Psalm 79 – There is Always Hope in the Lord
(by Chia Eng Chuan)
At the time of the Exodus, God had rescued the Jews from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. God’s covenant with Israel was that they would enjoy His blessings as long as they obeyed the covenant, failing which they would be defeated by their enemies. But as time went by, Israel became less and less devoted to God, embraced idolatry and repeatedly rebelled against God. Therefore, God used the Babylonians to punish Israel.
This psalm is a lament probably written after Jerusalem’s fall and the subsequent exile of Judah. Many were killed in the battles and their unburied bodies were left to wild animals and the birds of prey, a terrible fate. Asaph did not deny that the people of Judah deserved God’s punishment, but he pleaded with God to punish their invaders because of their cruelty, wanton disregard for lives and destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem. In Psalm 79, Asaph voiced a prayer of hope on behalf of all the Jews in exile, that if God had spared them for a reason, He will once again deliver them from the consequences of their sin and the sin of their forefathers. Asaph appealed to His glorious name and in His promise that He will never abandon His chosen people.
This psalm which began in heart-rending despair and anguish ends with a note of hope, praising God for His boundless mercies and in anticipation of His deliverance from their oppressors. Like the Israelites, we too need to come before the Lord in repentance and receive His forgiveness for our sins, and be restored back to Him, our ever loving and faithful heavenly Father.
Let’s Read Psalm 79
A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 They have left the dead bodies of your servants
as food for the birds of the sky,
the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
3 They have poured out blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us.
5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
that do not call on your name;
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.
8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
9 Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, We thank You for the hope we have in You. Hope that we do not deserve, when we turn away from You in our disobedience and wilfulness. Open the eyes of our hearts to know that You are the one true God who loves us and want to bless us with the fullness of life. That we will confess our sins before You and seek Your forgiveness. That you will restore us back to Your loving embrace because we are the sheep of Your pasture.
In Jesus’ most precious name, Amen!
This devotional was kindly contributed by Dr. Chow Li Sze and her channel Heavenly Devotion. You may find the channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/HeavenlyDevotion/videos
About the Heavenly Devotion channel
The Heavenly Devotion channel is dedicated to encouraging you to listen to Bible Scriptures and pray with the Scriptures. They are inspired by the call of service as expressed and exemplified by Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:12 NKJV)
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