Prayer For and Against Enemies of God’s People

Psalms 83:1-18
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!

2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.

4 They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."
5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:

6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot.

Selah

9 Deal with them as with Midian,
As with Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor,
Who became as refuse on the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,
Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, "Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession."

13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
Like the chaff before the wind!

14 As the fire burns the woods,
And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.

16 Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O LORD.

17 Let them be confounded and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD,
Are the Most High over all the earth.

This song is a prayer for God to intervene against the enemies of His people.  It begins with asking God to act because the situation is so dire; the psalmist begs the LORD to move and to speak out against them, for it seems that they cannot wait any longer for His providence in their persecution.  Their enemies have caused excessive trouble and disorder, proudly coming against them and counseled together as a conspiracy to destroy Israel.  They aimed to eliminate the nation God had created, a bad pattern for the enemies of the cross of Christ to eliminate that people who are of all nations, including Israel, as promised to Abraham.  This confederacy of evil was composed of the peoples of the nations which were to be defeated by Israel when clearing a righteous place for their new nation, but failed to do.  Now these enemies were out to do the same together in retaliation.  They hated both God and God’s people.  Think about the ramifications for us.  Therefore, the psalmist asked the LORD to intervene, to deal decisively with these enemies as He had with prior ones named here.  He asks them to be reduced to dust and blown away by the wind, to be pursued by storm and tempest, then burned up, to put them to shame and instill the fear of God in them because of His impending judgment.  Why?  So that they would also seek God’s name when shamed and fearful.  If not, then that they would be utterly confused and disappointed in their confederacy against God’s chosen people, and that they would be brought to nothing.  Why?  So that they would be forced to confess He is LORD, the most high divine ruler over them all (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:10-12, Philippians 2:9-10) and give Him the glory due Him.  We also pray for our enemies to bow before Christ, the Lord and King (1 Timothy 6:14-15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16) as they fight against us for His name’s sake and that of the everlasting gospel.  This is also our prayer for and against God’s enemies.