74:1,2God's anger against!srael had grown hot during the many years of their sin and idolatry. His patience endured for generations, but at last it was set aside for judgment. If you fall into sin but quickly seek God’s forgiveness, his mercy may come quickly and his anger may leave quickly. If you persist in sinning against him, don’t be surprised when his patience runs out.
Life Application Study BiblePsalmsChapter 74
Psalm 74
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 921, 922
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
74Psalm 74
1Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?
2Remember that we are the people you chose long ago,the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!And remember Jerusalem,* your home here on earth.
3Walk through the awful ruins of the city;see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.
4There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries;there they set up their battle standards.
5They swung their axeslike woodcutters in a forest.
6With axes and picks,they smashed the carved paneling.
7They burned your sanctuary to the ground.They defiled the place that bears your name.
8Then they thought, “Let's destroy everything!”So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.
9We no longer see your miraculous signs.All the prophets are gone,and no one can tell us when it will end.1¢ How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you?Will you let them dishonor your name forever?
11Why do you hold back your strong right hand?Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them.
12You, O God, are my king from ages past,bringing salvation to the earth.
13You split the sea by your strengthand smashed the heads of the sea monsters.74:TITLE Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan*and let the desert animals eat him.
15You caused the springs and streams to gush forth,and you dried up rivers that never run dry.
16Both day and night belong to you;you made the starlight* and the sun.
17You set the boundaries of the earth,and you made both summer and winter.
18See how these enemies insult you, LORD.A foolish nation has dishonored your name.
19Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves.Don’t forget your suffering people forever.
20Remember your covenant promises,for the land is full of darkness and violence!
21Don't let the downtrodden be humiliated again.Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name.
22Arise, O God, and defend your cause.Remember how these fools insult you all day long.
23Don’t overlook what your enemies have said or their growing uproar. Theme: Because God is the final judge, the tables will be turned upon the wicked. When arrogant people threaten our security, we can be confident that God will ultimately overrule and destroy them.
Author: Asaph
T 5 For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph. A song to be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”1 We thank you, 0 God!We give thanks because you are near.
Textual footnotes
- 74:2 Hebrew Mount Zion.
- 74:14 The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging from an earthty creature to a mythical sea monster
- 74:16 Or moon; Hebrew reads light.
Life Application Notes 4 notes
74:8When enemy armies defeated Israel, they sacked and burned Jerusalem, trying to wipe out every trace of God. This has often been the response of people who hate God. Today many are trying to eliminate God from our public life and particularly from our schools. Do what you can to maintain a Christian influence, but don’t become discouraged when others appear to make great strides in removing all traces of God. They cannot eliminate his presence among believers.
74:10-18From our perspective, God sometimes seems slow to intervene on our behalf. But what might appear slow to us is good timing from God's perspective. It’s easy to become impatient while waiting for God to act, but we must never give up on him. When God is silent and you are in deep anguish, follow the method in this psalm. Review the great acts of God throughout biblical history; then review what he has done for you. This will remind you that God is at work, not only in history, but also in your life today.
74:13,14“The sea monster” recalis the LORD’s words to Egypt (Ezekiel 32:2ff). “Leviathan” refers to the Canaanite seven-headed serpent, Lotan. In their legends, Baal defeated these creatures. This psalm praised God for doing in reality what the Canaanite gods coutd only do in legends.
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