* The image titled, "Sennacherib's Army Defeated" is in a book by Luiken, Jan (1649-1712) which is titled "De schriftuurlyke geschiedenissen en gelykenissen van het Oude en Nieuwe Verbond / Vertoonende drie honderd zeven en dertig konstige figuuren ; verrykt met bybelse verklaaringen en stichtelyke verzen, door Joannes Luiken, met het leven van den dichter."
The Angel of the Lord defeats Sennacherib's army. The Dutch artist and poet Johannes Luyken (1649-1712) drew and etched this emblem and wrote the accompanying poem.
2 Kings 19 and 2 Chronicles 32 are cited.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu. It is now in public domain.
>1. Who is the author? How does this psalm start out? Why is the author remember God's great miracles in ancient times past? (3)
* Psalm 44:1-3 "We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them."
* The title of the psalm is "For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.".
* "have heard with our ears... our fathers..." -The parents and grandparents told them. They would have also heard it from the prophets and priests. Oral teaching from generation to generation is very important.
* "fathers" -Implies not only immediate fathers, but includes all generations before.
* "With your hand you drove out... you crushed" -God enabled them to live where they were not.
* "not their sword" -They had swords, like the Sons of Korah. But without God the sword will not bring victory.
* The Sons of Korah wrote this prayer for the nation to pray collectively. The occasion is an invasion. When ancient nations marched out toward their neighbors to invade them, it was not a fast-moving event. Rather, the army's invasion was a slow-paced caravan. News of an invasion spread quickly. When people living and working in the country received the ill news they moved to and barricaded themselves in a nearby fortified city. The people in the city were given this prayer to recite together.
The first junction when united in peril is to remember how the Lord saved us in the past. As a nation can anyone recall the times the Lord saved us? Do parents teach their children to remember and not forget? "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, '"'Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.'" (Deuteronomy 4:9-10)
A nation that does not remember, celebrate, or teach its children past deliverance through the hand of the Lord Jesus will fall to fear and panic when invaded.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 44:1-3.
>2. What does the Sons of Korah call God? Notice how he personalized it. What did the Sons of Korah know about victories even though it was through him that the victories happened?
* Psalm 44:4-5 "You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes."
* "my King" -"Melek" in the original Hebrew used 2,523 times only referring to the position of king.
* "my God" -"Elohim" in the original Hebrew used 2,606 times. The same name for God in Genesis 1:1. The Psalms used this name for God often.
* "decrees victories" -God says and it happens often through people, angels, and nature.
* "through you we" -"Nagah" is the first Hebrew word meaning "push" and "shem boos" is the second meaning "name, renown tread".
* The modern-day reader of the Bible may repeat the phrase, "You are my King and my God," however, what it meant to the Sons of Korah is probably not the same to modern-day parishioners. Few live in a society these days that is monarch-ruled. A king or queen is one by birth and by hereditary right. They are the sole and absolute ruler. They command twenty-four hours a day through armed military. People in their kingdom are their subjects.
I suspect the modern-day follower of Jesus equates a king's rule to that of working in a company. They have a supervisor who instructs what they do for a few hours of the day. Their supervisor has a boss who has a boss who is held accountable by investors and a board of trustees. If the worker doesn't like their job they find a new supervisor to report to at a different company. A monarch is not like this. A king's rule is all day for life, no leaving, no escape, no exception except by a king's decree.
When I first said, "Jesus I accept you as absolute King and Savior of my life," I knew in my heart that though I freely wanted Jesus to save me I was hesitating to give him absolute control of my life. Having a king is absolute. I really did want Jesus to be my absolute king. So I surrendered control of my life to Jesus. I gave myself to Jesus then and now. I meant it what I said a second time, "Jesus I accept you as absolute King and Savior." I have to remind myself every day that Jesus is my King and my God. I am not my king.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 44:4-5.
>3. Accepting God makes victories happen what does the Sons of Korah conclude? (6-7) What does he do? (8) How does verse 20 reveal the Sons of Korah's posture as he made his boasts all day long? (8)
* Psalm 44:6-8 "I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah"
* Israel fought battles and won. the Sons of Korah was humble enough to know God made it all happen.
* "make our boast" -Verse two indicated "...spread out our hands..." was involved.
* Grasping a tool in hand,
I will not trust.
Possess a skill of mind,
I do not boast.
Victory be not mine,
Though I have the most.
Jesus fought the enemy.
Jesus won the victory.
Jesus prayed at Gethsemane.
Jesus hung at Calvary.
Jesus rose to triumph for me.
Jesus ascend holy be he.
The only King,
to worship for me.
The only King,
to boast for me.
The only King,
in God Jesus be.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 44:6-8.
II. You Have Rejected Us (44:9-16)
* The image titled, "Jerusalem Delivered from Sennacherib" is in a bible by Luther, Martin (1483-1546, tr.) which is titled "Biblia, das ist, Die gantze heilige Schrifft : Deudsch / Doct. Mart. Luth.
In fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, God delivers Hezekiah and Jerusalem by sending an angel through the Assyrian camp at night, slaying 185,000 men.
2 Kings 19 and 2 Chronicles 32 are cited.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu. It is now in public domain.
>4. How does the psalm switch from victory to failure? (9-12) Who was doing this? How bad was it? What did the Sons of Korah compare God to? (11)
* Psalm 44:9-12 "But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale."
* "You" -God made them fail even though they were his chosen people. God is indeed like a good Father.
* "Forsaken us" -God caused suffering defeat.
* "devoured us like sheep" -Was not a good shepherd.
* The Lord disciplined Israel through the invading enemy. As the author of Hebrews wrote, "And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?" (Hebrews 12:5-7)
Israel continued in sin. They did not repent. So God disciplined them. They were defeated in battle. They huddled together behind their barricaded stronghold walls. God had rejected and humbled them. He did not fight in their battles. They lost and had to retreat. The emptied villages were plundered. The wealth they took pride in disappeared. They were devoured like wolves kill sheep. Those who could not make it to the stronghold scattered to other nations. The nations considered the once proud Israelites a joke, an example of how a nation fails. Israel was humiliated.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I cannot consider myself immune to temptation's allure. What is pleasant today brings what is unpleasant tomorrow. When tempted I need to fear the consequences if I engage in sin. Self-discipline is better than being disciplined by God. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) My God is a jealous God. Therefore, self-discipline.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 44:9-14.
>5. What does it mean to be a reproach to neighbors? (13) A byword? (14) How did they make their reproach visible for God's people to see? (14)
* Psalm 44:13-14 "You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us."
* "reproach" -To express disapproval of, criticism of, or disappointment in.
* "derision" -Contemptuous or jeering laughter.
* "byword" -A proverbial expression, an often used proverb in this case as an example of someone who God made fail miserably.
* the nations" -The Hebrew word "goy" means other nations, those who are not Israelites.
>6. How does the Sons of Korah take the reproach of the Gentiles? 15-16) What happened to him personally?
* Psalm 44:15-16 "My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge."
* "My disgrace... my face... revile me" -the Sons of Korah took it personal.
* "who is bent on revenge" -the Sons of Korah's enemies took advantage of the nations defeats to personally attack him.
* Feeling sad for someone's misfortunes is one thing. However, doing something to help them is quite another thing. Is identifying with someone by feeling bad for them while doing nothing anything? For me, yes. For them, no. Compassion is better than indifference. And indifference to suffering is no different than revenge.
Wanting revenge against someone is one thing. However, acting out revenge against someone is quite another thing. Is there a distinction between the emotion and the action? For me, no. For them, yes.
Since compassion and revenge are generated from my heart, then whether I act upon those heart compulsions or not is of little distinction to me. They stay with me. However, the subject of my compassion or revenge is not affected if I do not act upon them.
Yet, emotions seldom if ever end in a moment. The healthy soul and problem soul are not stagnant. The author of this psalm was affected by their enemy's revenge. The Sons of Korah were disgraced and belittled. They carried shame for no offense to their enemy. Taunts, reproach, and revile came from third parties. The enemy's revenge was contagious. Many were affected not for the better, but for the worse. Revenge even if only in the heart is not good for many. Revenge destroys society. Compassion betters all.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 44:15-16.
III. Vindicate Me O GOd (44:17-26)
* The image titled, "Why?" is in a book by Quarles, Francis (1592-1644) which is titled "Emblemes, by Fra. Quarles."
This image shows Job pleading with an angel asking why horrible things happened to him. The angel is shown turning his face away from Job.
Job 13 cited.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu. It is now in public domain.
>7. Though failure happened how does the Sons of Korah say they responded? Was failure the result of breaking the covenant? Did their hearts change? What did the Sons of Korah consed if they did? Since they didn't, what can we learn about failure? (John 9:3-5)
* Psalm 44:17-22 "All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
* John 9:3-5 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
* "your covenant -Exodus 19-24.
* "your path" -The way marked out in God's covenant.
* I accepted Jesus as my personal absolute Lord and Savior four decades ago. Shall I say it has been forty days and forty nights? I accepted the covenant of the blood and flesh of the Lord Jesus, (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) as the author, the Sons of Korah accepted the covenant of Moses in their youth. (Exodus 19-24)
The Sons of Korah state since then they had not forgotten the Lord or been false to the covenant the Lord made with Israel at Mount Sinai. (17) Their hearts had not turned back to Egypt. (18) They had not strayed from the path marked out for them in the covenant. (18) They are stating that they have not sinned since their adoption as sons of the Living God.
Yet, now they are crushed under despair. (19) They are forced by the enemy to dwell day and night in a desolate place where one can imagine jackals, wolves, and large beasts such as dragons linger in caves and crevices. In lowly earth cavities death-shades bring chilling bone pain and skin chaps. The flesh sun warmed is forgotten. The desolation devastating is at the Lord's hand. (19, also 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
Is this true? Does the loving Lord let happen or even orchestrate the life of those who walk the covenant life in such a manner? What does this mean, "Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered?" (22) This will be considered in the next BDBD.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 44:17-22.
>8. Why did these things happen? (22) Who quoted this? (Romans 8:36) What can be learned about the Christian lifestyle?
* Psalm 44:22 "Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
* "Yet" -"as a matter of fact" or "as you know God"
* "for your sake" -God's glory and benefit.
* Romans 8:31-39 "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
* "Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." Apostle Paul quoted this stanza to the persecuted congregation in Rome. (Romans 8:36) Like the Sons of Korah had been removed from worship and service at the temple in Jerusalem by an enemy, the Christian congregation in Rome had been first expelled from the Jewish congregations in Rome and then persecuted by the Roman authorities and their neighbors. The church in Rome and Apostle Paul experienced trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and the sword. (Romans 8:35) Though in the covenant of the blood, sanctified by the blood and the Spirit they suffered for the name sake of Jesus.
Prior to quoting verse 22, Apostle Paul wrote, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) Just as all creation was subjected to frustration as in the pains of childbirth, not by its choice (Romans 8:20, 22), so the congregation in Rome and the Sons of Korah had been subject to frustrations and persecution not because they had done anything wrong. (Romans 8:23) Suffering in Christ, that is for his name's sake, is normal and to be expected for all believers in Jesus the Messiah.
Though the Sons of Korah, the congregation in Rome, and myself are directed by God's orchestration to participate in the suffering of Christ (1 Peter 4:13), who though he was righteous and the Son of God was a man of sorrow and familiar with suffering, was also more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37) Though Jesus was crucified he rose to life and is seated at the right hand of God. (Romans 8:32, 34)
Apostle Peter writes to all congratulations in the covenant of the blood, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange was happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:12-17) The judgment is executed by God.
Hope and help by the Spirit exist though I have weakness while suffering for his name's sake. (Romans 8:24, 26) More on this in the next few questions.
Listen to the above comments on Psalm 44:22.
>9. How does the author conclude? (23-26) Is God really asleep when we suffer? See Mark 4:37-38. What can we learn about a proper response to hardship that does not happen as a result of sin?
* Psalm 44:23-26 "Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love."
* "Why do you sleep" -God was not unaware. The disciples said the same when Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat while the storm raged. (Mark 4:37-38)
* Mark 4:37-38 "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?'"
* "brought down to the dust" -About to die.
* The author has a final plea to the Lord Jesus. The Sons of Korah appeals for his help. They are his people. They are in need. They have endured. The Lord has brought about this calamity. They have not lost faith. The Lord has been asleep. "Arise... Do not reject us forever." They are waiting just as I am waiting for Jesus to return again in victory to redeem me from a generation who has turned their back on God. "Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love."
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)
