Psalms
Chapter 44
Lament for the Nation and Supplication
With our ears, O God, we have heard; our ancestors have declared to us the works you did in their days of old.
You drove out the nations and settled them in their land; you conquered the peoples to make room for them.
For it was not with their own sword that they conquered the land nor were they victors by their own hand, but it was by your right hand and arm, and by the light of your countenance; for you truly loved them.
It is you, my King and my God, who ordain victories for Jacob.
Through you, we batter down our foes; through your name we shatter our enemies.
For it is not in my bow that I trust, nor in my sword to make me victorious.
But it is you who give us victory; you, who bring our adversaries to shame.
It is always in God that we find glory. Forever shall we praise your name.
Yet now, you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go forth with our armies.
You have let our enemies drive us back and our adversaries plunder us.
You have let us be driven for slaughter, like sheep scattered among nations as captives.
You have handed us over to them, for nothing: the sale was of no benefit for you.
You have made us the butt of our neighbors’ insult, the scorn, and laughingstock of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations; they look at us and shake their heads.
All day long, my disgrace is before me; and shame covers my face,
at the voice of the one who mocks and reviles, in the presence of the enemy and the avenger.
All this has happened to us, although we have not forgotten you; nor have we been untrue to your Covenant.
Our heart has not turned back nor have our steps faltered;
yet, you have crushed us, in the desert of the snakes, and covered us with deep darkness.
Had we forgotten the name of our God and stretched forth our hands to an alien god,
God would have discovered this, for the secrets of the heart are not hidden from him.
For your sake, we are slain all day and accounted as sheep for slaughter.
Awake, O Lord! Why are you asleep? Arise! Reject us not forever.
Why hide your face from us? Why forget our misery and woes?
Our souls are humbled in the dust, our bodies smashed to the ground.
Come to our help, deliver us, for the sake of your kindness.
Commentaries
44
The problem of evil is addressed here on a national level. The book of Judges likely resolved this at such a level: if the nation sinned, it was punished. However, this solution was found unsatisfactory for individuals. The stories of Job and many others disproved the idea that there is a necessary link between sin and suffering. The solution remains surprisingly effective, even for the nation, and the confused psalmist can only pray. Elijah had humorously suggested to the prophets of Baal that their god might be asleep—can Yahweh sleep as well? But the psalmist’s language reflects the urgency of the moment, much like ours might be when we think of persecuted devout Christians. It is not our role to decipher the mystery but to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters. Leave the rest to God!
On one hand, the psalmist praises God, showing full faith and confidence in him; on the other hand, he blames God for his misfortunes! When our focus is not on our goal, success becomes impossible. At those times, we are only to blame, not God. Consider Peter in Matthew 14:29-31; with faith, he started to walk on water toward Jesus, but when his focus shifted, he panicked and began to sink. Finally, when he cried, “Lord, save me!” Jesus extended his hand and caught him. Aren’t we all, in some way, like Peter? But Peter changed and received eternal salvation, and like him, we too can attain eternal life if we change!
We can pray with this psalm, sharing in the pain of the Church and our brothers and sisters, who are treated as sheep headed for slaughter. But there is a Redeemer who will save us.