Lessons From the Psalms - Psalm 74

[00:00:07] Welcome to Lessons From the Psalms. This is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. On this podcast we will be going over the book of Psalms.

[00:00:21] Open in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this psalm today. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much you truly love each and every one of them. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

[00:00:36] This is Psalm 74 beginning in verse 1.

[00:01:06] The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Your enemies roar in the midst of your meeting place. They set up their banners for signs. They seem like men who lift up axes among the thick trees. And now they break down its carved work all at once. With axes and hammers. They have set fire to your sanctuary.

[00:01:33] They have defiled the dwelling place of your name to the ground. They said in their hearts, let us destroy them all together. They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

[00:01:49] We do not see our signs. There is no longer any prophet. Nor is there any among us who knows how long. Oh God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

[00:02:08] Why do you withdraw your hand?

[00:02:11] Even your right hand. Take it out of your bosom and destroy them. For God is my king from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by your strength. You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.

[00:02:30] You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness. You broke open the fountain and the flood. You dried up mighty rivers. The day is yours. The night also is yours. You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth. You have made summer and winter.

[00:03:00] Remember this, remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord, and that a foolish people has blasphemed your name.

[00:03:09] O, do not deliver the life of your turtle dove to the wild beast. Do not forget the life of your poor forever. Have respect to the covenant. For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.

[00:03:28] O, do not let the oppressed. O, do not let the oppressed return ashamed. Let the poor and needy praise your name. Arise, O God, plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man reproaches you daily. Do not forget the voice of your enemies. The tumult of those who rise up against you increases continually.

[00:03:57] Now friends, Psalm 74 is definitely a psalm of lament. And for those of you who did not get a chance to listen to Psalm 73 and the commentary which I provided talking about the author of this psalm, Asaph,

[00:04:17] Asaph, I would highly encourage you to do that. Asaph was a worship leader that King David assigned to work in the sanctuary.

[00:04:28] But this is not a psalm of lament. And the author is reminding God of who he is and he's reminding God that our enemies are against us.

[00:04:46] And right now it seems like our enemies have the upper hand. Let's just quickly review each of these verses.

[00:04:53] O God, why have you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

[00:05:01] Remember your congregation which you have purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance which you have redeemed.

[00:05:10] This Mount Zion where you have dwelt, lift up your feet to the perpetual desolations.

[00:05:17] And the author, Asaph, here is just reminding God that God, remember your people.

[00:05:24] Remember who we are. Remember that we are the one that you chose to bless.

[00:05:32] And right now that's not happening. Let's go on.

[00:05:35] Your enemies roar in the midst of your meeting place.

[00:05:39] They set up their banners for signs.

[00:05:42] They seem like men who lift up axes among the thick trees.

[00:05:47] And now they break down its carved work all at once with axes and hammers.

[00:05:54] They have set fire to your sanctuary.

[00:05:57] They have defiled the dwelling place of your name to the ground.

[00:06:01] They set in their hearts, let us destroy them all together.

[00:06:06] They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

[00:06:11] Now friends, if you listen to every single one of these verses,

[00:06:15] they have literally desecrated the temple of the Lord and actually have burned it down.

[00:06:21] There's nothing left of the sanctuary.

[00:06:24] And the author here is reminding God,

[00:06:26] God, remember who you are.

[00:06:30] Remember your people Israel.

[00:06:33] Let's go on to verse 9.

[00:06:35] We do not see our signs.

[00:06:37] There is no longer any prophet.

[00:06:40] Nor is there any among us who knows how long.

[00:06:45] Now friends, verse 9 tells us there is no prophet.

[00:06:49] But friends, what we learn sometimes in the Old Testament,

[00:06:53] that even when a prophet was assigned by God to go and speak to his people,

[00:07:00] they ridiculed the prophet.

[00:07:02] They didn't listen to what the prophet had to say.

[00:07:04] They did not want to hear his words of advice.

[00:07:09] Let's go to verse 10.

[00:07:10] Oh God, how long will the adversary reproach?

[00:07:15] Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

[00:07:19] Why do you withdraw your hand, even your right hand?

[00:07:23] Take it out of your bosom and destroy them.

[00:07:26] For God is my king from of old,

[00:07:30] working salvation in the midst of the earth.

[00:07:33] Now friends, verse 12,

[00:07:36] the author Asaph reminds God

[00:07:39] that one time you saved your people.

[00:07:43] You took them out of Egypt.

[00:07:45] You took them out of the bondage of slavery,

[00:07:48] where they had been for over 400 years.

[00:07:50] And what he's actually pleading with God is,

[00:07:54] God, you've done it before.

[00:07:56] Do it again.

[00:07:59] Save your people.

[00:08:01] Let's go to verse 13.

[00:08:02] You divided the sea by your strength.

[00:08:05] So here he's talking about the Red Sea

[00:08:08] and how he parted the sea

[00:08:11] and allowed his people Israel

[00:08:13] to come out through the sea on dry land.

[00:08:19] You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces

[00:08:22] and gave him as food

[00:08:23] to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

[00:08:26] You broke open the fountain and the flood.

[00:08:29] You dried up mighty rivers.

[00:08:30] The day is yours.

[00:08:32] The night also is yours.

[00:08:34] And the author here is reminding God

[00:08:36] that, God, you're in charge.

[00:08:38] You are sovereign.

[00:08:40] You can do anything you want to do.

[00:08:43] Let's go to verse 17.

[00:08:44] You have set all the borders of the earth.

[00:08:47] You have made summer and winter.

[00:08:49] In other words, you are the creator of the earth.

[00:08:53] You have set the boundaries of the earth.

[00:08:55] Remember this,

[00:08:57] that the enemy has reproached,

[00:08:59] O Lord,

[00:08:59] and that a foolish people

[00:09:01] has blasphemed your name.

[00:09:04] Now, friends here,

[00:09:05] foolish people are people that don't follow God.

[00:09:07] They are the enemies of God.

[00:09:09] There are people that do not

[00:09:11] either believe in God

[00:09:12] or want to follow his ways.

[00:09:15] And the author is pleading with God,

[00:09:17] take care of these people.

[00:09:19] Get rid of them.

[00:09:21] Oh, do not deliver the life

[00:09:24] of your turtle dove to the wild beast.

[00:09:26] He's talking about the enemies of God,

[00:09:30] people that do not follow God.

[00:09:31] He's calling them a wild beast.

[00:09:33] Do not forget the life of your poor forever.

[00:09:37] Have respect to the covenant.

[00:09:41] And here he's reminding God

[00:09:43] that at one point,

[00:09:45] God made a covenant

[00:09:46] with his people Israel.

[00:09:49] For the dark places of the earth

[00:09:51] are full of the haunts of cruelty.

[00:09:54] Oh, do not let the oppressed

[00:09:56] return ashamed.

[00:09:59] Let the poor and needy

[00:10:01] praise your name.

[00:10:03] In other words,

[00:10:04] God, give us

[00:10:05] something to be thankful

[00:10:08] for you right now.

[00:10:11] Take care of us.

[00:10:14] Friends,

[00:10:15] please join me again soon

[00:10:17] as we take a closer look

[00:10:19] at Psalm 75.