A Dirge and a Prayer for Israel, Destroyed by Enemies
A Psalm of Asaph.
O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps. The dead bodies of Your servants they have given as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those who are around us. How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, and on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.
Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake! Why should the nations say
“Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight the avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed. Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; according to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are appointed to die; and return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord. So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations.”
Even before the Israelites entered Canaan, God warned them that if they rejected Him, He would reject them. Deuteronomy 32 contains the Song of Moses, God’s specific warnings to the Israelites if they would prove to be unfaithful.
“They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; they have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; it shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
‘I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them. They shall be wasted with hunger, devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword shall destroy outside; there shall be terror within for the young man and virgin, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.”
(Deuteronomy 32:21-25)
God gave Moses that song, commanding it to be taught to all succeeding generations, but the Israelites failed. Subsequently, God repeatedly sent prophets, many of whom were ignored or even murdered by those who should have been listening. Now the day of reckoning has arrived and suddenly the Israelites are trying to blame God for their problems. Jerusalem has been attacked and the temple sacked and destroyed. The streets are littered with rotting corpses. Educated people who could lead a rebellion have been slaughtered. Survivors have been dragged off into captivity in chains.
This psalm was undoubtedly penned by one of the sons of Asaph who lived well after the time of David. Throughout all generations, God has always had a remnant of true-hearted followers, and this writer is undoubtedly one of them. Notice what the writer does not say: He does not attempt to defend the actions of the majority of the citizens of Jerusalem. While Solomon started the problem by building shrines to pagan gods throughout Jerusalem, succeeding generations have compounded the problem, setting up Asherah poles and other shrines throughout the country, burning children to Molech, and generally honoring every demon going.
“Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake! Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?” The psalmist appeals to God on the basis of God’s nature, His mercies, and His great Name, not holding brief for the actions of the Israelites.
If you study Bible history, you know that eventually Cyrus King of Persia put out a call for Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. But for seventy years, those exiled in Babylon got a first-hand look at the workings of a totally pagan society in which idol worship was freely practiced. The Israelites had wanted to enjoy the benefits of a society based on God’s commands while playing with demons in addition; however, light and darkness can’t mix.
The psalm ends with the writer promising that if God will deliver the Israelites, they will praise Him forever. Only God knows the human heart, so only God knows if succeeding generations have fulfilled this promise.
APPLICATION: “Actions have consequences” is a maxim every good parent teaches to their children. But it’s shocking how many people feel such a strong sense of entitlement that they believe they can behave badly and not reap the results. One horrible example is the health consequences of smoking e-cigarettes. Shortly after vaping became a phenomenon, health care providers began seeing young people with horrific lung damage, much of it irreversible. One friend working as a school secretary reported students hiding paraphernalia in their clothing so they could sneak off to the toilets to vape. Sadly, numbers of people are still indulging in this dangerous practice in a form of health roulette, betting that they will be among the lucky ones who will escape with normal lungs.
God’s promises and His warnings hold true today just as they always have. Are we paying attention or are we hoping that somehow God hasn’t really meant His commandments? God promises in Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’ Why should we repeat the mistakes of the ancient Israelites? Why not follow God whole-heartedly so that He can protect and guide us?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives so that You may bless us as only You can. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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