The title tells us that Psalm 74 is
a miskil of Asaph and has teaching value. No other information is given by the
title. A scan of the content of the Psalm tells us that the temple was being
invaded by enemies. This probably took place at the beginning of the Babylonian
exile under King Nabuchadnezzar, when Jerusalem was destroyed. This Psalm was a
national lament where the speaker was speaking on behalf of the nation. Asaph
would have died before 586 BC when the Babylonians seized Jerusalem. Attributing him as
the author could simply mean that the choir he once led sang this song, or that
this was written by one of his descendants.
Broadly
speaking, the Psalm has two distinctive parts. In verses 1-11 we see the
statement of Israel’s destruction. He specifically talked about the destruction
of the sanctuary. Then in verses 12-23, the Psalmist voiced his hope for
Israel. He was sure that the Lord would intervene because of the past
experience they had, where the Lord had intervened. Thus that confidence
engendered the boldness in the petition recorded in verses 18-23. He sought the
Lord’s intervention on behalf of the nation.
The circumstances
of the Israelites at this point in time must be excruciatingly painful. They sorely felt the destruction of the temple. But what’s worst
was the feeling of abandonment by God. The Psalmist reminded the Lord of their
covenant relationship and the unique bond they had with Him. He recollected how
God’s great and supernatural signs protected them. Not able to endure the
painful sight any longer, the Psalmist interceded for the Lord to come to their
rescue.
Verses 1-11 describe the deplorable
state Israel was in. The temple was desecrated and burnt to the ground by the
enemy. The prophets of the land had disappeared and vanished completely. And no
one had any clue how long they had to endure this state of ruin. In verses 12-17,
the Psalmist reminisced God’s past deliverances of Israel and stated his confidence
that God still had the power to deliver again. He not only appealed to the fact
that God’s honor was at stake, but that He had the power to do so based on what
the nation had experienced in the past. He recalled how God brought them out of
their bondage in Egypt and opened the Red Sea for them. He also recalled how He
destroyed the pursuing army of Pharaoh who were covered by the sea. The destruction
of Leviathan was talking about the defeat of Egypt. Furthermore, in their wilderness
journey God had provided water for them and even dried up the water of River Jordan
to enable them to cross into the promised land. The Psalmist was sure that just
as God had power over nature – the seas, the luminaries in the sky, the seasons
- He certainly had the power over all of Israel’s enemies.
The Psalmist was led to offer the second prayer in
verses 18-23. He reminded the Lord of how the enemy had reproached and
blasphemed His name. He begged God not to forget His people nor deliver them
over to their enemies. Here he also reminded God of the covenant they had with
Him and pleaded with Him to hear their prayer. His desire was that they would not
be put to shame because of their prayers went unheard by God. The Psalmist
asked God to consider their daily reproach and not to forget the voice of the
enemies that rose against Him. In this Psalm, we are again reminded that God’s arms
are not too short that He cannot save. Neither are His ears too dull that He
cannot hear. Even if our circumstances are the result of our own making, God is
compassionate and will hear our petition for help. He is far more gracious than
we can imagine. We can still come to Him
and be assured that He will abundantly forgive and mightily deliver. When we are up against the threatening circumstances,
remember to flee to the ever secure refuge of God through earnest prayer.
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