Psalms In My Palms - Book 4 - Lament

Turtledoves

Psalm 74:1-23

          Psalm 74 is another beautiful LAMENT Psalm created for community usage with Hebrew Poetry of the highest quality. Israel had experienced God's miraculous deliverance in the past and now they wanted to see it happen again amidst their present troubles.

The theme is evident in the first verse. Psalm 74:1-8 (based on Psalms 13:1; 61:4; 91:11, 15)-(NKJV)-"O God, why have You cast me off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against...":

1. "The SHEEP OF YOUR PASTURE?" (Psalms 23; 100:3; Isaiah 53:6)

2. "REMEMBER YOUR CONGREGATION, which You have purchased of old," (Psalm1:4-5; Exodus 12:3-"Speak unto the congregation")

3. "The TRIBE OF YOUR INHERITANCE, which You have redeemed-" (Genesis 49:28; Psalm 22:4; Deuteronomy 4:2)

4. "This MOUNT ZION where You have dwelt." (Lamentation 5:6-7! 9-10; 1 Kings 8:1 originally Jebusite land but now the city of David)

"Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations." (God, get up and walk and stop this!; Psalm8:6; Luke 8:35; Revelation1:15) The invasion of foreigners had created a problem. The enemy emphasized this as a sign of God's anger toward His own people, Israel. But notice the relationship in Love of God's care of His people. "The SHEEP OF YOUR PASTURE" (personal); YOUR CONGREGATION...PURCHASED" (religious group); YOUR TRIBE OF INHERITANCE" (national group); YOUR PLACE OF DWELLING." (Center of God's Presence. In the center is God!; 1 John 4:15; Lamentations 2:19)

In Psalm 74:3-8-NKJV)-Three names are used for God's holy place: the Sanctuary, the Meeting House, and the Dwelling place of Your Name. Asaph was alarmed at what he saw; his heart is broken by the devastation of the temple!

Because:

1. "The enemy has damaged everything in the SANCTUARY." (Lord, prepare me to be a Sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true; With Thanksgiving I'll be a living sanctuary for You. Purify and reconstruct Your temple in me!- my prayer)

2. "Your enemies roar in the midst of Your Meeting Place;" (Lamentations 2:7)

3. "They set up their banners for signs." Numbers 2:2; the enemy is taking over with their own banner of standards)

4. "They seem like men who lift up axes among the thick trees." (They are cutting up all that is sacred to Israel.)

5. "And now they break down its carved work, all at once, with axes and hammers." (Imagine seeing all that is precious to them being cut up and hacked down when they were so sacred to the Israelites. Only the priests ever touched some of the temple and now ungodly people hacked it and destroyed it!)

6. "They have set fire to Your SANCTUARY;"

7. "They have defiled the DWELLING PLACE OF YOUR NAME to the ground."

8. "They said in their hearts, 'Let us destroy them altogether.' "

9. "They have burned up all the MEETING PLACES OF GOD in the land." (Psalm 83:4)

Such a sad devastation and complete closure of God's presence among them was a severe shock to the Israelites!

Psalm 74:9-11-(TLB)-"There is nothing left to show that we are Your people." (Psalm 100:3-"...We are His people and the Sheep of His pasture."). "The prophets are gone, and who can say when it all will end?" (Amos 8:11-thirst for God's Word)

"How long, O God, will You allow our enemies to dishonor Your Name? Will You let them get away with this forever? Why do You delay? Why hold back Your Power? Unleash Your fist and give them a final blow." (Lamentations 2:3; Psalm 63:8; Exodus 15:6-8). Previously He had unleashed His fury against the enemy, but, now, they wondered where all that power had gone!

So Asaph reviewed the past miracles of God for Israel. In Psalm 74:12-17-(CEB):

1. "Yet God has been my King from ancient days." (Psalm 93-the world was established by God! The Lord Reigns! Israel's King! The Victory Battle of God is revealed over the unmolded, uninhabited, unshaped world in the process of creation. Psalm 44:4 "Thou art My King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.")

2. "God who makes Salvation happen in the heart of the earth!" (Psalm 99:1-3)

3. "You split the sea with Your Power." (Isaiah 51:10-11; Job 38:8-11; God divided the Red Sea and later the Jordan River for them to pass.)

4. "You shattered the heads of the sea monsters on the water." (Though the Red Sea was full of large destructive creatures, they harmed none of the Israelites.)

5. "You crushed the leviathan's heads." (Proverbs 27:1; when they crossed over the waters they were walking where crocodiles and other creatures lived!)

6. "You gave it to the desert dwellers for food!" (Exodus 17:5-7; Ezekiel 2:6-8)

7. "You split open springs and streams;" (Genesis 1:6-8; Numbers 20:8-13)

8. "You made strong flowing rivers dry right up." (Psalms 77:16-20; 93:1-4)

9. "The day belongs to You! The night too!" (Job 38:12)

10. "You established both the moon and the sun." (Genesis 1:14-18; Proverbs 8:27-29)

11. "You set all the boundaries of the earth in place." (Genesis 1:9-10; Acts 17:26)

12. "Summer and winter? You made them!" (Genesis 8:22)

HE WAS RULER THAN, HE IS RULER NOW, AND HE WILL BE RULER AS COMING KING!" (Psalms 96:13; 97:1-6; 98:6-9). Hallelujah! Are You Ready to make Him King of your life?

Then we must consider Psalm 74:18-21-(NKJV). Here we find Asaph stirring the memories of Israel again, over who the enemy are really offending. His Word "REMEMBER" is used three times in this section. It is addressed to God. "REMEMBER this, that the enemy has reproached,O Lord, and that foolish people has blasphemed YOUR NAME." (Please God, notice how these unbelievers have shouted curses at You!)

"Oh do not deliver the life of YOUR TURTLEDOVES to the wild beast!" (Don't give up on us and let the ungodly take over and destroy us!)

"Do not forget the Life of YOUR POOR forever." (We belong to You!)

"Have respect to the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of haunts of cruelty." (Leviticus 26:44-45-God keeps His promises and REMEMBERS HIS COVENANTS WITH HIS PEOPLE...I AM THE LORD!")

"Oh, do not let the OPPRESSED return ashamed! Let the POOR AND NEEDY PRAISE YOUR NAME." (Asaph referred to terms of familiarity used by God in His Love for His people: YOUR TURTLEDOVES, YOUR POOR, THE OPPRESSED, AND THE POOR AND NEEDY. THIS IS HIS COVENANT PEOPLE AND HE WILL NEVER FORGET THEM BUT REMEMBERS HIS PROMISES TO THEM.

Last we come to Asaph's closing statement in Psalm 74:22-23-(TEV)-"Rise God, and defend YOUR CAUSE," (It's YOURS now, Lord!; Micah 6:1, 6-8) "REMEMBER that the godless make fun of You all day long! Don't forget the angry shouts of YOUR ENEMIES, the continuous noise made by YOUR FOES."

REMEMBER THE CONGREGATION, REMEMBER YOUR COVENANT, REMEMBER YOUR REPUTATION, -Asaph saw the case as God's responsibility as he gains realization that the whole attack on them is God's CAUSE from God's enemy and God's FOES not just his own problem.

Praise God for the control He takes when we REMEMBER who our enemy is versus who our deliverer is! They are two different people. Satan is the destroyer, the oppressed, the persecutor and the author of all cruel treatment. GOD IS THE VICTORIOUS CONQUEROR, DELIVERER, SAVIOR, AND REDEEMER! HE IS IN CONTROL ! WE LAMENT TO HIM AND HE HEARS AND ANSWERS ACCORDING TO HIS WILL FOR US!

Next time...