Psalm 44 Commentary
Remember us, O God.
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KEY THOUGHT: Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake. [Psalm 44:26 NKJV]
Kindly read your Bible before going through the commentary!
Psalm 44 NKJV
Redemption Remembered in Present Dishonor
To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation[a] of the sons of Korah.
44 We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
The deeds You did in their days,
In days of old:
2 You drove out the [b]nations with Your hand,
But them You planted;
You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
Because You favored them.
4 You are my King, [c]O God;
[d]Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we will push down our enemies;
Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
6 For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
7 But You have saved us from our enemies,
And have put to shame those who hated us.
8 In God we boast all day long,
And praise Your name forever. Selah
9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame,
And You do not go out with our armies.
10 You make us turn back from the enemy,
And those who hate us have taken [e]spoil for themselves.
11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
And have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sell Your people for next to nothing,
And are not enriched by selling them.
13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
14 You make us a byword among the nations,
A shaking of the head among the peoples.
15 My dishonor is continually before me,
And the shame of my face has covered me,
16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
Because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us;
But we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
19 But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or stretched[f] out our hands to a foreign god,
21 Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face,
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the [g]dust;
Our body clings to the ground.
26 Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.
Footnotes
a. Psalm 44:1 Heb. Maschil
b. Psalm 44:2 Gentiles, heathen
c. Psalm 44:4 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. and my God
d. Psalm 44:4 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. Who commands
e. Psalm 44:10 plunder
f. Psalm 44:20 Worshiped
g. Psalm 44:25 Ground, in humiliation
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Psalm 44 Commentary
This is the saint’s life. He has read and heard about the mighty acts of the LORD. He has personally experienced the works of the LORD.
The past experiences of others, immediate past or distant past, become his own experiences.
But he doesn’t understand his own present. This confusion is ever-present with the saint. Why has the LORD neglected his people? Of course, it’s an impossible claim to make! Regardless, how do we reconcile the fact of God’s ever-present love and suffering?
“You sell Your people for next to nothing, and are not enriched by selling them.” Verse 12. Yes, it’s a statement. Importantly, it’s a timeless question: “What is the purpose of pain and suffering?”
The psalmist examines the situation and concludes that their suffering cannot be punishment for sin. They have kept themselves clean.
You immediately understand this voice. It’s the voice of the remnant. The LORD has always preserved for Himself the remnant, His own children who have always taken His side.
But providence has scattered the remnant together with the general sinful populace. Of course, there have been times when the LORD has shielded them. But there are other times when both righteous and unrighteous have suffered the same sentence.
The New Testament explains it all. The LORD leaves a seed among the dead wood in the hope that the dead wood can live again. The saint goes in as the salt. He remains the light in those dark spaces, shining God’s direct light to those who must be saved.
Indeed, there is a purpose. And the business transaction yields an abundant harvest – the salvation of many. Even in the Old Testament, there is a reason for Ezekiel’s exile. He remained God’s voice to the people while in exile. Jeremiah was also a voice of hope to a people who could choose light if they so wished.
Yes, for God’s sake, they are killed all day long. They are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Heaven knows what else, but it’s all under sovereign control.
But even from this point, let the saint pray, “Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.”
The first section reminds the saint of the need to proclaim the works of the LORD to the “next generation”. Let your children know the LORD has done it. It’s heritage! A heritage of physical wealth, diligence, or smartness counts for nothing in the grand scheme of things!
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