Psalm Chapter 44

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil.

Psalm 44:1 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 plantedst 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 hadst a favour unto them.

Here we see a different picture of God. This is one we forget exists. God loves all people. God loves and prefers to save rather than bring judgment. There are times however, when God will bring judgment. We cannot just take part of the bible and ignore the rest. Judgment comes on all who persecute God's people. God's people are all that believe in Him. In the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they were the ones chosen of God to bring forth the future Messiah that was to be the chosen savior of the world.

Abraham believed in God and trusted in Him. God honored that by delivering Abraham and his descendants from wicked people who oppressed them.

Psalm 44:4 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.

Many times throughout the Old Testament, God's people would forsake Him and seek other gods or sin against God in some manner. God could have done nothing and allowed them to die in their sins and be lost forever, destroyed by enemies and doomed. Yet because He loved Israel He would send correction.

Correction was first sent by the hand of His prophets to warn the people of their sin. This is God's preferred way to deal with us when we sin. When the people continued to ignore the prophets and listen to the false prophets who told them that they were okay and God loved them anyway, God had to send a more severe judgment. He allowed evil nations to bring them into bondage and slavery.

Just as soon as Israel repented and turned back to God, He sent someone to deliver them from their enemies and bring them back from captivity.

The captivity of Israel in some ways resemble sin. We are in the bondage of slavery before coming to Jesus Christ. Bondage under sin is similar to actual slavery. To be free from sin, we must admit and acknowledge that we have sinned and are in need of a savior. Once we come to Christ, we are made free from sin. Yet just as Israel did many times, we can choose to ignore God and ignore the word of God and go back into the very sin we were freed from. If we do this we must repent to renew our fellowship with God.

God has to eventually bring judgment because if He didn't the world would never become a place of peace and a place without sin. This is the ultimate goal of Jesus Christ to save the world and rid it of sin. Right now this is done in us as individuals but one day, sin will finally be conquered forever and with it, death and the grave will be no more for everyone that receives Jesus as savior. The ones who reject God's plan of salvation of course, will not be part of this new kingdom of eternal life. Judgment has to come upon the enemies of righteousness. Evil has to be stopped. The mercy of God is longsuffering but eventually, the door is closed and judgment comes.

Psalm 44:14 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.

Many times trouble comes to get us back into a right relationship with God. This seems to be bad at the time but if it corrects some sin in our lives and brings us close to God, then it is good and not evil.

I will add here that not everyone that has trouble is a result of sin. We may be innocent and persecuted by those that hate us, we may just be going through a trial as Job did, or there may be other reasons that we don't understand but in the case of Israel and the backslider, troubles may be a way of God getting us back to Him. Glory be to God for His mercy.

1Corintians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Judging ourselves is good because it clears the path for us to be reconciled to God. In saying that though, there are times when the enemy keeps trying to bring up past sins that we have already been forgiven of so we have to overcome looking back but look forward to our life of walking with the Lord or walking In His Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

This should be our desire. To want to be partaker of His holiness. This is why we must not neglect the word of God and its correction. To yield to the word and live by it is to be part of God's holiness. -DC

Psalm 45

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