Psalms 79:1-13
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
2 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.
3 Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
5 How long, LORD?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.
8 Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
9 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!
10 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.
11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
12 And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13 So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
This dirge, a song of lament for those who died at the hand of the enemy, is mixed with a prayer of hope for deliverance and atonement to cover the sins of God’s people while executing judgment on those not knowing or following Him. It is a lament for sin’s punishment and praise for God’s grace of atonement. Asaph laments the defilement of God’s holy temple and people at the hand of the ungodly of the nations. It was so bad that their bodies lay strewn about, not properly buried, as the carrion eating birds feasted on them. Their enemies made them a reproach to look down on and a source of ridicule to see and talk about in a bad light. So Asaph asked the question all God’s people do when oppressed and destroyed, “how long, oh LORD, how long will your anger allow us to suffer?” And, “Will His jealousy for His people consume them?” These questions surface again and again until the end (Revelation 6:10) when God judges the unrighteous and ungodly finally and for eternity. We anticipate His judgment and hang our certain hope on the atoning death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, our great and just God of merciful grace, humbly knowing we were also once His enemies (Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21) and deserving of the same justice. Christ is the just one who is our justifier (Romans 3:26) in whose righteousness we now confidently stand! God will certainly pour out His wrath against sin on all the nations, the people who do not know Him or call on His name for salvation and worship (Genesis 4:26, 1 Corinthians 1:2). By His work and according to God’s righteousness in Christ alone we find tender mercies to cover our iniquity and atonement for our sins for the glory of His name, the name above all names (Philippians 2:9-11, Isaiah 45:23-24). Though the world asks where is our God, His vengeance on them will be their answer as the psalmist here spoke and asked God to do. We who are the sheep of God’s pasture, Jew and Gentile alike, we give eternal thanks and praise for our deliverance from our just end under His wrath according to His word of grace. This is why we collectively praise Him until He returns for the final judgment (Jude 1:14-15) on sin and elimination of its presence among us. Come quickly, Lord (1 Corinthians 16:22, Revelation 22:12, 20)!
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