Psalms for Turbulent Times - Part 2
PSALM 44
Jim Jester
November 22, 2020
Scripture Reading: Psalm 5
“To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth [flute or wind instruments: perforated pipe], A Psalm of David.
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. 5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak lies: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” – Psalm 5
In the News
Trump attorney Sidney Powell declares the Kraken was already RELEASED… Tuesday, November 17, 2020 by Mike Adams
Something huge is going down in Washington D.C. and across the nation, regarding the massive, treasonous vote theft and election fraud carried out by the Democrat party in collusion with communist China.
We previously reported that Trump had replaced Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense, and he’s been cleaning house at the DoD, replacing swamp creatures with patriots who will defend America.
Simultaneously, Trump attorney Sidney Powell says the Kraken has been released. “You’re just beginning to see the signs,” she explains in a tweet.
What is the Kraken, exactly? We don’t know for sure, but there was an explosion in military air traffic over the last two days that has been documented by Monkey Werx [eyewitnesses in Virginia]. Multiple sources have confirmed with us that a unit of the DoD did carry out a raid on Scytl servers in Frankfurt, Germany, gaining possession of irrefutable proof of treasonous vote rigging by the CIA.
We also have President Trump cleaning house at the DoD, removing not just Mark Esper but also removing and replacing other officials, creating a pro-America contingent inside the Pentagon that could conceivably carry out mass arrest orders against domestic traitors (i.e., Democrats who tried to steal the election by conspiring with foreign enemies).
We also have a video from Monkey Werx, detailing the astonishing number of military aircraft in the air (over 1,000) yesterday and last night, including at least one flight from Washington D.C. to GITMO. Monkey Werks, an expert in monitoring air traffic patterns as a precursor to major political events, explained that he believed “airborne rendition” was likely taking place, which means treasonous actors are put onto airplanes and interrogated either mid-air or at various black sites across the country.
Whistleblowers from the Dominion software company are going on the record, admitting the entire system was engineered from the start to steal elections in the USA and around the world. This is likely being used to interrogate and flip many high-level sources who are now realizing they either need to testify as witnesses for the government or end up in prison for life (or worse). The hammer is about to be dropped, and Joe Biden is going to prison, not the White House. [End, NaturalNews.com]
According to Jeffrey Prather, the “Kraken” is actually a DoD-run cyber warfare program that tracks and hacks various other systems to acquire evidence of nefarious actions by the deep state. Trump loyalists in the Air Force, Space Command and now in certain sectors of the DoD and even the NSA have all the evidence of vote fraud and election-related treason. Trump has all this now and will be using it against the enemies of America very soon.
Sidney Powell also said that Dominion has also moved out of their Toronto location. She said this is the biggest scandal in the world and has swayed many elections (such as Venezuela). It has been going on for at least two decades; and is so huge that it would take a whole section of the FBI to investigate. Although time is very short for such a task, she and the team expect to get this done in time (next two weeks). Thousands of Affidavits have come in (and they keep coming). The big question remains, will there be enough evidence for the Supreme Court to consider it necessary for prosecution?
Well, this sounds like good news! We pray that retribution will come into full fruition. “He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13, RSV). We should remember Trump’s legal team in prayer, that the Almighty would protect them.
Psalm 5
Like Psalm 3 and 4, Psalm 5 (our Scripture reading) is a lament and prayer of David. This prayer was offered in the morning along with a sacrifice (v. 3). In brief overview of this Psalm, we see five categories:
I. Prayer: An Earnest Appeal (v. 1-3)
“Give ear”…. There are prayers, some of the most fervent and spiritual, which do not have words, and do not need language: “…for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). But God, who has given speech as the glory of our race and the main instrument of human progress, will have us consecrate it to its highest use, i.e., to converse with our Creator.
By efficacy of prayer we mean, the earnest desire and request of his children is of value in his sight; not that prayer has a virtue or power of its own, not that God needs instructing on what to give, or persuading to give. The very power to pray comes from Him. True, God knows what we need, better than we do; but fervor of desire, perseverance and patient faith in asking, accompanied with childlike resignation to his will, are often the very conditions of it being wise and proper for God to grant what we ask.
The spiritual benefit of prayer is no doubt its chief blessing. Nothing else could bring the soul so near to our Father. But this benefit turns on its reality and efficacy. God might have given promises without inviting or permitting us to pray; but faith claims and pleads his promises in prayer.
II. God’s Hatred of Evildoers (v. 4-6)
The “evildoers” are in the general class of the wicked as the enemies of God and his people. They are always the origin of trouble for the people of God. God is not said to love the sinner but hate his sin; he is said to hate both the sinner and his sin. This sounds harsh to modern Christians, but there is truth here we dare not overlook. Hate is but the love of God in its judgment upon those who refuse Covenant fellowship and obedience.
III. David’s Acceptance with God (v. 7-8)
In contrast to the evildoers is the psalmist, who worships in the temple or at other times with his face toward it. This access to God is made possible, not through self-righteousness on his part, but through God’s Covenant love. His worship is offered reverently, “in the fear of God.” He prays that God will lead him, especially as he faces his enemies, and make his way straight so he may walk as his Lord wills.
IV. David’s Enemies (v. 9-10)
David returns to the evildoers, knowing there is no dependence upon their words. They may sound good (using smooth words), but their evil hearts always plot destruction.
In verse 10, David calls for their destruction. He wants it made known and shown to everyone what sort of neighbors the enemy is. Reveal their guiltiness. Let them fall through or because of their own counsels. Their counsels are of such a nature that they must, in the end, ensure their own destruction. By means of their own transgressions cast them away. However, the great argument for retribution is – they have rebelled against God. David prays that they may be (1) held guilty and condemned for their transgressions; and, (2) rejected by God, even as they had themselves rejected God.
The enemies of the psalmist are the enemies of God. God’s cause and that of his people are the same. “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye” (Zec. 2:8).
V. God’s Blessing on the Righteous (v. 11-12)
The psalmist prays for the gift of joy to those who take refuge in their God. He further describes the righteous as those who love God’s name, i.e., those who delight in all for which God’s name stands. He asks that God defend them with the shield of his favor.
Psalm 44 – The Cry of a Defeated Nation
Unlike the previous personal Psalm of David, this Psalm is a community lament or prayer to the God of Israel.
“To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah (Maschil: psalms of instruction).
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. 2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and planted them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. 3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou had a favour unto them [Israel].
4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob. 5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. 8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. (Selah).
9 But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies. 10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves. 11 Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen. 12 Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price. 13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. 14 Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people. 15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me, 16 For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger. 17 All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. 18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way; 19 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. 20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; 21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. 22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. 24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? 25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth. 26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.” – Psalm 44
We do not know who wrote this Psalm; but it is noted, “To the Chief Musician for the sons of Korah.” It is a community lament and the people seek for an explanation. Their armies have been defeated, many people were killed, and others were scattered to surrounding countries as slaves. God’s Covenant people are being ridiculed; and the psalmist and his fellow worshippers do not know why God has permitted this. The author of the Psalm who leads the people in lament may be a warrior who identifies himself with his people.
I. God’s Deeds of the Past (v. 1-3)
“We have heard….” Memory is the thread that binds life together. A failing memory is one of the saddest infirmities of old age. Yet there is often this compensation – that the long-distant past is well remembered. The old man forgets what the weather was yesterday, but the sunny birthdays of childhood live in his memory. The old house, the old trees and voices, the old joys and sorrows, the lessons that sank into his heart in childhood are with him still. There are common memories: family traditions, national history, and sacred heritages of former generations. One of the most precious possessions of mankind is the knowledge and remembrance of the past.
The duty and benefit of remembering the past is taught in a most impressive way in the Bible. Its whole structure is historical; and, it professes to trace an unbroken line of family history from the first Adamite to the beginning of the Christian era; ending in Him who is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” Its deepest and greatest lessons are bound up with the lives, the examples, the prayers, and the spiritual experiences of men who loved and feared God thousands of years ago. What could make up for the loss, if we could forget the faith of Abraham, the Laws of Moses, and the Psalms of David? The lives of these and other spiritual heroes are but links in the history of a great spiritual and racial community – the “Ecclesia” (called out) or the Church of God. The gospel is history. Our Savior wanted us to remember history when he said, “Do this (eating together) in remembrance of me.”
If we were to forget the past, it would leave us ignorant of God’s dealings with His people. What do you think that would do for our faith? The great law of God’s creation, providence, and grace is that the present grows out of the past, and is the root and seed of the future. Remembering gives us hope which makes our faith grow.
What do we owe to the evangelists of the four Gospels; to Paul and the other apostles for their Epistles; to the translators of the Scriptures; to the reformers, preachers, sacred poets, and writers? Ungrateful forgetfulness and the consequent undervaluing of the past is one of the great faults and dangers of our age. Men’s eyes tend toward the future. What is old is set down as antiquated and obsolete. In the great strides of technology and progress of our day, we are apt to forget what our ancestors did. If language, institutions, art, science, and industry, had to make a fresh start with each generation, life would never rise above a primitive state.
There is a sense in which it is well to forget the past – its failures, so far as they would discourage; its achievements, so far as they would satisfy us (Php. 3:13-14). We are not to constantly dwell upon the past; but we are to commune with the past, that we may learn thankfulness (Ps. 103:2), humility (Job 15:7), courage (Jas. 5:17), wisdom (1Cor. 10:11), faith and hope (Ps. 77:10-11; Ps. 48:14).
II. The People’s Trust (v. 4-8)
The warrior who leads his people in worship recognizes God as his own King and the King of Israel (“Jacob”), thus enabling them to overcome their fear. The warrior’s trust (and that of the people) is not in bow or sword but in God alone. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God” (Ps. 20:7). Based on God’s saving deeds in the past, his people have boasted in Him and are resolved to thank Him perpetually.
III. Faith and Fact in Conflict (v. 9-22)
On the other hand, the facts of the immediate past and the present seem to contradict the faith just expressed. Military or political defeat, and all that goes with it, are the facts of the present situation. God is even pictured in mortal terms as a shepherd who has sold his sheep to the butcher; and employs varied vocabulary to express the shame and disgrace of his people. “13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision… 14 Thou makest us a byword among the heathen… 15 My confusion is continually before me… 16 For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.”
The conflict between faith and fact is seen most sharply in verses 17-22, for the people maintain that their tragedy is undeserved. They have not been false to the Covenant in forgetting God or departing from His way as made known in the Law. Yet God has crushed them and placed them in desolation. In fact, for His sake they are slaughtered as martyrs. The Apostle Paul quotes verse 22 in Romans 8:36 to help the Roman Christians see that, like the saints of the ancient people of God, they may have to face persecution and even death for their faith.
The conflict between faith and fact arises for the psalmist and his people from a literal understanding of the dogma of Retribution (as in Deut. 28). This means that they think God blesses in exact proportion to obedience, and curses in exact proportion to disobedience (Isa. 53).
IV. Urgent Plea (v. 23-26)
God is addressed as though He were sleeping, “Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever” (v. 23). Now, God’s people know that, “…He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:4); but he and his people are accustomed to bold figures of speech. “Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.” – Ps. 35:23 (and others)
The psalmist can teach us of the providence of God in history, of faith in God when the facts seem to contradict it, of loyalty to our Covenant with God and his people, and of praying with importunity (Lk. 11:8). But we must learn from our Lord who taught us to pray, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine be done” (Lk. 22:42).
Let us Pray
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, hear the prayer of your people; grant protection for those who will prosecute the evil-doers attempting to turn our God-given land over to a Communist new world order; bring justice and retribution to the guilty; and fill your people, Israel, with steadfast faith and courage to stand against the wiles of the devil, including these Covid mask mandates and vaccines. Defeat them, O Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ our King and Redeemer, Amen.
“Lord, We Have Heard” by Isaac Watts from Psalm 44. Tune: ARLINGTON (“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”)
1 Lord, we have heard thy works of old, Thy works of pow'r and grace, When to our ears our fathers told The wonder of their days.
2 They saw the beaut'ous churches rise, The spreading gospel run; While light and glory from the skies through all their temples shone.
3 In God they boasted all the day, And in a cheerful throng Did thousands meet to praise and pray, And grace was all their song.
4 But now our souls are seiz'd with shame, Confusion fills our face, To hear the enemy blaspheme, And fools reproach thy grace.
5 Yet have we not forgot our God, Nor falsely dealt with heav'n, Nor have our steps declin'd the road Of duty thou hast giv’n.
6 We are expos'd all day to die, As martyrs for thy name; As sheep for slaughter bound we lie, And wait the kindling flame.
7 Awake, arise, almighty Lord, Why sleeps Thy wonted grace? Why should we look like men abhor'd, Or banish'd from thy face?
8 Down to the dust our soul is bow'd, And dies upon the ground; Rise for our help, rebuke the proud, And all their pow'rs confound.
9 Redeem us from perpetual shame, Our Saviour and our God; We plead the honors of thy name, The merits of thy blood.
