This Psalm is written during a time of great disaster in
Jerusalem. It could have been following
the attack by Shishak, King of Egypt that we looked at in Psalm 74 (I Kings
14:25-26) or it could be prophetic looking forward to the destruction of
Jerusalem by Babylon. In this Psalm, Asaph
is lamenting the destruction in Jerusalem.
In the first four verses of this Psalm, Asaph describes the extent of
the destruction. We know from Exodus
34:9 that the inheritance spoken of in verse 1 is God’s people Israel. Compare these first four verses with
Jeremiah’s lament over Jerusalem when it fell to the Babylonians in
Lamentations 4.
Notice in verse 5 the cry to God which follows the judgment. Oftentimes, God allows trouble to come into
our lives to cause us to turn back to Him when we have forgotten Him. It is evident from the first four verses that
God has allowed great punishment to come on Israel. The reference in verse 5 to God’s jealousy
tells us that idolatry was involved.
Israel had put their faith in false gods and now, following God’s
judgment, they remember the Living God.
In verses 6-7, Asaph asks God to punish the nations that
have destroyed Israel, reminding God that they are not His people nor do they
worship Him. Sometimes God uses His
enemies to bring judgment on His people.
This is a hard reality to endure.
This is what has happened in Jerusalem and now God is being asked to
punish those enemies also for not acknowledging God.
Now that Jerusalem has experienced God’s judgment, we see in
verse 8 an admission of sin. This is the
first step in being reconciled with God.
The Bible says that everyone has sin (Romans 3:23) and deserves God’s
punishment (Romans 6:23). Have you ever
acknowledged your sin before a Holy God?
An awareness of His true Holiness should bring us an awareness of how
unworthy and sinful our lives are.
This acknowledgment of sin, in verse 8, leads to repentance
in verse 9. A request goes up to God for
forgiveness. This request is humbly made
in the interest of restoring honor to God’s name (verses 9-11). Read Psalm 42:3. Our repentance and restoration is never
something we can take credit for ourselves.
Only God is able to forgive and restore. Read Psalm 15:11. Take a moment now and ask Him to forgive any
known sins in your life and to restore you to a life of obedience. Verses 10-12 contain another appeal for
judgment on the nations which have ravaged Jerusalem and restoration for God’s
people. Compare this appeal to Psalm
94:1-3.
Notice finally, in the last verse, we see the nation’s return to
God. They have acknowledged their
sin. They have repented of their
sin. And now, we see the restored nation
praising God and worshiping Him forever (from generation to generation). Write Proverbs 15:32 in your journal. Have you praised God and worshipped Him for
the forgiveness He has so graciously given to you? It is forgiveness which we clearly do not
deserve. Thank Him now.
Responding to God: Ask God to reveal any idols you may have in
your life (things which are more important to you than God). Acknowledge this as sin to God and ask His
forgiveness. Pray that your restoration
and forgiveness will bring honor to His Holy name. Thank Him for His grace. If you have never
truly repented of your sins and asked Jesus to be Lord of your life, do so now. Without this new birth experience, you cannot
see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).
Further Research: If you would like to learn more about God’s
discipline, read Hebrews 12:5-11.
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