Day 531: How long? - Psalm 74
1-3 O God, why have you rejected us for ever? Why does your anger smoulder against the sheep of your pasture? Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed – Mount Zion, where you dwelt. Turn your steps towards these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary. 4-8 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs. They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. They smashed all the carved panelling with their axes and hatchets. They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling-place of your Name. They said in their hearts, ‘We will crush them completely!’ They burned every place where God was worshipped in the land.” 9-11 We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name for ever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12-17 But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth. It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert. It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever-flowing rivers. The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” 18-23 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name. Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people for ever. Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name. Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. Do not ignore the clamour of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.” Psalm 74 New International Version
This Psalm is a cry from the heart of people who'd seen their nation and places of worship smashed to the ground. It was probably written some years after Jerusalem was ransacked by the army of Babylon and the people wondered how long God would let their suffering go on. Vs 1-3 are a plea to God to remember the nation He had redeemed centuries earlier out of Egypt. Vs 4-6 describe the carnage when the temple was destroyed. The crashing of enemy axes was in total contrast to when the temple was built. It was so sacred to Israel that all noisy work was done away from the building site, and the stones then brought to be put in place. The enemies aim was to crush God's people completely! This was why, in vs 9-11, the people cried out to God “How long will this go on?”
In vs 12-17 he begins to take courage from the fact that God is the eternal one who not only rescued Israel out of Egypt, but who also holds stars and planets in their course and controls the seasons. The ‘monster in the water’ and the creature called Leviathan probably represented Egypt of old and the victory God had given Israel. In vs 18-23 he 'reminds' God that they are His people whom He loves, and prays that God would rise up and bring an end to the oppression they were going through.
While this all about Israel's trials 2,600 years ago – it still rings true for Christians today. The story of the Christian Church is one of persecution and martyrs. Throughout history Christians have been killed because of Satan's hatred. No wonder that when the apostle John saw a vision of heaven he says: “I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?' A white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters had joined them.” (Revelation 6:9-10) It's not wrong to cry out to God “how long will our sufferings go on?” But our comfort in all terrible trials is that heaven will bring us rest - and God will bring an end to the attacks and boasts of His enemies.