Psalm 74
Psalm 74 is a lament over the destruction of the temple and expresses the anguish of God’s people as they feel abandoned. The psalmist pleads with God to remember His covenant and intervene against their enemies. It reflects on God’s past acts of deliverance, seeking reassurance that God will act again to restore His people. This psalm likely refers to a time when Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed, such as the Babylonian invasion.
Psalm 74:1-10 (NKJV)
1 O God, why have You cast us off forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,
The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—
This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.
The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4 Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
They set up their banners for signs.
5 They seem like men who lift up
Axes among the thick trees.
6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once,
With axes and hammers.
7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8 They said in their hearts,
“Let us destroy them altogether.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our signs;
There is no longer any prophet;
Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10 O God, how long will the adversary reproach?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
The psalm begins with the deep sorrow of the people, feeling abandoned by God. They ask why He has allowed His anger to fall on them and beg Him to remember His covenant with Israel. The psalmist describes the devastating destruction of the temple by enemies, likening the invaders to woodsmen cutting down trees, breaking down sacred objects, and burning the temple. They express a sense of despair, lamenting the absence of prophetic guidance and asking how long God will allow the enemy to mock and dishonor His name.
Psalm 74:11-17 (NKJV)
11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.
12 For God is my King from of old,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.
14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 You broke open the fountain and the flood;
You dried up mighty rivers.
16 The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;
You have prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have set all the borders of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.
The psalmist appeals to God’s power, recalling His mighty acts of deliverance in the past. He asks God to take action and defeat the enemies, just as He did when He divided the sea and overcame Leviathan—a symbol of chaos. The psalmist reflects on God’s authority over creation, highlighting His control over day, night, seasons, and boundaries of the earth, demonstrating that God’s power is still present.
Psalm 74:18-23 (NKJV)
18 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord,
And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!
Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20 Have respect to the covenant;
For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.
21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!
Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;
The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.
The psalm concludes with a passionate plea for God to defend His honor and protect His people. The psalmist asks God to remember the blasphemy of the enemy and not abandon His covenant people. He compares Israel to a vulnerable turtledove, begging God to protect them from further harm. The psalmist appeals to God's justice, asking Him to rise and act on behalf of the oppressed and to silence the enemies who mock Him daily.