them and done for them. They were a new generation, making a new beginning with a new leader (Joshua) and a new opportunity to trust God. Under Joshua’s able leadership, they conquered the land and claimed their inheritance and for two generations obeyed the Lord. But the third generation repeated the sins of their ancestors and forgot what the Lord had said and done (vv. 56–57; Josh. 2:7–10). (The “faulty bow” image shows up again in Hos. 7:16.) Instead of destroying the altars and idols, the Jewish people mingled with the people of the land and learned their evil ways, and God had to discipline His people by turning them over to their enemies (v. 59). The book of Judges records how seven different nations invaded the nation of Israel and how God raised up judges to deliver Israel when the people repented and turned to Him for help. During the days of Eli the high priest, the Lord severely punished the people and even allowed His ark to be taken captive by the Philistines (1 Sam. 1—7). This meant the end of the tabernacle at Shiloh. It was at Nob in Benjamin for a time (1 Sam. 21—22; 2 Sam. 6:1–2) and also at Gibeon in Benjamin (1 Kings 3:4). When David brought the ark to Mount Zion (v. 68; 2 Sam. 6), he erected a tent there for the ark, and there the ark remained until it was moved into the temple during the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 8:3–9).

It has well been said that a change in circumstances does not overcome a flaw in character, and the history of the Jewish nation illustrates the truth of that statement. Whether living in Egypt, journeying in the wilderness, or dwelling in their own land, the people of Israel were prone to want their own way and rebel against the Lord. When chastened, they feigned repentance, experienced God’s help, and were forgiven; but before long, they were back in trouble again. But is any people or individual free from this malady? At least the Jewish writers who gave us the Bible were honest to record their sins as well as their achievements! The church today can learn from both (1 Cor. 10).

3. Appreciating the Present (vv. 65–72). The statement in verse 65 is metaphorical, for the Lord neither gets drunk nor goes to sleep. During the time of Samuel and Saul, with the help of young David, Israel beat back her enemies, but it was when David ascended the throne that the nation achieved its greatest victories and experienced the greatest expansion of its boundaries. This is one reason why God rejected the tribe of Ephraim and chose the tribe of Judah and why He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh in Ephraim and chose Mount Zion for the site of the temple. Jacob had prophesied that the king would come from Judah (Gen. 49:10), and King Saul was from Benjamin. When the Lord directed David to capture Mount Zion and make Jerusalem his capital city, it was an act of His love (47:4; 87:2). If Asaph wrote this psalm after the division of the kingdom, then he was reminding the people of Judah that they were privileged indeed to have Jerusalem, Mount Zion, and a king from the line of David, from which line the Messiah would come! (See Luke 1:30–33, 66–79; Matt. 2:6.) If they appreciated these privileges, they would not follow the bad example of the northern kingdom and sin against the Lord by turning to idols.

Kings were called “shepherds” (Jer. 23:1–6; Ezek. 34) because God’s chosen people were the sheep of His pasture (v. 52; 77:20; 100:3), and no one was better qualified than David to hold that title (2 Sam. 5:1–3). He loved his “sheep” (2 Sam. 24:17) and often risked his life for them on the battlefield. His hands were skillful, whether holding a sword, a harp, a pen, or a scepter; and, unlike his predecessor Saul, his heart was wholly devoted to the Lord. (On “integrity,” see 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11; 41:12.) Integrity and skill need each other, for no amount of ability can compensate for a sinful heart, and no amount of devotion to God can overcome lack of ability.

Psalm 79

God gave His people victory over Egypt (77) and helped them march through the wilderness and then conquer Canaan (78). He also gave them King David, who defeated their enemies and expanded their kingdom. But now God’s people are captive, the city and temple are ruined, and the heathen nations are triumphant. (See also 74 for parallels: 79:1/74:3, 7; 79:2/74:19; 79:5/74:10; 79:12/74:10, 18, 22.) We see Asaph playing four different roles as he contemplates the defeat of Judah by the Babylonians. Each division of the psalm opens with an address to Jehovah: “O God” (v. 1), “How long, LORD” (v. 5), “O God of our salvation” (v. 9), and “O Lord” (v. 12).

The Mourner: Beholding God’s Judgment (vv. 1–4). Babylon was the leading nation in the conquest of Judah, but the neighboring nations (Ammon, Moab, Edom) were delighted to see the Jews defeated (vv. 4, 12; see 44:13; 80:6; 137:7; Ezek. 25). The land was God’s inheritance (Ex. 15:17), and He shared it with the people of Israel, who were His inheritance (28:9; 33:12; Deut. 4:20). They could live in the land and enjoy its blessings as long as they obeyed the covenant (Lev. 26; Deut. 28—30), but repeated rebellion would only bring painful discipline to them, including expulsion from the land (Lev. 26:33–39; Deut. 28:64–68). They would be defeated before their enemies (v. 1; Deut. 28:25) and the dead bodies left unburied, a terrible disgrace for a Jew (v. 2; Deut. 28:26; Lev. 26:30; and see Jer. 7:33; 8:2; 9:22). Her cities would be destroyed (v. 1; Deut. 28:52), and Israel would be reproached by her neighbors (vv. 4, 12; Deut. 28:37). Note how Asaph identified the Lord with the situation: “your inheritance … your holy temple … your servants … your name.”

The Sufferer: Feeling God’s Anger (vv. 5–8). The question “How long?” is found often in Scripture (see 6:3). God is not jealous of anyone or anything, for He is wholly self-sufficient and needs nothing; but He is jealous over His land and His people. (See 78:58; Ex. 20:5; Deut. 4:24; 6:15–16; 29:20.) He is jealous for His name (Ezek. 39:25), His land (Joel 2:18), and His inheritance (Zech. 1:14). Asaph doesn’t deny that he and the people deserve chastening (v. 9), but if the Jews are guilty, then how much guiltier the heathen nations are that have attacked the Jews! He asked God to pour out His anger on the invaders because of what they have done to the land, the city, and the temple (vv. 6–7).

As the kingdom of Judah declined, their kings and leaders became less and less devoted to the Lord. There were a few godly kings, such as Asa, Josiah, Joash, and Hezekiah; but foreign alliances, idolatry, and unbelief combined to weaken the kingdom and ripen it for judgment. The sins of the fathers accumulated until God could hold back His wrath no longer (Gen. 15:16; Matt. 23:32–33; 1 Thess. 2:13–16). We are guilty before God for only our own sins (Deut. 24:16; Jer. 31:29–30; Ezek. 18), but we may suffer because of the sins of our ancestors (Ex. 20:5; 34:7; 2 Kings 17:7ff.; 23:26–27; 24:3–4; Lam. 5:7; Dan. 9:4–14).

The Intercessor: Pleading for God’s Help (vv. 9–11). His concern was for the glory of God’s name (vv. 9, 12), and he felt that a miraculous deliverance for Judah would accomplish that, but no deliverance came. Asaph was quick to confess his own sins and the sins of his contemporaries, for it was not only their ancestors who had disobeyed the Lord (v. 8). (See 25:11; 31:3; 65:3; and 78:38.) In ancient days, a nation’s victory was proof that its gods were stronger than the gods of the enemy, so the Babylonians taunted the Jews and asked, “Where is thy God?” (See 42:3, 10; 115:2.) Moses used this same argument when he pleaded with God to forgive the nation (Ex. 32:12; Num. 14:13).

Asaph was also concerned about the justice of God. Twice he mentioned the pouring out of blood (vv. 3, 10), the slaughter of people, for the blood was very sacred to the Jews (Lev. 17). The shedding of animal blood at the altar at least covered the sins of the worshippers, but to what purpose was the shedding of so much human blood? In verse 11, he prayed on the basis of the Lord’s great compassion, perhaps remembering Jehovah’s words to Moses (Ex. 33:12–23; and see Deut. 32:36). God had felt the burdens of the Jews when He called Moses to lead them out of Egypt (Ex. 2:24–25; 6:1–9), so surely He would have pity on the prisoners and those ready to die. The cross of Jesus Christ is for us today the only evidence we need that God loves us (Rom. 5:8).

The Worshipper: Promising to Praise God (vv. 12–13). How could any person witness what Babylon did to the Jews and not cry out to God for retribution? (See 5 for a discussion of the imprecatory prayers in the Psalms.) God had chosen Babylon to chasten Judah for her sins, but the Babylonians had rejoiced at the privilege and had gone too far in their cruelty (Jer. 50:11–16; 51:24). Asaph’s burden was that Babylon had reproached the Lord and not just punished His people, and he asked God to pay them back in like measure (see Isa. 65:6; Jer. 32:18; Luke 6:38). God’s covenant with Israel often uses the phrase “seven times” (Lev. 26:18, 21, 24, 28; Deut. 28:7, 25). The prophet Jeremiah promised that God would judge Babylon for her sins (Jer. 50—51), and if Asaph knew of these prophecies, then he was simply praying for God to accomplish His will on earth.

The people of Judah were but sheep (74:1; 77:20; 78:72; 95:7; 100:3), but they had been ruthlessly slaughtered by their enemies, and God’s name had been slandered. God had called His people to praise Him and to bear witness to the heathen nations (Isa. 43:21), and this is what Asaph promised to do if God would only deliver the people. There were sons of Asaph who left Babylon for Judah when the captivity ended, so Asaph’s promise to the Lord was fulfilled (Ezra 2:41; 3:10; Neh. 7:44; 11:17, 22; 12:35–36).

Psalm 80

This is Asaph’s prayer to God on behalf of the northern kingdom (“Israel,” “Samaria”) after it was taken captive by Assyria in 722–21 BC. While “Joseph” can refer to the whole nation (77:15; 80:1), the mention in verse 2 of Ephraim and Manasseh (Joseph’s sons) and Benjamin (Joseph’s brother) suggests that the northern kingdom is meant. These are the children and grandchildren of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, was located in Ephraim. The temple was still standing in Jerusalem (v. 1), and the fall of Samaria should have been a warning to Judah not to disobey the Lord. That Asaph would pray for Samaria and ask God for restoration and reunion for the whole nation indicates that some of the old rivalries were ending and that some of the people of Judah were concerned over “the affliction of Joseph” (Amos 6:6). It’s unfortunate that it sometimes takes dissension, division, and destruction to bring brothers closer together. Joseph and his brothers are a case in point. The refrain “Restore us” (vv. 3, 7, 19 NIV) marks out the three requests Asaph made to the Lord for both kingdoms.

1. “Save Your Flock” (vv. 1–3). In the Old Testament and the New, the flock is a familiar image of the people of God (23:1; 28:9 NASB, NIV; 74:1; 77:20; 78:52; 79:13; John 10; 1 Peter 5:1–4; Heb. 13:20–21). The request here is that the Lord might lead His people through this crisis as He led them safely through the wilderness. He led the way by the ark (the throne of God; 99:1; Num. 10:33; 1 Sam. 4:4; 6:2) and the cloud (the shining forth of the glory of God; Num. 14:14; see 50:2; 94:1; Deut. 33:2). After the ark came the people of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Next were the Levites from Gershom and Marari carrying the tabernacle structure, followed by Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. Then came the Levites from Kohath carrying the tabernacle furnishings, followed by Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, with Dan, Asher, and Naphtali bringing up the rear (see Num. 10). Asaph asked the Lord to “stir up [His] strength” (7:6; 78:65) and bring salvation to His people. This reminds us of the words of Moses whenever the camp set out, “Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered” (Num. 10:35 NIV). The request “cause thy face to shine” of the refrain reminds us of the priestly benediction (Num. 6:22–27; and see 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 119:135). When God hides His face, there is trouble (13:1; 27:9; 30:7; 44:24; 69:17; 88:14). “Turn us again” means “restore us to our former state of blessing and fellowship with the Lord.” (See 85:4; 126:1, 4; Lam. 5:21.)

2. “Pity Your People” (vv. 4–7). The shepherd image blends in with the image of Israel as God’s people: “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (100:3). But the Lord was now angry with His people, and His anger smoldered like a fire about to erupt and consume them. (See 74:1; 79:5; Deut. 29:20; Isa. 65:5.) He was even angry at their prayers, or “in spite of” their prayers. (For “How long?” see 6:3. See also Lam. 3:8, 44; and recall that God told Jeremiah not to pray for His wayward people [Jer. 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; and see 1 John 5:16].) During Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God provided bread from heaven and water from the rock (Ex. 16—17; Num. 20), but now His people had only tears as both their food and their drink. (See 42:3; 102:9; Isa. 30:20.) To make matters worse, the neighboring peoples were laughing at God’s people (44:13–16; 79:4). Again we read the plaintive refrain (v. 7), but note that the “O God” of verse 3 now becomes “O LORD God of hosts” (v. 4) (“God Almighty” NIV). Jehovah is the Lord of the armies of heaven and earth, but His people no longer marched in victory.

3. “Revive Your Vine” (vv. 8–19). The image now changes to that of Israel the vine (Isa. 5:1–7; Jer. 2:21; 6:9; Ezek. 15:1–2; 17:6–8; 19:10–14; Hos. 10:1; 14:7; Matt. 20:1–16; Mark 12:1–9; Luke 20:9–16). Jesus used this image to describe Himself and His followers (John 15), and in Revelation 14:17–20, John wrote of “the vine of the earth,” the corrupt Gentile nations in the end times. The Lord transplanted Israel from Egypt to Canaan, uprooted the nations in Canaan, and planted His people in the land of their inheritance. As long as the people obeyed the Lord, the vine grew and covered more and more of the land. The boundaries of the nation reached from the hill country in the south to the mighty cedars of Lebanon in the north, from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the Euphrates on the east—and beyond (72:8; Ex. 23:31; Deut. 11:24; 2 Sam. 8:6; 1 Kings 4:24).

But the luxurious vine disobeyed the Lord, produced “worthless fruit” (see Isa. 5:2 NASB), and felt the chastening hand of the Lord. He withdrew His protection and permitted the enemy to enter the land and ruin the vineyard. Asaph prayed that the Lord might forgive and once again bless His people. The word “branch” in verse 15 is translated “son” in the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version, perhaps a reference to Jacob’s words about Joseph in Genesis 49:22. Israel was called God’s “son” (Ex. 4:22–23; see Hos. 11:1, which is a messianic reference in Matt. 2:15), and Benjamin means “son of my right hand.” While there may be messianic overtones in verses 15 and 17 (see 110:1, 5), the main idea is that Israel is God’s own people, His vine, and His chosen son. He planted the nation in Canaan, and He alone can protect and deliver them. He had treated the people like a favored son, just as Jacob had laid his right hand of blessing on Ephraim rather than the firstborn Manasseh (Gen. 48:12–20). They did not deserve His blessing, but in His grace He bestowed it. It is also possible that verse 17 refers to Israel’s king and expresses hope in the Davidic dynasty.

The final refrain introduces a third name for God, borrowed from verse 4: “O LORD God of hosts [Almighty, NIV].” “LORD” is the name “Jehovah,” which is the covenant name of God. The psalmist appealed to the covenant and asked God to be faithful to forgive His people as they called upon Him and confessed their sins (Lev. 26:40–45; Deut. 30:1–10). This is the Old Testament version of 1 John 1:9. Spiritually speaking, the roots of Israel are still strong (Rom. 11:1ff., especially vv. 16–24), and one day the vine and olive tree will be restored, and Asaph’s prayer will be answered.

Psalm 81

The psalmist called the people together to worship the Lord, but then the Lord’s messenger received a special message from God and delivered it to the people. The occasion was a stated feast on the Jewish calendar, but we are not told which feast it was. Passover is suggested by verses 5–7 and 10, but the mention of the new moon and the full moon (v. 3 NASB) suggests Trumpets and Tabernacles. The Jewish religious year begins in the month of Nisan (our March–April), during which the Feast of Passover is celebrated (Ex. 12). The civil year begins with Tishri (our September–October), the seventh month in the religious year, during which the Jews celebrate the Feast of Trumpets (first day, “Rosh Hashannah”), the Day of Atonement (tenth day, “Yom Kippur”), and the Feast of Tabernacles (days fifteen to twenty-two). (See Lev. 23:23–44; Num. 29.) The first day would be the new moon and the fifteenth day the full moon. The trumpets mentioned here are not the silver trumpets (Num. 10) but the “shofar,” the ram’s horn, as was used at Jericho (Josh. 6). This argues for the occasion being the Feast of Tabernacles, although perhaps Asaph conflated Passover and Tabernacles, for they go together. Passover celebrated the deliverance from Egypt and Tabernacles the Lord’s care of His people during their wilderness years. Tabernacles was also a joyful harvest festival. The psalm reminds us of three different aspects of true worship.

1. Praising God’s Name (vv. 1–5). The leader called together the people (v. 1), the musicians (v. 2), and the priests to blow the trumpets (v. 3). In the Old Testament law, you find stated times of worship (the weekly Sabbath, the annual feasts, etc.) as well as spontaneous times of worship (at the defeat of the enemy, for example). Both are essential to balanced worship, and both should focus on the goodness of the Lord. If all worship were personal and spontaneous, there would be diversity but no unity; but if all worship only followed a schedule, there would be uniformity and no diversity. Both voices and instruments were used in worship. The nation is called “Jacob,” “Israel,” and “Joseph” (vv. 4–5). Jacob and his wives built the family, and Joseph preserved them alive in Egypt. God gave Jacob the name “Israel,” which means “he strives with God and prevails” (Gen. 32:22–32).

2. Hearing God’s Word (vv. 6–10). The last clause of verse 5 could be translated, “We heard a voice we had not known” (NIV margin), referring to the message God sent in verses 6–10. At some point in the festal celebration, a priest received God’s message and declared it to the people. The emphasis in this psalm is on hearing the Word of God (vv. 6, 11, 13; see 95:7–11; Heb. 3). Every seventh year at the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests read the book of Deuteronomy to the people, and perhaps this was one of those special sabbatical years. (See Deut. 31:9–13; and note the emphasis in Deuteronomy on “hearing God” [Deut. 4:1, 6, 10; 5:1; 6:3–4; 9:1].) It is delightful to sing praises to God and to pray, but if we want Him to listen to us, we must listen to Him.

Frequently the Lord reminded His people of their miraculous deliverance from Egypt (v. 6), the power of God that accomplished it, and the love of God that motivated it. He also reminded them of the covenant they accepted at Sinai (v. 7a; see Deut. 5:2–3). The people hearing this message were not at Sinai, but the decision of their ancestors was binding on them and their descendants. God’s message also mentioned their failure to trust Him at Meribah (Ex. 17; Num. 20). At the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests poured out water in the temple to commemorate these events (John 7:37–39). The Lord emphasized that He would not tolerate His people worshipping idols (vv. 8–9; Ex. 20:1–4; Deut. 4:15–20). What could the false gods of the neighboring nations give to them? “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it” (v. 10 NASB).

3. Obeying God’s Will (vv. 11–16). Worship and service go together (Matt. 4:10; Deut. 6:13), and this means we must obey what the Lord commands. But the nation did not obey God’s Word, and He had to destroy all the people twenty years and older (Num. 14:26ff.). But this attitude of spiritual “deafness” and willful disobedience persisted even after Israel entered the Promised Land, as recorded in the book of Judges. (See 78:10, 17, 32, 40, 56.) The greatest judgment God can send is to let people have their own way (see Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).

Had His people obeyed Him, the Lord would have kept the promises in His covenant and blessed them with protection and provision (Deut. 28:15ff.; Lev. 26:17–20). When we disobey the Lord, not only do we feel the pain of His chastening, but we also miss out on the blessings He so desires to give us. The Lord gave Israel water out of the rock, but He was prepared to give them honey out of the rock (Deut. 32:13). He sent manna from heaven, but He would have given them the finest of wheat. The word if (v. 13 NIV) is small, but it carries big consequences (Deut. 5:29; 32:29; Isa. 48:18).

Of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: “It might have been.”

—JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

Psalm 82

In the previous psalm, Asaph described the Lord judging His people during one of their feast days, but in this psalm it is the judges of the people whom He indicts. (See also 50 and 75.) The psalmist speaks in verse 1 and announces that the Judge will speak, and in verse 8, Asaph prays that God will bring justice to the whole earth. Between these statements, the Lord Himself speaks to the judges.

The Judge (v. 1). Since God is the Lawgiver, He is also the Judge (Isa. 33:22), and the Judge of all the earth does what is right (Gen. 18:25). He presides over the congregation of Israel and over the judges of the nation. The Lord is not sitting at a bench, patiently listening to the presentation of the case, because God is Judge and jury and needs nobody to tell Him the facts. He knows what people are doing on the earth and will execute judgment righteously (11:4–7). In His court, there is no “defense” or “appeal.” He is omniscient and His verdict is final. It is an awesome occasion: He is standing and about to announce His decision (Isa. 3:13–15).

The “gods” (vv. 1, 6) are not the false gods of the heathen, for such nonexistent gods are not Jehovah’s judicial representatives on earth. Nor are these “gods” the holy angels, for angels cannot die (v. 7). These “gods” (elohim) are people who have been given the awesome responsibility of representing the Lord on earth and interpreting and applying His law (Ex. 18:13–17; 21:6; Deut. 16:18–20; 17:2–13; 19:15–20; 21:2). Jesus made this clear in His quotation of verse 6 in John 10:34–36. It is a great responsibility to represent the Lord on earth (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17; 16:19) and seek to execute justice by applying the law correctly. Civil servants are “ministers of the Lord” and will answer to Him for what they have done (Rom. 13).

The Judges (vv. 2–7). “And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8 NASB). These judges did not do justly (v. 2) or love mercy (vv. 3–4), and they walked in defiance of God’s will (v. 5). The pronoun “you” in verse 2 is plural, for the Lord is addressing all the guilty judges. They championed the causes of the guilty because they were bribed, and they failed to care for the orphans and widows. (See Ex. 22:21–24; Deut. 10:17–18; Isa. 1:17; 10:1–2; Jer. 5:28; 22:3, 16; Amos 2:7; 4:1; 5:11–12; 8:6; Ezek. 16:49; 18:12; 22:29.) Judges are to uphold the law and not show partiality (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 16:19; Isa. 3:13–15; Mic. 3:1–4), a principle that also applies in the local church (1 Tim. 5:21). Even during the glorious days of Solomon’s kingdom, the state officers were abusing people and disobeying the law (Eccl. 5:8)—yet Solomon had asked for an understanding heart (1 Kings 3:9).

Does verse 5 describe the evil judges or the abused people? If the judges, then it is a terrible indictment against people who are supposed to know the law and walk in its light (Isa. 8:20; 59:1–15; Rom. 1:21–22). But it’s possible that the pronoun “they” in verse 5 refers back to the weak and needy people described in verse 4. The priests and Levites did not always do their jobs well, and the common people did not know the law well enough to defend themselves. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). When the law of God is ignored or disobeyed, this shakes and threatens the very foundations of society (11:3; 89:14; 97:2), for God’s moral law is the standard by which man’s laws must be judged.

The Judgment (vv. 6–8). Though these people held high offices and were called “elohim—gods” (Ex. 21:6), they were only humans and would be judged for their sins. Privilege brings responsibility, and responsibility brings accountability. Jesus quoted verse 6 (John 10:34–36) to defend His own claim to be the Son of God. For, if the Lord called “gods” the imperfect human judges chosen by men, how much more should Jesus Christ be called “the Son of God,” He who was set apart by the Father and sent to earth! Despite their titles and offices, these judges would die like any other human and pay the price for their sins. When God the Judge ceased to speak, then Asaph added his prayer that God would bring justice to all the earth and not just to Israel (v. 8; 9:7–8). When the Lord comes to judge the earth, no one will escape, and His sentence will be just. Asaph’s prayer echoes the church’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Psalm 83

This is the last of the psalms identified with Asaph (50; 73—83). It describes a coalition of ten Gentile nations that attempted to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Some students connect this psalm with Jehoshaphat’s great victory over a smaller coalition (2 Chron. 20), although it’s possible that the historian did not list all the nations involved. Second Chronicles 20:11 parallels 83:12, and 20:29 parallels 83:16 and 18, but these similarities are not proof that the psalmist wrote about the same event. Israel has been the object of hatred and opposition since their years in Egypt, but God has kept His promises and preserved them (Gen. 12:1–3). Pharaoh, Haman (the book of Esther), Hitler, and every other would-be destroyer of the Jews has ultimately been humiliated and defeated. This reminds us that the church of Jesus Christ is likewise hated and attacked by the world (John 15:18–19; 17:14), and like the Jews in Asaph’s day, our defense is in prayer and faith in God’s promises (Acts 4:23–31). Commenting on this psalm, Alexander Maclaren wrote, “The world is up in arms against God’s people, and what weapon has Israel? Nothing but prayer.” But is there any better weapon? As he saw the enemy armies surrounding Israel, Asaph lifted three heartfelt requests to the Lord.

1. “Lord, See What Is Happening!” (vv. 1–8). Two names of God open the psalm—Elohim and El, and two names close it—Jehovah and El Elyon (God Most High). The last name reminds us of Abraham’s victory over the kings and his meeting with Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18–20). Asaph was troubled because the Lord had said nothing through His prophets and done nothing through His providential workings to stop the huge confederacy from advancing. Literally he prayed, “Let there be no rest to You” (see 28:1–2; 35:21–22; 39:12; 109:11; Isa. 62:6). These were God’s enemies, attacking God’s people and threatening God’s “protected ones” (see 27:5; 31:21), so it was time for God to take notice and act!

The invaders were many, they were united, and they proudly lifted their heads as they defied the Lord God of Israel (see 2:1–3). They had secretly plotted together but were now “roaring like the sea” (v. 2, “tumult”; see 46:3). Their purpose was to destroy God’s people and take possession of the land (v. 12). It appears that Moab and Ammon, the incestuous sons of Lot (Gen. 19), were the leaders of the coalition, encouraged by Assyria, which was not yet a world power (v. 8). Moab and Ammon would come from the east, along with the Ishmaelites, and Edom would come from the southeast along with their neighbor Gebal. Ishmael was the enemy and rival of Isaac (Gen. 21:1–21). The Hagerites lived northeast of Israel, and the Amalekites lived southwest. The people of Philistia and Phoenicia (Tyre) were west of Israel. The enemy came against Israel from every direction and had the people surrounded!

2. “Lord, Do What Is Necessary!” (vv. 9–15). Even if Jehoshaphat’s situation was not the same as that described by Asaph, his prayer would have fit the occasion: “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chron. 20:12 NKJV). Asaph remembered some of Jehovah’s great victories in Israel’s past history, especially Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (vv. 9a, 11; Judg. 6—8) and the victory of Deborah and Barak against Sisera and Jabin (vv. 9b–10; Judg. 4—5). Endor (Josh. 17:11) is not mentioned in Judges 4—5, but it was a city near Taanach (Judg. 5:19). The phrase “as dung for the ground” (v. 10 NASB) describes the unburied bodies of enemy soldiers rotting on the ground. The enemy was defeated and disgraced. Oreb and Zeeb were commanders (princes) of the Midianite army, and Zebah and Zalmunna were Midianite kings (Judg. 7:25—8:21). The victory of Gideon (“the day of Midian”) stood out in Jewish history as an example of God’s power (Isa. 9:4; 10:26; Hab. 3:7). Asaph closed his prayer by asking God to send such a victory to Israel that the enemy soldiers would flee in panic and look like tumbleweeds and chaff blowing before the wind. Like a forest burning on the mountainside, their armies would be consumed. The image of God’s judgment as a storm is found in 18:7–15; 50:3; and 83:15. If Asaph’s prayer seems vindictive, remember that he was asking God to protect His special people who had a special work to see on earth. (See 5 for more on the “imprecatory psalms.”)

3. “Glorify Your Name!” (vv. 16–18). Before asking for their destruction, Asaph prayed that the enemy would be “ashamed and dismayed” and would turn to the true and living God. This is what happened in Jehoshaphat’s day: “And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel” (2 Chron. 20:29). King Hezekiah prayed a similar prayer for the invading Assyrians (Isa. 37:14–20). The armies of the ten nations depended on many gods to give them success, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob defeated the armies and their gods! “Hallowed be thy name” is the first request in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9) and must be the motive that governs all of our praying. The Most High God is sovereign over all the earth!

Psalm 84

The phrase “appears before God in Zion” (v. 7 NASB) suggests that this psalm was penned by a Jewish man who could not go to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the three annual feasts (Ex. 23:17; 34:23). For forty years after their exodus from Egypt, the Jews were a wandering people; but even after they had moved into the Promised Land, the three feasts reminded them that they were still pilgrims on this earth (1 Chron. 29:15), as are God’s people today (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). A vagabond has no home; a fugitive is running from home; a stranger is away from home; a pilgrim is heading home. The psalmist’s inability to attend the feast did not rob him of the blessings of fellowship with the Lord. All who are true pilgrims can make the same three affirmations that he made.

1. My Delight Is in the Lord (vv. 1–4). In his opening statement, the psalmist said two things: “The temple is beautiful” and “The temple is beloved by all who love the Lord.” It was the dwelling place of the Lord, His house (vv. 4, 10), the place where His glory dwelled (26:8). Although God doesn’t live today in man-made buildings (Acts 7:47–50), we still show special reverence toward edifices dedicated to Him. We can worship God anytime and anywhere, but special places and stated rituals are important in structuring our worship experience. The important thing is that we have a heart devoted to the Lord, a spiritual “appetite” that cries out for nourishing fellowship with the Lord (42:1–4; Matt. 5:6). The psalmist cried out for God with his entire being. He envied the birds that were permitted to nest in the temple courts, near the altar, as well as the priests and Levites who lived and worked in the sacred precincts (v. 4). How easy it is for us to take for granted the privilege of worshipping “the living God” (see 115:1–8), a privilege purchased for us on the cross.

2. My Strength Is in the Lord (vv. 5–8). Though he had to remain at home, the psalmist’s heart was set on pilgrimage, and the very map to Jerusalem was written on that heart. His love for God and His house helped him make right decisions in life so that he did not go astray. A geographic site named “the Valley of Baca” is nowhere identified in Scripture. “Baca” is a Hebrew word meaning “balsam tree,” and the sap of this tree oozes like tears. The “Valley of Baca” is a name for any difficult and painful place in life, where everything seems hopeless and you feel helpless, like “the pit of despair.” The people who love God expect to pass through this valley and not remain there. They get a blessing from the experience, and they leave a blessing behind. Like Abraham and Isaac, they “dig a well” (Gen. 21:22–34; 26:17–33), and like Samuel and Elijah, they pray down the rain (1 Sam. 12:16–25; 1 Kings 18). It’s wonderful to receive a blessing, but it’s even greater to be a blessing and transform a desert into a garden. True pilgrims “go from strength to strength” (Deut. 33:25; Isa. 40:28–31; Phil. 4:13) and trust God to enable them to walk a step at a time and work a day at a time. They are people of prayer who keep in communion with the Lord, no matter what their circumstances may be. “Blessed are those whose strength is in you” (v. 5 NIV).

3. My Trust Is in the Lord (vv. 9–12). From pleading “Hear my prayer” (v. 8), the psalmist then lifted his petitions to the Lord, beginning with a prayer for the king (v. 9). A “shield” is a symbol of both the Lord (3:3; 7:10; 18:2, 30; Gen. 15:1) and Israel’s anointed king (89:18; see 2 Sam. 1:21). But why pray for the king? Because the future of the messianic promise rested with the line of King David (2 Sam. 7), and the psalmist wanted the Messiah to come. Believers today should pray faithfully for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1–4).

When you walk by faith, you put the Lord and His will first, and you keep your priorities straight (v. 10). This is the Old Testament version of Matthew 6:33 and Philippians 1:21. According to the inscription, this psalm is associated with “the Sons of Korah,” who were Levites assigned to guard the threshold of the sanctuary (1 Chron. 9:19), an important and honorable office. Their ancestor rebelled against God and Moses and was slain by the Lord (Num. 16; note “tents of wickedness” in 84:10; Num. 16:26). Korah’s children were not killed because of their father’s sins (Num. 26:11) but continued to serve at the sanctuary. The psalmist didn’t aspire to a high office (“gatekeeper” in 1 Chron. 9:19 is not the same word as “doorkeeper” in 84:10) but was willing to “sit at the threshold” of the temple, just to be close to the Lord.

To men and women of faith, the Lord is all they need. He is to them what the sun is to our universe—the source of life and light (27:1; Isa. 10:17; 60:19–20; Mal. 4:2). Without the sun, life would vanish from the earth, and without God, we would have neither physical life (Acts 17:24–28) nor spiritual life (John 1:1–14). God is our provision and our protection (“shield”; see references at vv. 8–9). He is the giving God, and He gives grace and glory—grace for the journey and glory at the end of the journey (see Rom. 5:1–2; 1 Peter 5:10). If we walk by faith, then whatever begins with grace will ultimately end with glory. God does not give us everything we want, but He bestows upon us all that is good for us, all that we need. (See 1:1–3.)

Although times of solitude and spiritual retreat can be very beneficial to us spiritually, believers today have constant open access into the presence of God because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His constant intercession for us in heaven (Heb. 7:25; 10:19–25). Do we delight in the Lord and seek Him? Do we depend on His strength? Do we walk and work by faith? Are we among those who walk uprightly (v. 11)?

Psalm 85

This psalm was probably written after the Jewish people returned to their land following their seventy years of captivity in Babylon (Jer. 29). Note the emphasis on the land (vv. 1, 9, 12) and on God’s anger against His people (vv. 3–5). God gave them favor with their captors, raised up leaders like Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the high priest, and Ezra the scribe, and protected the Jewish remnant as they traveled to their war-ravaged land. When you read Ezra 6 and the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, you learn that life was very difficult for them in the land. They did not always obey the Lord or show kindness to each other, but they did make a new start. The Scottish preacher George H. Morrison said, “The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings,” and he is right. It is a sin to disobey God and fall, but it is also a sin to stay fallen. We must always make a new beginning, and this psalm gives us some instructions that we can follow after times of failure and chastening.

Give Thanks to the Lord (vv. 1–3). It should have been no surprise to the people of Judah that the Babylonians would invade their land, destroy their city and temple, and take them captive. After all, they knew the terms of the covenant (Lev. 26; Deut. 28—30), and time after time, the Lord had sent His prophets to warn them, but they would not listen (2 Chron. 36:15–21). Jeremiah had told the people that their captivity would last seventy years and that then the Lord would restore a remnant to the land (Jer. 29). God protected the people as they made the long journey home. He forgave their sins and gave them a new beginning, and for this they thanked the Lord (Isa. 40:1–2). The Hebrew word shuv basically means “to turn or return,” and it is used in verse 1 (“brought back”), verses 3, 4, and 8 (“turn”), and verse 6 (“again”). When we turn back to God, repent, and confess our sins, He turns back to us and restores us.

Ask Him for Renewed Life (vv. 4–7). It is one thing for the nation collectively to have a new birth of freedom, but there must also be changes in individuals. The praise begun in verses 1–3 (possibly by a choir) now becomes prayer from the hearts of the people. Note that the word us is used six times, for it is the people who are praying, not the choir or worship leader. “Turn [restore] us” is the burden of their prayer. It has well been said that a change in geography will never overcome a flaw in character. The return of the people to the land was no guarantee that all of them had returned to the Lord. Not only were they concerned that God’s chastening would end in their own lives, but they also did not want it to be passed on to their children and grandchildren. The word revive simply means “to live again, to be renewed in life.” (We must not confuse this with the modern meaning—“special meetings for winning the lost.”) Establishing the nation, rebuilding the temple, and restoring the liturgy would not guarantee God’s blessing on His people. They desperately needed His life at work within them. While in Babylon, had they heard or read Ezekiel’s message about the dry bones (Ezek. 37), and did they long for the wind of the Spirit to blow upon their own lives and homes? New life is not something that we manufacture ourselves; new life can come only from the Holy Spirit of God. God gave a special message about this to Haggai (Hag. 2:1–9) and also to Zechariah (Zech. 4:6).

Listen for God’s Message to You (vv. 8–13). “I will hear” suggests that the worship leader or a prophet stepped forward and said, in effect, “Now it is time to be silent before God and listen for His message to us for this hour.” God and His people were now reconciled, and He was speaking peace to them (Jer. 29:11). “Saints” means “people who are set apart for God.” Alas, Israel had a long record of “turning to folly”! According to the book of Judges, seven different nations were sent by God to chastise Israel; they repented, but they always lapsed back into idolatry again. After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam was a fool not to listen to the wise men of the land, and this led to a division of the kingdom. Jeroboam, ruler of the northern kingdom, manufactured his own religion and led the nation astray. How foolish! The task of God’s people is to fear God and glorify Him (v. 9). The word dwell is the Hebrew word shechinah, and we speak of God’s glory dwelling in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34) and the temple (2 Chron. 7:1–3). Before the temple was destroyed, Ezekiel saw God’s glory leave the structure (Ezek. 9:3; 10:1–4, 18–19; 11:22–23). When the Jewish remnant rebuilt the temple, the prophet Haggai promised that God’s glory would return in an even greater way (Hag. 2:6–9).

In verses 10–13, the Lord announced future blessings that He would send if His people continued to walk with Him. Righteousness and peace—attributes of God—are personified and would “kiss” each other, for the warfare would be over. (See Isa. 32:17; Rom. 3:21–31; 5:1–3.) Surely there is a glimpse here of the person and work of Jesus Christ, for only in Him can mercy and truth become friends, for if you tell the truth, you may not receive mercy! But the blessing changes the people, for truth springs up from the earth! God’s people are faithful and walk in the truth. The psalmist described a world of holiness and harmony, a picture of the coming kingdom over which Christ shall reign. And what a harvest there will be, not only of food necessary for survival (Hag. 1:3–11) but also of heaven-sent blessings that will bring joy to the land. As people walk through the land, God’s righteousness will go before them, and their way will be prepared. God’s will shall be done on earth just as it is now done in heaven.

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).

Psalm 86

In the midst of a group of four psalms attributed to the sons of Korah, you find one psalm by David, the only Davidic psalm in the entire third book of Psalms. When David wrote it, he was facing some formidable enemies whom we cannot identify (v. 14), at a time when he was “poor and needy” (v. 1) and calling for God’s help. The remarkable thing about the psalm is that it is a mosaic of quotations from other parts of the Old Testament, especially 25—28; 40; and 54—57; and Exodus 34. Since David wrote these psalms, he had every right to quote from them and adapt them to his present needs. At a time of danger, when he felt inadequate to face the battle, David found three encouragements in the Lord, and so may we today.

1. God’s Covenant Is Secure (vv. 1–7). His statement “I am holy [godly, devoted]” was not an egotistical statement but rather the declaration that David was a son of the covenant and belonged wholly to the Lord. It is the translation of the Hebrew word hasid (4:3; 12:1) and is the equivalent of “saints” in the New Testament, “those set apart by and for the Lord.” The word is related to hesed , which means “mercy, kindness, steadfast love” (vv. 5, 13, 15). As he began his prayer, David pleaded for help on the basis of his covenant relationship with the Lord, just as believers today pray in the name of Jesus and on the basis of His covenant of grace (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 10:14–25).

The psalm has many connections with the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7). We get the impression that David had the covenant text before him and selected verses from his psalm to parallel what the Lord had said to him and he had said to the Lord. David is called “servant” (2 Sam. 7:5, 8, 19–20, 25, 26, 29; Ps. 86:2, 4, 16), and both texts refer to the great things God had done (2 Sam. 7:21; Ps. 86:10). The uniqueness of the Lord is another shared theme (2 Sam. 7:22; Ps. 86:8) as well as Jehovah’s supremacy over all the supposed “gods” (2 Sam. 7:23; Ps. 86:8). In both, God’s great name is magnified (2 Sam. 7:26; Ps. 86:9, 11–12). In his psalm, David used three basic names for God: Jehovah (vv. 1, 6, 11, 17), Adonai (vv. 3–5, 8–9, 12, 15), and Elohim (vv. 2, 10, 12, 14). On the basis of God’s covenant promises, David could “argue” with the Lord and plead his case. In verses 1–7, the word for usually signals one of David’s persuasive reasons why the Lord should help him. In verse 5, he changes from “for I” to “for thou” (vv. 5, 7, 10), climaxing in verse 10 with “For thou art great.” There are at least fourteen personal requests in the psalm, which suggests to us that effective praying is specific. David “cried [called]” and the Lord answered (vv. 3, 5, 7).

(For some of the citations and parallels in the Old Testament, see v. 1/17:6; 31:2; 35:10; 37:14; 40:17; 70:5; v. 2/25:20; v. 3/57:1–2; v. 5/Ex. 34:6ff.; v. 6/28:2; 55:1–2; v. 7/17:6; 77:2; v. 8/35:10; 71:19; 89:6; Ex. 8:10; 9:14; 15:11; v. 10/72:18; 77:13–14; v. 11/27:11; vv. 12–13/50:15, 23; 56:13; 57:9–10; v. 16/25:16.)

2. God’s Character Is Unchanging (vv. 8–13). “There is none like unto thee!” (v. 8) is the confession of a man who truly knows God and remembered Israel’s confession at the exodus (Ex. 15:11). During ten years of exile in the wilderness of Judea, David had learned much about God’s character and the way He works in the lives of His people. God is great in who He is and what He does, and the false gods of all the nations are nothing. Despite his present troubles, David the prophet (Acts 2:30) saw the day coming when all the nations would enter the messianic kingdom (v. 9; see Rev. 15:3–4). God made the nations and assigns their boundaries and determines their destinies (Acts 17:22–28; Isa. 2:1–4; 9:6–7; 11:1–16). In verses 11–13, David focused on his own walk with the Lord. After he was delivered from danger, he wanted to walk so as to please and honor the Lord. “Unite my heart” means “I want to have an undivided heart, wholly fixed on the Lord.” A perfect heart is a sincere heart that loves God alone and is true to Him (James 1:8; 4:8; Deut. 6:4–5; 10:12). He promised to praise God forever for delivering him from the grave (sheol), a hint here of future resurrection. (See 49:15; 73:23–24.)

3. God’s Glory Shall Prevail (vv. 14–17). David’s enemies were proud of themselves and their abilities, violent, and totally ignorant of and indifferent to the God of Israel. But David looked away from them to the Lord, who had saved and guided him all his life. (His confession in v. 15 is based on Ex. 34:6ff.; and see v. 5; 103:8–13; 116:5; 145:8; Neh. 9:17; Jonah 4:2.) The apostle Paul tells us that knowing these attributes of God ought to lead people to repentance (Rom. 2:4). “The son of thine handmaid” (v. 16) means “your devoted servant” (116:16; Ruth 2:13; 3:9; 1 Sam. 1:11–12, 18). Children born to servants were considered especially faithful since they were brought up in the master’s household (Gen. 14:14). Since David was the Lord’s faithful servant, it was his Master’s duty to protect and deliver him (143:11–12). But David wanted that deliverance to bring glory to the Lord and to demonstrate to the nations that Jehovah alone was God. It wasn’t just warfare; it was witness, a “sign” of the goodness of the Lord to David. It was his way of praying, “Hallowed be thy name” (Matt. 6:9). When our requests are in God’s will and glorify His name, we can be sure He will answer.

Psalm 87

This is another psalm that extols the glory of Mount Zion (see 48; 50; 76; 87; 125; 128—129; 132; 137). The writer was not indulging in arrogant nationalism but only seeking to glorify the God of Israel and the blessings He bestows. The psalm must be read on two levels. It is a prophecy of the future kingdom, when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship (86:9; Isa. 2:1–5), and it is also a picture of the heavenly Zion where the children of God have their spiritual citizenship (Luke 10:20; Gal. 4:21–31; Phil. 3:20–21; Heb. 12:18–24). God promised that Abraham would have an earthly family, like the sands of the sea, which is Israel, and a heavenly family, like the stars of the heaven, which is the church (Gen. 13:16; 15:4–5). The psalm was probably written in the time of King Hezekiah, after the Assyrian army had been defeated and Babylon was on the rise (Isa. 36—39). Following this great victory, the neighboring nations, usually hostile to the Jews, honored Hezekiah and brought gifts to him as well as sacrifices to the Lord (2 Chron. 32:23). The psalmist shares three wonderful truths about the city of Jerusalem.

1. The City Is Built by God (vv. 1–3). After the battle of the kings (Gen. 14:18), Abraham met Melchizedek, the king-priest of Salem (Jerusalem, “city of peace”; see 76:2), and Hebrews 7 informs us that Melchizedek is a type of Jesus Christ, our Priest-King in heaven. David chose Jerusalem for his capital city (2 Sam. 5:6–10), and the Lord validated that choice by putting His temple there. The nation of Israel was to be separate from the other nations both politically (Num. 23:9) and geographically. That is why God called Jerusalem “my city” (Isa. 45:13) and “the Holy City” (Isa. 48:2; 52:1) and Zion “my holy mountain” (Isa. 11:9; 56:7; 57:13). It is “the joy of the whole earth … the city of the great King” (48:2). It is His foundation from which He has built His great work of redemption (Isa. 14:32). “Salvation is of the Jews,” said Jesus (John 4:22); and were it not for Israel, the world would not have the knowledge of the true and living God, the inspired Scriptures, or the Savior. Jesus died and rose again outside the walls of Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit descended on the church meeting in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and it was from Jerusalem that the early Jewish believers scattered to carry the gospel to the nations.

The phrase “the gates of Zion” refers to the city itself, a city God loves above all cities in the Holy Land. (See Deut. 7:6–9; 2 Chron. 6:5–6; Isa. 60:11–12; Zech. 1:14.) In Jerusalem was not only the temple of the true God, but also the throne of David, and it would be the Davidic line that would give us the Savior, Jesus Christ. In the end times, Jerusalem will be a center of controversy and conflict, but the Lord will rescue His beloved city (Zech. 12:1—13:1). But the prophets have written some “glorious things” about the future Jerusalem, and the apostles have written even more glorious things about the heavenly Jerusalem!

2. The City Is Inhabited by His Children (vv. 4–6). The Lord is described as a king taking a royal census and registering individual names (“this one … that one …”), but the remarkable thing is that these people are Gentiles and that God is making them His own children and citizens of His Holy City! Even more, the nations named are the avowed enemies of the Jews! The emphasis in all three verses is on birth, indicating that the people who enter the future glorious kingdom will experience a “new birth” and belong to the family of God. Like Paul, they will be citizens by birth (Acts 22:25–29) and not by purchase. The phrase “them that know me” indicates more than an intellectual appreciation of the Lord. It describes a personal relationship with Him, like that of husband and wife (Gen. 4:1; 19:8; 1 Sam. 2:12; 3:7).

“Rahab” refers to Egypt (89:10; Isa. 51:9), Israel’s enemy in the south, and the word means “arrogant, boisterous.” Egypt enslaved the Jews and yet will share with them citizenship in the city of God and membership in the family of God (Isa. 19:18–25)! Israel’s northern enemy, Babylon, would one day destroy Jerusalem and ravage the kingdom of Judah, and the Jews would vow to pay her back (137:1, 8–9); but she, too, will be part of the glorious kingdom! Philistia and Tyre on the west were always a threat to Israel, but they will be included. Ethiopia is “Cush,” a nation in Africa. Of course, of all these nations, only Egypt is still on the map, but the message is clear: When the Lord establishes His glorious kingdom and Messiah reigns from Jerusalem, Israel’s enemies will be transformed into fellow citizens. Through the preaching of the gospel today, this miracle is happening in His church (Eph. 2:11–22; Gal. 3:26–29). The Old Testament prophets promised that believers from all the nations of the earth would be included in Messiah’s reign (Isa. 2:1–5; Mic. 4:1–5; Zech. 8:23; 14:16–20), and so did the psalmists (22:27; 46:10; 47:9; 57:5, 11; 98:2–3; 99:2–3). “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14 NKJV).

3. The City Enjoys His Abundant Blessings (v. 7). As citizens of Zion and the children of God, the Jews and Gentiles not only live together, but they also sing together and play musical instruments as they rejoice in God’s blessings. Jerusalem is one of the few ancient cities that was not built near a great river, and it was always a problem to supply enough water, especially during a siege. To help solve this problem, King Hezekiah had ordered an underground water system constructed (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:30). The word translated “fountains” or “springs” refers to “living water” and not water brought up from a well. A fountain or spring symbolizes the source of something, as Jacob is the “fountain” from which the nation came (Deut. 33:28). All blessings, especially spiritual blessings, will flow from the Lord, who reigns in the City of David, just as today we draw upon the wealth found only in our exalted Lord (Rom. 2:4; 9:23; 11:33; Eph. 1:3; 2:4–10; 3:8; Phil. 4:19; Col. 1:27). The image of a river of living water is found also in 36:8–9; 46:4; Ezekiel 47; John 7:37–39; and Revelation 22:1–2.

Psalm 88

Heman, the son of Joel, was a temple musician during the reign of David (1 Chron. 6:33, 37; 15:17; 16:41–42; 2 Chron. 35:15) and is the most likely candidate for the authorship of this psalm. Second choice is Heman, the son of Mahol, one of the wise men during the reign of King Solomon (1 Kings 4:31). The Hebrew words mahalath and leannoth mean “sickness” and “for singing” or “for humbling.” The first word probably refers to a sad melody to accompany this somber song, and the second might identify the purpose of the psalm, to bring us low before the Lord. This is the last “sons of Korah” psalm in the Psalms and is perhaps the most plaintive song in the entire book. In the Hebrew text, the psalm ends with the word hoshek, “darkness,” and there is no closing note of triumph as in other psalms that begin with pain and perplexity. The psalm speaks of darkness (vv. 1, 6, 12, 18), life in the depths (vv. 3–4, 6), the immanence of death (vv. 5, 10–11), feelings of drowning (vv. 7, 16–17), loneliness (vv. 5, 8, 14, 18), and imprisonment (v. 8). Heman was a servant of God who was suffering intensely and did not understand why, yet he persisted in praying to God and did not abandon his faith. Not all of life’s scripts have happy endings, but that does not mean that the Lord has forsaken us. From Heman’s experience, as recorded in this psalm, we can discover four instructions to follow when life falls apart and our prayers seemingly are not answered.

1. Come to the Lord by Faith (vv. 1–2). Heman’s life had not been an easy one (v. 15), and now it had grown even more difficult, and he felt that death was very near (vv. 3, 10–11). But he did not give up! He still trusted in God, whom he addressed as “LORD—Jehovah” four times in this prayer (vv. 1, 9, 13–14). “Jehovah” is the name of the Lord that emphasizes His covenant relationship with His people, and Heman was a son of that covenant. Heman also addressed Him as “God—Elohim,” the name that expresses His power. The phrase “God of my salvation” indicates that Heman had trusted the Lord to save him, and the fact that he prayed as he did indicates that his faith was still active. Three times we are told that he cried to the Lord, and three different words are used: verse 1—“a cry for help in great distress”; verse 2—“a loud shout”; verse 13—“a cry of anguish.” He was fervent in his praying. He believed in a God who could hear his prayers and do wonders (vv. 10, 12), a God who loved him and was faithful to His people (v. 11). All of this is evidence of faith in Heman’s heart, even though he spoke as though he was ready to give up. He prayed day and night (vv. 1, 9) and trusted that no obstacle would come between his prayers and the Lord (v. 2; 18:6; 22:24; 35:13; 66:20; 79:11). No matter how we feel and no matter how impossible our circumstances, we can always come to the Lord with our burdens.

2. Tell the Lord How You Feel (vv. 3–9). There is no place for hypocrisy in personal prayer. One of the first steps toward revival is to be completely transparent when we pray and not tell the Lord anything that is not true or that we do not really mean. Heman confessed that he was “full of troubles” and felt like a “living dead man.” He was without strength and felt forsaken by the Lord. Old Testament believers did not have the full light of revelation concerning death and the afterlife, so we must not be shocked at his description of sheol, the world of the dead. The Lord does not forget His people when they die, nor does He cease to care, for “to be absent from the body” means to be “present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:6–8; see Ps. 25:7; 74:2; 106:4).

But Heman also told the Lord that He was responsible for His servant’s troubles! God’s hand put him into the pit (sheol, the grave), and God’s anger was flowing over him like breakers from the sea (see 42:8). Whatever sickness he had was caused by the Lord and made him so repulsive that his friends avoided him (see 31:1). He was without health, without light, and without friends—and he felt like he was without God! He was a prisoner, and there was no way to escape. Like Job, Heman wanted to know why all this suffering had come to him.

3. Defend Your Cause before the Lord (vv. 10–14). The saintly Scottish minister Samuel Rutherford (1600–1661), who suffered much for his faith, wrote, “It is faith’s work to claim and challenge lovingkindnesses out of all the roughest strokes of God.” He also said, “Why should I tremble at the plough of my Lord, that maketh deep furrows in my soul? I know He is no idle husbandman; He purposeth a crop.” Heman’s argument is simply that his death will rob God of a great opportunity to demonstrate His power and glory. Of what service could Heman be to the Lord in sheol?

The spirits of the dead will not arise in the world of the dead and do the Lord’s bidding (see Isa. 14:9–11), but Heman could serve the Lord in the land of the living. (See 30:8–10; 115:17.) Before he went to the sanctuary to assist in the worship, Heman prayed to the Lord for healing and strength, and at the close of a busy day, he prayed again. During his daily ministry, he heard the priestly benediction: “The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace” (Num. 6:24–26 NASB)—but the blessing did not come to him! He felt rejected and knew that God’s face was turned away from him. But he kept on praying!

4. Wait for the Lord’s Answer (vv. 15–18). We do not know what this affliction was that came to him early in life, but it is painful to think that he suffered all his life long and all day long (vv. 15, 17). He could not even look back to a time in his life when he enjoyed good health. The billows that had almost drowned him (v. 7) now became fiery waves of torment (v. 16) as God’s “burning anger” went over him (see 42:7). The flood was rising, and he felt he was about to drown (see 130:1), and there was nobody near enough to rescue him. He was alone! The darkness was his friend because it hid him from the eyes of those who observed his sufferings and may have said (as did Job’s friends), “He must have sinned greatly for the Lord to afflict him so much!”

But he continued to pray and to look to God for help! “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord” (Ps. 27:13–14 NASB). The Lord always has the last word, and it will not be “darkness.” We should never doubt in the darkness what God has taught us in the light.

Psalm 89

If the author is the wise man Ethan of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 4:31), then verses 39–45 describe the invasion of Shishak and the Egyptian army recorded in 1 Chronicles 12, which occurred during the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. But this invasion did not mean the end of the Davidic dynasty, which is the major theme of this psalm. However, the invasion and captivity of Judah by the Babylonians did mean the end of the Davidic dynasty, so this psalm could have been written after that crisis by an unknown “Ethan.” Young King Jehoiachin had already been taken captive to Babylon and Zedekiah, his uncle, named king in his place (2 Kings 24), and Jeremiah had announced that none of Jehoiachin’s sons would ever sit on David’s throne (Jer. 22:24–29). What, then, becomes of God’s covenant that promised David a throne forever (vv. 3, 28, 34, 39; and see 2 Sam. 7)? Does Jehovah no longer keep His promises? The faithfulness of the Lord is the major theme of this psalm (vv. 1–2, 5, 8, 14, 33, 49). Of course, God’s great promises to David have their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the son of David (Luke 1:26–38, 68–79). The psalm gives us four assurances about the faithfulness of the Lord.

1. God Is Faithful in His Character—Praise Him (vv. 1–18). The psalm opens on a joyful note of worship with praise to God from the psalmist (vv. 1–4), in heaven (vv. 5–8), and on earth (vv. 9–13), and especially from the people of Israel (vv. 14–18), who rejoice in the Lord all day long (v. 16). The psalmist sings (v. 1), the angels praise (v. 5), and even the mountains sing for joy (v. 12). Ethan praised the faithfulness of God’s character (vv. 1–2) and His covenant (vv. 3–4), about which he has much to say (vv. 3, 28, 34, 39). Because he wanted to instruct and encourage the coming generations (see 78:1–8), Ethan wrote down his praise and his prayer. God had sworn to David that his dynasty and throne would continue forever (vv. 28–29, 35–36, 49; 2 Sam. 7:13), but future generations of Jews would live without any king, let alone a king from David’s line. Ethan wanted them to know that God’s mercy (“lovingkindness,” NASB; “love,” NIV) was being built up (v. 2) even though the city and temple had been torn down and the crown and throne of David had been cast down (vv. 39, 44). God was still on His throne (v. 14), and David’s line (“seed”) was secured forever in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (vv. 4, 29, 36–37; see Heb. 1:8; 5:6; 7:28; 10:12; 13:8, 21; Rev. 11:15). The “sure mercies [loving-kindnesses, v. 1] of David” will never fail (Isa. 55:3; Acts 13:34). God had not forsaken His servant David (vv. 3, 20, 39; 2 Sam. 7:5, 8, 20–21, 25–29).

Heaven is a place of worship, and the angels praise the Lord for His glorious attributes (vv. 5–8; see Rev. 4; 5), for there is no god like Him (Ex. 15:11). But the earth joins the hymn, and even the mighty waves of the sea obey Him and praise Him. The tumultuous sea is an image of the nations (93:3; Isa. 17:12–13; Rev. 13:1; 17:15), so Ethan mentioned God’s victory over Egypt (Rahab, Ps. 87:4; Isa. 51:9). The “scattering” of God’s enemies (v. 10) reminds us of Numbers 10:35. Hermon is an imposing mountain to the far north, near Damascus, and Tabor is a much smaller mount about fifty miles southwest of Hermon. Ethan heard the mountains singing praises to God, just as Isaiah did centuries before (Isa. 55:12).

If any people on earth have a right to praise God, it is the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. They had a holy land, given to them by God, a royal dynasty chosen by God, and the light of the holy law that guided their steps in the ways of the Lord. They had a holy priesthood to serve them and bless them (v. 15; see Num. 6:24–26), men who would blow the trumpets to signal the special holy days and feasts (“the joyful sound”; see 81:1). In verse 18, “our shield” (NASB, NIV) refers to their king (84:9), now in captivity. In many Jewish synagogues today, verses 15–18 are recited on their New Year’s Day after the blowing of the shofar.

2. God Is Faithful to His Covenant—Trust Him (vv. 19–29). From verse 19 to verse 37, it is the Lord who speaks and reminds us of what He did for David. The question in the mind of the writer was probably, “If You did so much for David, why then did You break Your covenant and reject us?” What was the vision, and to whom was it given? God gave Samuel the message that David would succeed Saul (1 Sam. 13:13–15; 16:1–13), and He gave Nathan the message that David would not build the temple but would have a “throne forever” and a “house” (family) built by the Lord (2 Sam. 7:1–17). The Lord may have led Ethan to rehearse this important information because the generations living after the exile needed to know it. Israel had a tremendously important ministry to fulfill in bringing the Messiah into the world, and He would come through the family of David. (Be sure to refer to 2 Sam. 7:1–17, for vv. 19–29 are a summary of the promises the Lord made to David.)

In a sovereign act of grace, the Lord elected David to be king of Israel (vv. 19–20). Their first king, Saul of Benjamin, was never supposed to establish a dynasty because he was not from the royal tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10). David had proved himself before the Lord even before he stepped out on the stage of history and killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17:32–37). He had been faithful over a few things, and now the Lord would promote him to greater things (see Matt. 25:21). The Lord who elected David also equipped him to fight battles, lead the army, and build the kingdom (vv. 21–23). Even as a youth, he was known for his military prowess. The Lord exalted David, because David was a humble man who would not promote himself (vv. 24–27). Indeed, God helped David to expand the borders of the kingdom so that it reached from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers on the east (see Ex. 23:31). It was David’s close relationship to the Lord and his desire to exalt the Lord alone that made him a success (v. 26). David was the eighth son in Jesse’s family (1 Sam. 16:13), but God made him His firstborn, the honored son who received the greatest inheritance. David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ, was also called “the firstborn” (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 1:5). If David was “the highest of the kings of the earth” (v. 27 NASB), then he was “king of kings” like our Savior (see Rev. 17:14; 19:16). Finally, the Lord established David and promised him a throne and a dynasty forever (v. 4; 2 Sam. 7:13, 16, 24–26, 29), a promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

3. God Is Faithful in His Chastening (vv. 39–45). Again, Ethan faced the question: “If God did so much for David, why did his throne and crown fall in defeat and disgrace?” The answer: because the terms of His covenant declare that the same Lord who blesses the obedient will also chasten the disobedient. The principle applied not only to David’s successors on the throne (vv. 30–37; 2 Sam. 7:12–15) but also to the nation of Israel collectively (Deut. 28). “For whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:12 NKJV; Heb. 12:3–11). Because of their disobedience and self-will, many of the kings of Judah were chastened by the Lord, but the Lord never broke His promise to David. The “witness” in verse 37 is probably the Lord Himself in heaven (see NASB), but the constancy of the heavenly bodies is also a witness to the faithfulness of the Lord’s promises (Gen. 8:20–22; Jer. 31:35–36; 33:19–26).

Ethan told the Lord what He had done to Judah’s anointed king, the descendant of David. The Lord was angry with the kings because of their sins, especially idolatry (v. 38), so He permitted the Babylonians to come and ravage the land, destroy Jerusalem, and burn the temple (vv. 40–41). To Ethan, the Lord was actually aiding the enemy (vv. 42–43)! But the glory had once more departed from the temple (v. 44; see 1 Sam. 4:21–22; Ezek. 8:1–4; 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22–23) because the leaders had turned their backs on the Lord and turned to idols. It appears that verse 45 applied especially to King Jehoiachin, who was but eighteen years old when he became king and reigned for three months and ten days (2 Kings 24:8). He became a captive in Babylon for thirty-seven years.

4. God’s Faithfulness Will Never Cease—Wait for Him (vv. 46–52). Ethan looks ahead (vv. 46–48) and asks the painful question, “How long, O Lord?” (See 6:3 for other references.) Surely he knew the prophecy of Jeremiah that the people would be in exile for seventy years and then permitted to return to their land (Jer. 25:1–14; 29:4–14), but when you are in the midst of the storm, you long for God to deliver you as soon as possible. To Ethan, it all seemed so futile. Life is short, all people will die, and God’s people had to spend their days in exile. Then Ethan looked back (v. 49) and asked what had happened to the great loving-kindnesses the Lord had shown to David. But God’s love had not changed; it was Judah’s love for the Lord that had waned. Like any good parent, God shows His love to His children by either blessing their obedience or chastening them for their disobedience, but in either situation, He is manifesting His love.

Finally, Ethan looked around and felt keenly the reproaches of the enemy (vv. 50–51). The king of Judah was now a common prisoner in a foreign city! No doubt Jehoiachin was paraded shamelessly in Babylon as living proof that the gods of Babylon were greater than Judah’s God. How the Babylonians must have enjoyed following the parade and taunting the captive Jews, especially the anointed king!

Verse 52 is not a part of the original psalm but forms the conclusion of book III of the Psalms (see 41:13; 72:18–19). But it expresses a great truth: No matter how much we suffer because of the sins of others, and no matter how perplexed we may be at the providential workings of the Lord, we should still be able to say by faith, “Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!” And our fellow sufferers ought to respond with, “Amen and amen! So be it!”

That’s the way of trust—faith in the faithfulness of the Lord.

QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

OR GROUP DISCUSSION

Psalm 73

1. What can you relate about Asaph, the author of this psalm? Would you describe him as a godly man? Why or why not?

2. Are you troubled by the fact that many wicked people prosper? If so, why does their prosperity trouble you? If not, why not?

3. How does this psalm help you take your focus off the current prosperity of the wicked and look at “the big picture”?

Psalm 74

4. The psalmist believed that God had rejected His people. When are you most apt to feel that God has rejected you?

5. What promises has God given His people to remind us in hard times that He will not fail us?

Psalm 75

6. What elements of true worship does this psalm reveal? Have you worshipped the Lord today, incorporating these elements?

Psalm 76

7. What event in Israel’s history most likely frames the message of this psalm? What role do you see God occupying in modern history? How would you contrast His strength and the strength of today’s superpowers?

8. Knowing God is sovereign over earth’s rulers, what can you trust Him to do in your life?

Psalm 77

9. Unable to sleep because he lamented the destruction of Jerusalem and Israel’s captivity, Asaph committed the matter to the Lord. What problems or unanswered questions have kept you awake? What might encourage you to commit those matters to the Lord?

10. What do you find significant about the shift from “I” and “my” to “You” in this psalm?

Psalm 78

11. This is a history psalm. Why do you agree or disagree that all history is His story?

12. How can believers best ensure that the next generation will remember God’s wonderful works and appreciate His unchanging character?

Psalm 79

13. What cruel nation is described in verses 1–4? Why did God allow His people to suffer at this enemy’s hands?

14. Under what circumstances might God allow an enemy to inflict harm to our nation? If such a tragedy occurred, what purpose might it accomplish?

15. Why is the fulfillment of God’s will always the best thing that could happen to us?

Psalm 80

16. Based on his prayer for the northern kingdom, what do you conclude about Asaph’s character? Should believers pray for their rivals? If so, what might they ask for? What does the “vine” represent in this psalm? How did Jesus use the imagery of a vine and its branches in John 15?

Psalm 81

17. What feasts in the Jewish calendar can you name? What is the point of feast days?

18. The psalmist invited God’s people to “sing for joy.” What reasons do believers have to sing for joy?

19. What were the costs of Israel’s disobedience? What are some costs of disobedience today?

Psalm 82

20. Asaph prayed that God would bring justice to the earth. Do you believe Asaph’s prayer will be answered? If so, when and how?

21. If a nation’s leaders reject God, what are some likely consequences? What do you believe Christians can do to encourage their national leaders to honor God?

Psalm 83

22. What is the best weapon against aggression? How consistently do you use this weapon?

Psalm 84

23. The psalmist longed for “the courts of the LORD” (v. 2). If you had to be absent from church for an extended period, what would you miss the most? Why?

24. God’s people pass through painful places occasionally. How might that experience bless them? How might it make them a blessing to others?

25. The psalmist valued a day in the house of God more highly than “a thousand elsewhere.” Why should believers place a higher value on worship and fellowship than on a life of comfort in partnership with the wicked?

Psalm 85

26. Verse 6 links revival and joy. Do you believe revival or spiritual renewal always produces joy? Explain.

27. What picture of Jesus’ person and work do you see in verse 10 (NIV): “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other”?

28. How does it help you to embrace the future knowing “the LORD will indeed give what is good” (v. 12 NIV)?

Psalm 86

29. This psalm depicts David as inadequate to face a battle. Is a sense of inadequacy helpful or harmful when we face life’s battles? Explain.

30. What characteristics of God, cited in this psalm, strengthen your faith?

31. Why is it good to know “there is none like you, O Lord” (v. 8 NIV)?

32. David asked God to grant him His strength (v. 16). For what specific task or trial do you need God’s strength?

Psalm 87

33. Why is Zion, Jerusalem, so cherished by the Jews? What future will Jerusalem and its inhabitants ultimately enjoy?

34. Jesus provides living water for His followers. Describe the satisfaction you have in Jesus, and contrast it with the thirst unbelievers experience.

Psalm 88

35. The psalmist, Heman, endured pain and suffering, yet he kept on praying. How do you explain the fact that some believers experience ongoing pain and suffering despite their prayers? Did the Lord promise us an easy road? What did He promise (see Matt. 28:20b)?

36. Heman questioned the Lord’s fairness (v. 14). Why do you agree or disagree that it is all right to question the Lord’s fairness?

Psalm 89

37. How does nature praise the Lord?

38. How can your words glorify the Lord? How can your life praise Him?

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