Psalm
44 was written for the choir director and it ascribes the authorship to the
sons of Korah. We do not know the exact occasion that led to the composition of
this poem, but we know it is a time of the nation’s lament for Israel. Being a
miskil, this is a Psalm meant to instruct believers. The content tells us that
the people of God were undergoing great times of distress and were wondering
why God allowed them to go through this hardship. They had suffered a devastating
military defeat and many were slaughtered like sheep. Their land was plundered and
some were taken captives, while others fled from their enemies and scattered
among the nations. Yet they insisted that they had been faithful and loyal to
God, but were made a mockery to the nations.
What’s
puzzling to them was God had been the strong deliverer of their fathers in time
past. Their fathers narrated to them how God had driven the natives of the land
out and gave the land to Israel and settled them there. The Psalmist did not
hesitate to acknowledge that it was to God that they gave their allegiance. It
was God that the Psalmist trusted and not the weapons of war. Despite this loyalty,
yet they had to suffer, but they still would offer their praise to Him. As they
scanned through their past, they saw a stark contrast between what they were
going through and the experience of their forefathers. What they were going
through made them feel that God had rejected and humbled them. Their armies were
defeated by the enemies in battle and they all had to flee. Their possessions even
became the enemies’ booty of war. Many were destroyed, others had to be dispersed
among the nations, and still others sold as slaves. They became objects of mockeries,
and were jeered and sneered at by people surrounding them.
They
would have taken the negatives better had they been unfaithful or disloyal to
God. But the fact was they had been loyal and faithful. Had God forgotten them?
They wondered. Why did God not accord the victories that their fathers had
enjoyed? Instead they were crushed in deserted places like jackals. They
wondered if this was the reward for their loyalty. They assumed that when one trusts
God, they should not be going through all these. But we know that believers still
do encounter some unpleasant experiences even when we have put our trust in
God. The fact is that we live in a fallen world. The law of the jungles state
that only the fittest survive. This idea had led to aggression and believers
are oftentimes the victims of such aggression. Like Job, whom God said was the
most righteous and just person, yet the proportion of his suffering was
unimaginable. Yes, we all have to endure suffering to some degree, but faith in
God will help to make them bearable.
Verses
23-26 seem to bother on rudeness. They suggest that God was asleep and unconcerned
about what they were going through. How dare one speaks to God this way? Let’s
be quick to know that God welcomes our honesty. We can share intimacy with God to
a degree that we can be openly honest with Him. We can conclude that the
Psalmist had an intimate relationship with God and was expressing his desire
for a swifter intervention. These verses also show us how desperate the author
was, to have concluded that way. Honestly speaking, there are depths of
suffering many of us have not yet plumbed, and could never comprehend. Without exception
all of us have been puzzled by experiences we considered unfair and yet had to
go through. But in the light of Christ’s coming and His atoning works at
Calvary, suffering should take a different meaning for us Christians. In fact
we are told in Romans that those whom God loves, He disciplines. More than just
bringing distraught, trials and hardship can drive us closer to God. We must
know that nothing in this world can ever separate us from God’s love in Christ
Jesus. Characters are often forged through storms.
So
like the Psalmist in his perplexity and difficulty, we must still trust that God
has the capacity to redeem us. So he prayed, ‘redeem us’. We can be assured
that He will redeem, but not because we deserve it, but because of His lovingkindness
and unfailing love. Beloved, God neither sleeps nor slumbers, as told in Psalm
121. We always emerge as victors in Christ when we walk through our suffering arm
in arm with Him. Yes, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
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