Psalm 44
Psalm 44 reflects a national lament, where Israel recalls God’s past deliverances, acknowledges current suffering, and pleads for divine intervention. The psalm expresses both faith and frustration as the people struggle to reconcile their present difficulties with their covenant relationship with God.
Psalm 44:1-10 (NKJV)
1 We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
The deeds You did in their days,
In days of old:
2 You drove out the nations with Your hand,
But them You planted;
You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
Because You favored them.
4 You are my King, O God;
Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we will push down our enemies;
Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
6 For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
7 But You have saved us from our enemies,
And have put to shame those who hated us.
8 In God we boast all day long,
And praise Your name forever. Selah
9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame,
And You do not go out with our armies.
10 You make us turn back from the enemy,
And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
Israel recalls God’s mighty acts from past generations, highlighting how the victories in the Promised Land were achieved not by human strength but by God’s power and favor. However, there is a stark contrast between the past and present experiences. While they once boasted in God’s help, now they feel abandoned and defeated. The community recognizes that human efforts alone cannot bring victory, and they express bewilderment that God seems absent despite their faithfulness.
Psalm 44:11-16 (NKJV)
11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
And have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sell Your people for next to nothing,
And are not enriched by selling them.
13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
14 You make us a byword among the nations,
A shaking of the head among the peoples.
15 My dishonor is continually before me,
And the shame of my face has covered me,
16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
Because of the enemy and the avenger.
The psalmist describes the deep humiliation and suffering of the nation, feeling as if they have been abandoned by God. They are treated like sheep led to slaughter, scattered and sold without value. This rejection is compounded by the mockery and scorn from other nations, intensifying their sense of disgrace. The people feel overwhelmed by shame and dishonor, as enemies taunt and reproach them with no relief in sight.
Psalm 44:17-22 (NKJV)
17 All this has come upon us;
But we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
19 But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,
21 Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
The psalmist emphasizes their faithfulness to God despite their suffering. They maintain that they have not forsaken God’s covenant or turned to idolatry. Even though their obedience remains intact, they feel crushed and left in the shadow of death. This creates confusion because God knows their hearts, and if they had strayed, He would have known. Their suffering seems undeserved, and they feel as though they are sacrificed for God’s sake, treated like sheep for slaughter.
Psalm 44:23-26 (NKJV)
23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face,
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
Our body clings to the ground.
26 Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.
The psalm ends with a passionate plea for God to awaken and intervene. The people feel abandoned and crushed by their circumstances, as if God has forgotten their suffering. They beg for divine help and deliverance, appealing not on the basis of their own merit but on God's mercy. This cry reveals their continued trust in God, even in the face of overwhelming despair. Their hope lies in God’s steadfast love and the assurance that He will act to redeem them.