In The Word
Read: Psalm 44
Former Deliverances and Present Troubles.
For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
44 O God, we have heard with our ears,
Our fathers have told us
The work that You did in their days,
In the days of old.
2 You with Your own hand drove out the nations;
Then You planted them;
You afflicted the peoples,
Then You spread them abroad.
3 For by their own sword they did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence,
For You favored them.
4 You are my King, O God;
Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we will push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.
6 For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
7 But You have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted all day long,
And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.
9 Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor,
And do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to turn back from the adversary;
And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
11 You give us as sheep to be eaten
And have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sell Your people cheaply,
And have not profited by their sale.
13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scoffing and a derision to those around us.
14 You make us a byword among the nations,
A laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And my humiliation has overwhelmed me,
16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You,
And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
And our steps have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals
And covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our hands to a strange god,
21 Would not God find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our body cleaves to the earth.
26 Rise up, be our help,
And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
In this passage, the writer tells us what he has learned about God, he learned through experiences, both of his own and of others. With his own eyes, as well as from the testimonies of others, he has seen God defeat difficult enemies and bring victory in seemingly overwhelming and disastrous situations. This teaches us the importance of spending time with God through His Word because He has inspired writers to share how they personally had seen God move in miraculous ways. It also teaches us the value of listening to mature Christians who have seen God help them through difficult times. So, if we should encounter a difficult situation that we have never faced before, we can remember the testimonies of others, and trust God is faithful to everyone who calls out to Him.
The psalmist also tells of how he has seen the consequences of not trusting God. Being unfaithful to Him opens the door to the enemy’s triumph. God had taught the Israelites that all of their actions would have consequences, and disobedience to His commands would create negative consequences.
The writers of the bible share many experiences about the consequences of sin and disobedience in order to help us in our walk with God. We should learn from them so we do not make the same mistakes. Yet if we have opened the door to the enemy through disobedience, today’s writer teaches us that we should cry out to God for forgiveness and recommit to follow all of His teachings.