Through My Bible Yr 02 – June 09

Psalms 74

Through My Bible – June 09

Psalms 74 (EHV)

See series: Through My Bible

Psalm 74

The Destruction of the Temple

Heading

A maskil [1] by Asaph.

Introductory Plea

1Ā Why do you stay angry to the end, O God?
Why does your anger smoke against the flock in your pasture?
2Ā Remember your community that you purchased long ago,
the tribe that you redeemed to be your possession.
Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.
3Ā March toward the perpetual ruins.
March against all the evil done by the enemy in the sanctuary.

The Destruction

4Ā Your foes roared in the middle of your appointed place.
They set up their battle standards as signs.
5Ā They looked like men swinging axes in a thicket of trees.
6Ā Yes, they even chopped up all the carved paneling
    with their hatchets and hammers.
7Ā They delivered your sanctuary to the fire.
They defiled the dwelling place for your Name
    by throwing it to the ground.
8Ā They said in their hearts, ā€œWe will crush them completely!ā€
They burned all the appointed places of God in the land.

Deserted?

9Ā We do not see any signs to guide us.
There is no longer a prophet,
and none of us knows how long this will go on.
10Ā How long will the foe scoff, O God?
Will the enemy insult your name forever?
11Ā Why do you hold back your hand, even your right hand?
Take it out of your pocket [2] and finish them off!

God’s Past Goodness

12Ā But you, O God, are my king from long ago,
the one who works salvation right here on earth.
13Ā It was you who shattered the sea by your power.
You broke the heads of the great sea monsters.
14Ā It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan. [3]
You gave him as food to the people who live in the desert.
15Ā It was you who opened up a spring and a seasonal stream.
You dried up the rivers that flow year-round.
16Ā The day belongs to you, and the night is also yours.
You set the moon and sun in place.
17Ā It was you who laid out all the boundaries of the earth.
Summer and winter—you shaped them.

Plea for Relief

18Ā Remember this—the enemy scoffs, Lord,
and a foolish people has insulted your name.
19Ā Do not surrender the life of your turtledove to a wild animal.
Do not forget the life of your afflicted ones forever.
20Ā Pay attention to the covenant,
because dens of violence fill the dark places in the land.
21Ā Do not let the oppressed turn back in disgrace.
Let the poor and needy praise your name.
22Ā Rise up, O God, and prosecute your case.
Remember how the fools mocked you all day long.
23Ā Do not forget the sound of your foes,
the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 74:1 A maskil is perhaps a skillful psalm, a psalm for teaching, or a psalm which gives understanding.
  2. Psalm 74:11 Literally the folds of your garment
  3. Psalm 74:14 Leviathan is a sea monster with many heads. Here it seems to be a symbol of the power of the sea.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage VersionĀ®, EHVĀ®, Ā© 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.