Psalm 47 Celebrate by Singing Praises!

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I love the exuberance of this psalm! The whole psalm is like a spiritual endzone celebration
after a BCS bowl game win or after a walk-off home run in the World Series. 

Previously I have shared devotional thoughts on both the first strophe (v.1-4) and the third strophe (v.8-9). But until now I have not specifically targeted the second strophe (v.5-7), the very heart of this psalm. In this post, I will correct this omission as I briefly summarize my thoughts on each section(strophe) of this psalm and tie them all together devotionally with a contemporary application.

Psalm 47 is classified as an “enthronement psalm” celebrating the coronation of a righteous king and the beginning of his just reign. Such psalms look beyond the historical enthronement of any particular Israelite king to that of the coming Messiah, who will be the King of kings. We are quite good at celebrating inaugurations and opening ceremonies, touchdowns, goals, and home runs. If only we were so invested in the work of the Spirit!

I) The Shout of Victory (v.1-4)

"Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves."

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As I write this at the New Year, crowds of people are clapping and cheering for their favorite football teams in bowl games or playoff games. Basketball fans are clapping and cheering for their teams too. However, more importantly, there is so much to shout and applaud God for! Not the least of which is the things we have seen Him do in our lives. I am also amazed that "He chose our heritage for us." He placed us on this planet and in our families on purpose. But when was the last time we clapped and shouted to God with loud songs of joy? It doesn't take us very long to forget what awesome things he has done for us...but the more we rehearse what he has done the more we will remember his goodness and lovingkindness and be filled with abiding joy! The joy of the Lord cannot be taken away by another team’s touchdown or a referee’s missed pass interference call. This is a bigger-picture joy and celebration of the victory of the Lord God and his vindication of his people.

II) Responding in Chorus to the Assent of the King (v.5-7)

God ascends among shouts of joy,
the Lord, among the sound of trumpets.
Sing praise to God,        sing praise;
 sing praise to our King,  sing praise!
Sing a song of wisdom,
                  for God is King of all the earth.

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on Unsplash

In verse 5 we see the king ascending to be enthroned with great shouts of joy. As a Christian, it is hard to read this without thinking of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of passion week. While the victory that set us free was unexpectedly won on the cross through the willing death of the Messiah rather than by a military or political victory, he rose from the dead on the third day, and on the 40^th day, he ascended into heaven! Oh, how we should celebrate his ascension! Christians throughout history have used Psalm 47 to celebrate Ascension Day in the church calendar. Yet this is more about living in light of his past victory and current enthronement than about celebrating one day in the year.

In verses 6-7 the psalmist uses a single Hebrew word (zāmar) five times which is translated as “sing praise!” The early Greek translation (LXX) of this verse uses the word psallo to interpret zāmar, this is no surprise since it also means to sing praises. However, the root of this word refers to the process of making music on a stringed instrument. How might such music be made? By plucking, strumming, twanging, bowing, etc. I would suggest that this call to sing praise is more than mere singing, but certainly not less.

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So let me ask, how can we live our entire life in a way that what we do resounds with divine praise and celebration? What if all that we do strums the joyful chords of gratitude for a loving redemption, the healing notes of peace, mercy, and righteousness that flow from our being forgiven, the sustaining notes of faith and hope in the person of the Great King? Indeed, this speaks to the way we sing in our worship services and gatherings, but it also calls to us in our work situations, inviting and even urging us to work and live as an instrument of praise.

Perhaps, if you are like me, this will require some tuning and some practice!

III) The Reign of the King and

God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on His holy throne.
      The nobles of the peoples have assembled
                     with the people of the God of Abraham.
For the leaders [lit., shields] of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted. (CSV)

Nations where readers of this Psalms blog live... 

I am so glad that God is not subject to the whims of any individual nations, or even to groups of nations such as the UN; rather, he is sovereign over all nations and peoples. I look forward to the still-future day when we see v. 9 come to pass in all fullness, the day when the nobles of the peoples will gather as the people of the God of Abraham (i.e., by faith)! Certainly, this would make the world a better place!

Another aspect of this passage is that it reveals that God wants to include all nations in his kingdom. Will we come and encourage others to come with us?

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This psalm urges us to respond to the victory of our God and King by living out a life that accurately declares who our God is and by our work we participate in his symphony of goodness.

In my last post, we saw the nations raging against God (46:6), but here we see them coming in peace as the people of the God of Abraham! Don't you long for the day when world leaders come to God by faith recognizing that he alone is our great king and defender? I do.

Several things jump out to me here: 1) God reigns over all the nations, not just one of them. 2) The rulers of multiple peoples will be gathered together under the banner of the Abrahamic covenant. 3) The defenses of the earth are ultimately in God's hands—not Captain America's for Yahweh is sovereign over the earth. 4) He is highly exalted whether we admit it or not.

This psalm focuses not on the nation per se, but on celebrating and living lives of worship before the victorious king. As a result, allow me to speak briefly about the troubling issue of nationalism. 

The following is not a politically partisan statement but a biblical call to align ourselves and our faith communities with the larger purposes of the Kingdom of God rather than worldly empires.

The Smallness of Nationalism, even Christian Nationalism

While I love my country and appreciate the great diversity of countries around the world, as people of God we have higher citizenship and greater loyalty than could ever be tied to an earthly nation. Though I am not an expert in this area of socio-political theory, I think there are a few things simple enough for me to point out.

While the common history, language, and cultural heritage of a nation can be a community strength and helps maintain unity and peace for its people, it is ultimately too weak, too small, and too temporary, to become the primary focus for followers of Christ. Here are several ways that nationalism is less than God’s best for us.

• 

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  It assumes entitlement and exceptionalism and seeks its own good over the good of
  others.
• It claims a primary loyalty from its people that should be given only to Christ.
• It assumes a right of ownership over land, language, wealth, and power of which we can only be stewards.
• It belittles the sovereignty of God by taking credit for both the building up and the pulling down of nations. This is pervasive in all political factions.
• It dims our views of the imago Dei in others for it magnifies differences between the members of the select in-group and all others (out-groups).
• It gives its adherents an ample excuse for not loving their enemies.

Having said these things, it may surprise you that while I am in favor of immigration reform I am not in favor of open borders, election tampering on any level, or a weak national defense. However, these national distinctives should be used in a way that benefits citizens and sojourners alike and humbly works for the good of all. Heaven, the Kingdom of God, no matter what your view is/will be made up of every tribe, tongue, and nation (e.g., Isa 66:18; Rev. 5:9-10; 7:9-10)—not just one, or a politically select few.

While contending for righteousness in society, the American church has often not thought as broadly as it should as “world Christians” and has narrowed its focus to making the most change for its "me and mine."

So much more could be said, so many more questions could be asked and attempted to answer, and so many objections could be entertained. Yet, this post is overlong already.

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I will suggest the following "rapid test" to indicate whether our hearts have been exposed to and infected by earthly nationalism, which is highly contagious. If we took a nasal swab that somehow captured trace DNA of our recent speaking, sniffing, snorting, and even breathing out forcefully, what would such a test reveal? 

For which of the following 3-Rs would we test positive?

• Passion for demanding and/or defending our own rights?
• Fomenting rebellion against some perceived political power, moral standard, or people?
• Consistently rejoicing in the reign of the King who will not show partiality but will make all things right?

Such a 3-R test is not comfortable, but it is needed if we are to heed the call to “sing praises” to our God and King Jesus Christ. One day, Psalm 47 will be fulfilled and its strains incorporated into the heavenly song! As it is written,

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, 

                and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,
    O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
    O King of the nations!
 Who will not fear, O Lord,
    and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
    All nations will come
    and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Rev. 15:3-4)

Psalm 46 A Very Present Help

The Sons of Korah whose psalms are most closely tied to Jerusalem and the Temple wrote one to be sung that would encourage a panicked people to focus on the steadfast protection of a non-slip Lord! Since the psalm is short, I will quote it all here.

Photo: Greg K, Dueker

¹God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

 

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

 

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)

God is our Refuge

This psalm contains some of the most familiar phrases from the entire Book. Specifically, in verse 1,

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.

And also the admonition of verse 10a “Be still and know that I am God” are often quoted in sermons and Christian literature alike. If we know that God is our fortress, then it will enhance our ability to “be still” in trusting the Lord through tumultuous times.

Nature Gone Wild

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On the surface, from a distance of at least 2500 years, the catastrophic nature imagery in the first section (v.1-3) reads like a Weather Channel "Top 10 Worst Ancient Disasters" special. It indicates that no matter how devastating of a natural catastrophe God’s people may face, our hope is in the Lord who is our refuge. This means that our hope is not in mountains to protect us from armies, nor in oceans to protect us from the navies of ambitious empires. God’s people are to look to him first and always as their mighty fortress.

Nations Run Amok

From perhaps a more historical-culturally informed perspective, we see earth and sea, mountains and waters, used as multiplied metaphors used to describe the chaotic and seemingly unstoppable advance of an enemy army like the Tsunamic waves of the sea that swallow up cities and strongholds (mountains) along the way. Peter Craigie, in his commentary, explains how the Lord both aspects of nature and nations fit, and yet there is also an eschatological element to be considered.

In the psalm, the natural implication of this creation theology is drawn out and expressed in a statement of confidence. Because God controls both history and nature, the chaotic threat which both may offer to human existence may be faced fearlessly. The very worst manifestation of chaos is merely a threat, for the Creator has mastered chaos. And yet, as Gunkel rightly observed, there is an eschatological element in the psalm, though it is implicit rather than explicit. The order of creation has been established, and yet the reality of human existence is that there continue to be manifestations of chaos. Faith in God's protection, expressed so profoundly in this psalm, is both present and proleptic, reaching forward to the time of God's ultimate conquest of chaos and establishment of peace.[1]

In verse 6a, we see the connections as “the nations raged” much as the waters “roar and foam” (v.3a) and the kingdoms tottered much as the mountains had been “moved into the heart of the sea” (v.2b). In light of these parallel images, it is likely that the context for this psalm was God’s deliverance of Judah from the Assyrian army at the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah (à2 Kings 18-19; Isaiah 36-37 for the narrative). Such was a time when Jerusalem certainly would have fallen if not for the intervention of the Lord on their behalf. The Assyrians had amassed an impressive undefeated record as they marched toward Jerusalem like a slow-motion tsunami.

Are We Fearful or Glad?

Like with the citizens of Jerusalem, our fears cry out for us to worry and hide. Yet our pride cries out that we can handle it on our own. We fight and grab and protect our own little slices of the world. Yet, in doing so we eventually become discouraged and are tempted to despair if we don’t put our faith in the Lord God.

Photo: Greg K. Dueker 2021

But what about “the river whose streams make glad the city of God” (v.4)? How does that verse fit this proposed historical setting? If this happened at the time of Hezekiah, John Philipps suggests that this river refers to the tunnel the king had built to bring the waters from the spring of Gihon (originally outside the city walls) into the city, thus giving it the ability to hold out against the Assyrian siege.

Knowing that sooner or later the Assyrian army would besiege Jerusalem, Hezekiah had taken wise and practical steps to ensure that Jerusalem had an unfailing water supply, no matter how long the siege. The spring of Gihon, located below the steep eastern hill of Ophel in the deep Kidron Valley, Jerusalem's most ancient water supply, was exposed to enemy attack. Hezekiah diverted the spring through a conduit, 1777 feet long and hewn out of solid rock, into a reservoir inside the city's walls. He then completely covered the ancient spring so that the enemy would not know it was there. Throughout the fearful siege, there was "a river, the streams whereof made glad the city of God." The psalmist tells us of this river, how impassive was its flow (46:4), and how impotent was its foe (45:5-7). 

        For all his great strength and cunning, the enemy knew nothing of this unfailing source of inner refreshment without which the city could not have lasted more than a month or two. Without that hidden river Jerusalem would have fallen, not from the strength of the foe without, but from weakness and failure within. Instead, the city had a secret river that kept it strong. [2]

Hezekiah's Tunnel with a constant flow of water
Davidbena, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This tunnel was and is quite a feat of engineering! It is very smooth inside. The two ends of this aqueduct have been excavated and visitors to Jerusalem can walk through the ankle-deep water from the spring to its other end near what was once the Pool of Siloam. I have walked through this tunnel and appreciated how refreshing it was on a hot summer day! I can imagine it was quite calming for the city to have such a hidden source of water when facing attacks from outside. Certainly, as Christians, we have access to a spiritual source of life that cannot be taken from us!

As this psalm makes clear, God is our fortress whether we are facing geologic turmoil, political strife, or both. God is still God, and his plans and purposes will be established. Everything else that we think to be solid and safe isn't. Earthquakes and invasions both have a way of shifting our stance and our perceptions regarding what is solid.

Also, if this historical setting is correct, then the “works” and “desolations” that the Lord has brought would refer to the overnight destruction of the Assyrian army (2 Sam 19:35; Isa. 37:36).

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

A biblical faith, such as that encouraged here, acknowledges our trust in God's character and power despite the overwhelming problems we face, then it quiets our hearts and directs our gaze, expectantly, to watch God work! And it is much better for us if his name is exalted... that means that we would honor and value and lift up his character as the greatest good. If we who claim to follow him did that consistently, just think how different the world would be!

Quite A Ride

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There are several different emotional / tempo shifts in this psalm...from the frantic description of natural disasters (v.2-3) to the calm and serene river of God (v.4), and then back to nations raging and desolations being wrought, ironic though they are (v. 6-9). Then back again to v. 10-11. Where are the peace and calm? They are in God...no matter what else is going on outside! In the end, the gladsome river is a symbol of the presence of the Lord himself in the midst of his people.

I am so glad, in light of the string of recent events in 2020-21 that we can hope in something more stable than the earth itself, someone more steadfast than a political party, and some place where no attack against us can prosper! Even today, we can "be still” and know that the Lord is God"! Yet have we made God our refuge and strength or are we still trying to fight our battles or pull off an epic escape by doing it ourselves?

The key to being still is trusting that there is no need for us to fear...for we are in God's hands. We are neither alone nor undefended. God doesn't promise a trouble-free life, but he is a "very present help in trouble”! And this world is not all that there is to the life that he shares with us.

With Us!

Did you notice that the promise of verse 1 is recast and twice repeated as a chorus (in verses 7 and 11) in this psalm? This chorus should ultimately inform our understanding of the psalm and the steadfast approach to life it describes. It reads, 

The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Patrick Henry Reardon in his work on the Psalms notices this refrain and comments as to its Christological significance.

“The twofold refrain says that God is “with us” in Hebrew ‘imannu. A close look at that word shows it to be most of the name of the Messiah, “Immanuel,” which literally means “with us God.” “God with us” is, of course, Christ our Lord, abiding in our midst all days, even to the end of the world.” [3]

As we head towards the Advent season, let us find our stability and our gladness in the presence of Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is indeed God with us! He invites all who are thirsty to come and drink!

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. (Rev. 21:6)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)

---

[1] Peter C. Craigie, Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1-50, (Word: Waco, TX) 1983, 346.

[2] John Phillips, Exploring the Psalms: Psalms 1-88 (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1988), 366.

[3] Patrick Henry Reardon, Christ in the Psalms, (Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press), 2000. 90.

 

Psalm 45 The True King & His Bride

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1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;

I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and majesty!

Psalm 45 is a royal psalm which means that it is focused upon the king, but not in a way that glorifies a political leader unduly. In this royal psalm, the psalmist helps us to see the ultimate king, the Messiah of Israel, and his bride. This work clearly arises out of the psalmist’s overflowing heart (v.1) to picture the king and his people in a marriage metaphor.

   In your majesty ride out victoriously
                                                for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
    let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
      Your arrows are sharp
                                                                                  in the heart of the king's enemies;
                                                                                                                                        the peoples fall under you. (v.4-5)

As I mentioned, the psalmist not only describes the ideal king of Israel, his bride, and the character of his kingdom, but he also prays for the king’s God-given mission to be accomplished. Isn't that what we want in a leader—someone to actually contend for the truth, vindicate the meek, and establish righteousness for all? Yet, the hard question is whether, as he rides forth to advance these causes will we find our cause fulfilled in his, or will we find that our heart is filled with self-deception, self-esteem, and selfishness? Will we participate in his plan to establish…

• Truth—there is stability and thus reliability that comes from truth, from faithfulness to that which God has spoken.
• Meekness—those who trust that God is their defender and that he is the one who will make their name great not their own actions. It is the gentleness of a powerful faith despite difficult circumstances.
• Righteousness—is what is right and just. It is the natural overflow of loving God and loving others. Righteousness is love-motivated obedience of heart and hands that keeps us from objectifying others and twisting our attention back upon ourselves.

I love the insight of the psalmist into the character of God through the role of a godly king for the sake of his people. I am also tickled at the ironic juxtaposition of "riding out victoriously" for worthy causes that include "meekness". While he does ride out victoriously, he does it in a way we might not expect… the counter-intuitive ways that God chooses to work in our lives and in the world! He rides forth very differently than we would if we wanted to change the world!

God's great mission of reconciliation is to bring truth, meekness, and generous justice into a world that is characterized by lies, arrogant demands of individual “rights” at others' expense, and systemic unrighteousness. It would be wonderful if verse four would be our prayer today...yes, Lord, do awesome deeds! Bring truth, meekness, and righteousness in your own way! And as Christ-followers we should also make it our mission as well!

45:6-8a                     Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

 The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
                       7 you have loved righteousness
                                 and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
                                                  with the oil of gladness
                                                              beyond your companions;
                      8 your robes are all fragrant

                                                  with myrrh and aloes and cassia.

Here we see the true king loving righteousness and ruling well as a result. What does it mean to love righteousness? It means that we love God and love other people and love doing so.

His Scepter of Uprightness ↑

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on Unsplash

Some people might be wondering what a scepter is. It was originally the king’s spear and over time came to be the symbol of a king's authority. Here in Psalm 45, we see that the authority of God's kingdom comes from uprightness... and that is a very good and glad thing for us all!

In this royal psalm, we see the ultimate king, the Spirit-anointed Messiah, whose authority comes from uprightness, not underhandedness. We should also be able to see the close connection of the "oil of gladness" to the rightful use of authority...which is seen far too seldom in human government, business, and even in the church.

His Heart Loved Righteousness ↔

⁷ “…you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions”

Verse 7 above, is quoted in the Epistle to the Hebrews as referring to Jesus. Do you think of Jesus as glad...more so than others? He was. Could it be because when we love what is right and work for what is true it makes us more joyful rather than glummer? His mission is fulfilled in joy! So will we rejoice at his invitation to join him in this crucial work of joyful restoration?

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on Unsplash

His Bride Responds With Joy (v. 10-15)

¹⁰ Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father's house,
¹¹     and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
¹² The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
    the richest of the people.

¹³ All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
¹⁴     In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
    with her virgin companions following behind her.
¹⁵ With joy and gladness they are led along
    as they enter the palace of the king.

¹⁶ In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
    you will make them princes in all the earth.
¹⁷ I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
    therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Photo by Thomas Christian on Unsplash

In these verses, we see poetically described the call to respond relationally as the bride of the king, clothed in beauty and led forth with joy and gladness, in a way very similar to the overflowing heart of the psalmist. In life with the king, his people are not consumed with the past, for they are made new in his presence.

We, in the bride, forget the past and fruitfully lean into the king’s desire. And in such a king, there is no fear of rejection, injustice, or abuse. Rather we are seen, known, and loved.

Our Lord and King, come quickly!

Psalm 44 The Cry of the Remnant

Photo: Greg K Dueker

Psalm 44 is almost like a microcosm of the entire book of Psalms. It is filled with statements of praise and remembrance, personal testimony, and national salvation history, as well as bitter lament and honesty, giving voice to the painful questions in the people's hearts. In that sense, it is highly relatable for many readers down through history who have known both the blessing of victory and the disgrace of adverse circumstances.

If we know the history of Israel in the Old Testament, we know that the only time that Israel’s armies were defeated in battle was when there was "sin in the camp”. God’s covenant with Israel was clear that if their hearts turned away to follow other gods then discipline would come, at the hands of other nations, to drive them back to the Lord their Deliverer. We see this pattern played out over and over. Eventually, God kept his promise to justly remove them from the land as a consequence of their constant wickedness as a nation.

But what about the faithful individuals who trusted the Lord despite the pressures of an ungodly culture? How did the prophets feel as they had to call an unresponsive nation to repentance? Overwhelmed, exhausted, discouraged, and even confused. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah fled the very real death threats against him from Queen Jezebel and lamented to God that he was the last servant of the Lord in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (19:10,14), but the Lord corrected Elijah’s emotional math. He was not alone,

“Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal…” (19:18).

How encouraging that must have been for Elijah to hear. Many of those 7000 certainly would have been encouraged by the ministry of Elijah.

Psalm 44 powerfully captures the lament of the faithful remnant during a time of great suffering. As such, it is instructive for us when our circumstances don’t seem to line up with our understanding and expectations of the Lord’s steadfast love.

“A Nation Under God’s Delight”

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on Unsplash

The first two stanzas of Psalm 44 form what I call the “Nation Under God’s Delight” section that recounts how God had first established Israel in the land in the distant past and also how God had shown his goodness to the psalmist himself. This section contains two parts, stories they had heard about and stories they had lived themselves.

Back in the Day—Stories They Had Heard (v. 1-3)

O God, we have heard with our ears,
     our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
     in the days of old:
you with your own hand drove out the nations,
       but them you planted;
  you afflicted the peoples,
       but them you set free;
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
    nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
             and the light of your face,
    for you delighted in them.

This first stanza of the psalm warmly recalls the faith-building stories they had heard of how the Lord worked in previous generations to drive out the Canaanites and plant Israel in the land, as a gracious act of God’s delight for his people.

The psalmist humbly makes a point of giving all the credit to God and not keeping any for Israel. As I read this, I have to ask, how much credit are we giving to God today and how much are we keeping for ourselves? In an election cycle, all politicians take as much credit as they can and deny responsibility for anything negative. However, if we take credit for the good, we also need to take responsibility for the bad.

What is profound here is that he writes, "we heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days". The stories passed down were not the fathers bragging about their successes or regaling them with how great things were, instead their stories were focused on what God had done on their behalf. So, how are we doing with telling our own "God stories?” Is God the hero of the stories told, or are we? I confess that too often it is the latter.

We Experienced Your Deliverance—Stories They Had Lived (v. 4-8)

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The psalmist had not only heard stories of God’s works of deliverance in previous generations, he has experienced such moves of God himself. He had lived such stories and witnessed the God-wrought victories in his own lifetime and boldly testifies about them. He continues to recognize that anything which Israel had accomplished was through the work of the Lord himself. It is believed that this would have been the testimony of the godly king,

For not in my bow do I trust,
    nor can my sword save me. (v.6)

As a result, their testimonies of the victory that they had received from the Lord amounted to a national bragging on the Lord, as verse 8 makes clear,

“In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever.”

When I read this stanza, I ask, how can we boast more fully in God our King and Savior today? Rehearsing the power and presence of God in the past will help us trust him more amid our present situations. This was how the psalmist prepared his heart to process his current shame.

As I have noted previously, the psalmist, the king, and the people had a rich heritage of powerful deliverances at the hand of God on behalf of their ancestors, and a testimony that had continued in this vein of victory and triumph of trust.

But then things changed…

Their “2020” Arrived

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The rest of the psalm is an aching lament expressing the feeling that God had abandoned them. Such feelings are a fairly normal reaction for us when things go from good to bad. However, it is usually not an accurate assessment of the situation. Just as the Israel of Psalm 44 had become a “byword” so too has the year 2020. In the future, we will likely use 2020 as a byword for “a really messed-up time.”

So far, in 2020, we have seen a global pandemic and the resulting economic and educational downturns associated with the mandated shutdowns. We have seen people awakened to stand together and peacefully protest racial injustice. We have seen anarchists prone to riot sacrificing the livelihoods of others on the altar of their demands. Our region in the Pacific NW has also been swept with wind-driven wildfires and blanketed in smoke so thick it blots out the sun. Yet as bad as it seems here there are many places where the social and personal pain is far greater. I have heard intense reports from many countries including Italy, India, Iran, and Indonesia.

In Psalm 44, the psalmist’s context had experienced a complete reversal from good to terrible! Did this mean that God had left, or that his love had failed? This was an honest question from a burdened heart. That’s how they felt… and sometimes we might feel the same way. The lament section of the psalm contains three stanzas which we will examine in turn.

“But It Doesn’t Seem Like You Delight in Us” (v. 9-16)

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What do we do when everything that seemed to be going great isn’t anymore? Have we grown so used to prosperity and comfort that we expect it or that we feel entitled to it?

Ancient Israel saw a more direct and immediate correlation between outward circumstances and the condition of the person’s/nation’s heart and actions before God. However, this is often not the case. Sometimes circumstances don’t line up and are not a result of any kind of personal sin. That’s why we have the book of Job in the Bible! Speaking of Job, this psalm is reminiscent of both the story and lament of Job who also didn’t understand why it felt like God was punishing him though he was innocent.

What do we do to process our internal dissonance in this 2020 time?

The psalmist presents a poetic list of how God had not shown them the same level of blessing the “the fathers” had received. In a list of six, “you have” statements, the full scope of their reversal is seen. It concludes this way,

You have made us a byword among the nations,
     a laughingstock among the peoples.
All day long my disgrace is before me,
    and shame has covered my face
  at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
    at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. (v.14-16)

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona 
on Unsplash

Instead of being delivered and given land, they have lost everything. They had been defeated, despoiled, deported, devalued, despised, derided, and daily disgraced. To say the least, there is a great deal of spiritual/emotional dissonance being expressed in this psalm.

It might seem pretty bold to pin all this on the Lord as though accusing him of dereliction of duty, but the psalms give us both the permission and vocabulary, to be honest with God. Among other things, lament psalms process our feelings of disappointment, loss, and shame through the character of God. That is what we see here. There is a tone of deep grief over intense loss and intense frustration over the continued indignities that they were suffering.

“Our Heart has not Turned Back” (v. 17-22)

The community of the faithful then lists several “we have not” statements defending their innocence in answer to the previous stanza’s “you have” indictments of God’s care and describing an apparently withdrawn divine blessing. Where was God in all this?

While it may be true that the psalmist was faithful, and accurately represented the position of other faithful people, over the years I have observed that we tend to overestimate our faithfulness while underestimating God’s present work on our behalf.

If we trust in our own efforts, it should come as no surprise that we can't see God working on our behalf. Just saying!

At the same time, we need to recognize this is the cry of the remnant throughout history, for the godly will be opposed. Their lament in verse 22...

Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

is quoted centuries later by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8 in an extended discussion of how nothing can separate us from “the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”, certainly not “tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword.” (See Romans 8:18-36)

In fact, it is this trust in the steadfast love of God that anchored the psalmist and the remnant community as they now ask the questions they can no longer refrain from asking.

Please Wake Up and Help! (v. 23-26)

Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
Why do you hide your face?
    Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
    our belly clings to the ground.
Rise up; come to our help!
    Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! 

They express their internal dissonance by asking three “why?” questions in rapid-fire style before concluding in prayer based on the faithful love of God that is working even when we can’t see it. We may never know the why behind what we face. But we can know the one who is with us in the midst, the one who promises that he will not leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

This psalm started by affirming trust in the Lord and God's faithfulness in the past. Then it expressed their confusion and even anger at their currently being defeated...but they processed their emotions and thoughts through trust in God. Finally, the psalm ends with the prayer of v. 26 which is still our prayer today!

Rise up; come to our help!
    Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!

 His steadfast love is our only hope! And an amazing hope it is!

 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Rom. 8:18)