In The Word
Read: Psalms 44
Former Times of Help and Present Troubles.
For the music director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
44 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 let them go free.
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, 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 enemy;
And those who hate us have taken spoils for themselves.
11 You turn us over to be eaten like sheep,
And have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sell Your people cheaply,
And have not profited by their sale.
13 You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors,
Of scoffing and ridicule to those around us.
14 You make us a proverb among the nations,
A laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And I am covered with my humiliation,
16 Because of the voice of one who taunts 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 deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our hands to a strange god,
21 Would God not find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Wake Yourself up, why do You sleep, Lord?
Awake, do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face
And forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our souls have sunk down into the dust;
Our bodies cling to the earth.
26 Rise up, be our help,
And redeem us because of Your mercy.
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.