* A illustration titled, "The Winter: Cold Is the Death" by Luiken, Jan (1649-1712) referencing Psalm 74 and 147 is from the book "Beschouwing der wereld : bestaande in hondert konstige figuuren, met godlyke spreuken en stichtelyke verzen / door Jan Luiken.".
A warmly dressed man and a woman look at the activities on a frozen lake, such as skaters and people entering the frozen lake in a horse drawn sled. The Dutch artist and poet Jan Luiken (1649-1712) was responsible for drawing this emblem and composed the poem that accompanies it. The etching was executed by Jan Luiken or his son Casper Luiken (1672-1708) who adapted this image from one used in an earlier work, which may be found in the Digital Image Archive under the call number 1699Weig. The attendant scriptures are Psalm 74:16 and Psalm 147:16-17.
The motto is "When it is cold, may nonetheless our heart, Not become cold to God.".
The winter time, now arrived,
Bares the land of green trees,
And turns water into stone;
It threatens to chill all life to death,
When it truly takes hold,
And makes the bareness universal.
If we here also in our thoughts,
Try to imagine its severity,
As far as the terrible North Pole;
Then we should think of it,
As resembling Hell,
And learn wisdom from this School.
What wisdom would we learn here?
Not to turn our paths,
On roads to a dark Valley;
Located so far from the Eternal light,
That there Summer is never attained,
But where Winter will be eternal.
He who then in the good times,
Enjoys himself in the world's Summer,
And is not concerned about the distress,
That makes the undressed naked life,
So greatly shiver and tremble,
With the arrival of the cold death,
Even though he is called clever,
His wisdom in this case is little.
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker)
>1. Who wrote this psalm? What is a maskil? (See psalm 45.) What is asked of God? (1)
* Psalm 74:1 Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?"
* The title is "A maskil of Asaph". This is the second consecutive psalm by Asaph. Asaph was appointed by King David to lead the Levitical choir and his descendants remained in that position through the destruction of the temple, being called by the name of their famous ancestor, Asaph or The Asaph Choirs. (See Study 40 Commentary, question 1 for more information.)
The meaning of "maskil" is unsure. However, most believe it probably is a literary or musical term. Other psalms are called a maskil (32, 42, 44, 45, 52, 54, 55, etc.) Psalm 45 is also a maskil, which is a wedding song, full of joy and excitement, opposite of this psalm. This psalm is dealing with a divine judgement which caused the author, and perhaps more, to examine their faults and sins.
* Although the title does not say it, this psalm is also a prayer-psalm. Those praying are asking God "rise up and defend his cause". (22)
* This psalm can be considered a crisis of faith as the prior psalm was also a crisis of faith. However, the circumstances are not the same and the result is not the same. The previous psalm's crisis of faith is how God deals with the religious wicked rich verses the pure in heart. The crisis of faith in this psalm is that God's people are being humiliated by people who worship idols. The idoliters defeated, utterly destroyed the temple, and God remained silent and continues to allow it to happen.
* Some point out that Psalm 79, also by Asaph, the seventh consecutive psalm by Asaph, seems to reflect a similar or even the same historical situation.
* When a psalm was written by Asaph or any of his descendants they were called "of Asaph". If this psalm was written by the man in David's time, he would have been writing prophecy of its destruction, which seems unlikely because writing of the destruction of the temple before its construction commenced would have been a great discouragement to the builders of Solomon's temple. Most likely then, is that this was written by one of Asaph's descendants, one who lived after Judah was attacked, defeated, and the temple was destroyed. Thus, they were examining their faults and sins. This would be most relevant to the generation after the temple was destroyed, not before it was built.
* Commentaries state that two possible events as described in the Bible fit this psalm: 1) The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Nebuchadnezzar's army (586 B.C., 2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles 36:11; Jeremiah 39:1-8, 52:1-4. See verse 6 commentary below on the words "axes" and "hatchets".), or 2) The persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes (168-165 B.C.) (Daniel). Verses 6-8, especially 7 better point to the Chaldean more than Antiochus. I do not belive this psalm was written during the second event.
However, verse 9 says they are left with no prophets and they did not know how long this would continue. After the destruction of Solomon's temple Ezekiel and Daniel became prophets in Babylon, receiving signs, visions, and dreams. Jeremiah remained a prophet until the the end of the kings from David and the destruction of the temple. Jeremiah said they would return to Israel in seventy years, but this wasn't discovered by the prophet Daniel until late in the exil. Therefore, the time between the final exile and just before the first return can fit to the content of the psalm, the historical books in the Bible, and archaeological discoveries. See more comments on verse 9 below.
One final consideration should be made not from a Christian standpoint, but from a Jewish point of view. A modern day Jew could consider this prayer-psalm to be starting in fulfillment with the temple destruction in 70 A.D., that is an Israelite that does not accept that Jesus is the Messiah and that his Apostles were full of God's Holy Spirit. If a modern Jew had that belief, then the opening questions of this psalm, and all that follows would be true. Consider how enemies harass from all sides to this day. A Jew can ask these whys and hows as they pray. In doing so, perhaps they will be lead in repentance and faith in Jesus, the Messiah sent by God whom their ancestor rejected and conspired to have the Roman's crucify.
If this final consideration is true, it would mean that this psalm would have been written during the Babylon exile as commentaries state above, and yet also was a prophecy of the Roman destruction of the temple, all Jerusalem, and Israel.
So, in conclusion, this psalm was probably written after several years of exile when Ezekiel stopped prophecying. However, later the exiled reader would have wondered about this psalm, especially when Daniel, late in his life and at the end of the exile (Daniel 9:1-2) (~537 B.C.) read that Jeremiah 29:10-14, written in approx. 597 B.C. had said that the return to Judah would be 70 years after the temple was destroyed. Then, Ezekiel 40 prophecies concerning a new temple to come in the 25th year of his captivity, 14 years after the temple was burned (~572 B.C.) would further confuse the reader of this psalm. Though confusing to the exile reader, these revelations would have been true during the silent decades in between when they were asking these questions, praying this prayer, and singing this psalm.
* "Why... forever?" -Examination of self more then questioning God's faithfulness to the covenant, as the subject of the questions reveal. They are not questioning God, but saying, "Why forever", or rather, why so long.
* "rejected us... anger smolder against the sheep of your paster" -Smoldering embers are the remaining heat of a once raging fire that destroyed. The chemical reaction remains. The destruction continues without seeming end.
>Who are the people the Lord purchased of old? How did he purchase them? How was that a redemption?
* Psalm 74:2 "Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed - Mount Zion, where you dwelt."
* "Remember the people you purchased of old" -Purchased out of Egypt.
* "the tribe of your inheritance" -In order to be an inheritance someone must die.
* "whom you redeemed" -The Bible has laws concenring the redemption of slaves, the cost is thirty pieces of silver.
* "Mount Zion, where you dwelt." -Past tense. Mount Zion often refers to the mountian the City of David was on, Jerusalem and/or the temple within its borders. The added phrase "where you dwelt" specifies this is referring to the temple, which according to this psalm was completely burned and destroyed.
>What does verse 3 imply? What ruins are these? (3)
* Psalm 74:3 "Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary."
* "Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins" -The Lord God left "Mount Zion, where you dwelt". This is a request.
* "these everlasting ruins" -The everlasting ruins have been there a very long time. No one has bothered to remove the rubble for one reason and then another. Perhaps they are not permitted to remove them. The Dome of the Rock is on what many believe is the place where every temple stood. However, next to it ruins still remain. Trees and shrub grows that are not gardens. No one has cleaned some areas off for some reason. Around the temple platform walls millennia old remains are scattered. Some are slowly moved as archaeology permits allow. The sheep gate is still closed for religious bigotry. In general, for 2,000 years rubble has littered ontop and around the walls of the temple platform that Jesus, the apostles, David, and Asaph walked. (Note: David did not build the temple. However, he built the platform, making the mount flat, and cut the stones from the temple so his son, Solomon can build them into the temple.
* "the enemy" -The Babylons were the enemies of Israel. However, the Lord God, through the prophet Jeremiah told Israel that he was going to use them to punish Judah and Jerusalem.
* "sanctuary" -Temple.
* Why? - 2,500 Years Eyes.
Imagine having double vision, seeing two different days at once, two and a half millennia apart. One eye is witnessing ancient Israel's past, a day during the Babylonian exile. An old Jew named Asaph is singing his new prayer-psalm with memories from his youth, visions of the Lord's sanctuary in flaming ruins.
Your other eye is witnessing the present-day Jerusalem's Western Wall, the ruins of the Sanctuary at the hands of the Romans. Another Jew named Asaph is singing his ancient ancestor's prayer-psalm. Both men are Levitical musicians calling to the Lord with the same requests for the same reasons.
"Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?" The dirge-duet begins. They accept God's anger is just. They are guilty, the reason for the ruins. But why does the Lord's punishment never end?
Jeremiah and the prophets warned Babylon's Asaph's generation, and generations before him, that if they did not repent and destroy their idols, they would perish by the hands of the Babylonians. They rejected the prophet and the Lord God who sent them. The Babylonians came and burned the Lord's sanctuary.
Around four hundred years later, Jesus, who did miraculous signs, preached the good news, and claimed to be the Messiah, warned his people, "Unless you repent, you too, will all perish." (Luke 13:3, 5) They rejected God's Son and the Father who sent him. The Romans came and burned the Lord's sanctuary. Not one stone was left on another.
The modern Asaph heard this from a Messianic Jew. He, like his ancestor before him, was contemplating the warning while looking at the ruins on and around the temple platform. His heart sang Asaph's lament.
The plea continued, "Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed - Mount Zion, where you dwelt."
When the Babylonians destroyed the temple in 586 B.C., and the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 A.D., the Lord left Israel, punishing them for rejecting him and violating the covenant he had with them. The Lord God walked away from his rebellious people, for they did not listen to his warnings.
The Asaph family pleads continue, "Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary."
Now I ask you, "Are you at the ruins of your temple asking questions?" Are you the spark that lit the fire of destruction and now asking questions?
>2. How were they the Lord's foes, when as the same time he used them to destroy the sanctuary, the place where God meet with Israel? What is a standard? How is it a sign? (4) An abomination?
* Psalm 74:4 "Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs."
* "foes roared" -In victorious celebration.
* "in the place where you met with us" -The temple as defined in the Law given by the Lord God through Moses. Many Israelites considered the Temple sacred.
* "their standard as signs" -Standards or statues of the deity were usually carried to symbolize the presence of the gods. Assyrian kings of the ninth and eighth centuries regularly refer to the divine standard that goes before them. Banners were used by the Israelites and others, including the Assyrians, as standards of warfare. In the Egyptian army the divisions were named for various gods (e.g., the division of Amun, division of Seth), and the standards would identify the division by means of some representation of the god. Battle flags and standards were used by the military as signaling devices and rallying points for the army or were hung from city walls (see Jeremiah 4:6). Their colors and insignia designated their allegiance and would in many cases have included a symbol of the god(s) who were expected to participate in the battle along with the human forces (see Jer 50:2). The Assyrian army of Shalmaneser III traveled with its "standards" attached to the royal chariot. When camp was made, they were erected near the royal pavilion and became the focal point for sacrifice and acts of devotion to the gods. (Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Ps 74:4)
* Verses 4-8 are the acts of the victor. The battle was done. They roared with victory. Now, they would plunder, destroy, and brag in pride.
>What does verse 5 look like?
* Psalm 74:5 "They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees."
* "to cut through a thicket of trees." -With no precision and care. The only intent is to get rid of the brush. The enemy did not consider it sacred.
* The psalmist is saying they were barbarous.
* The sacred place, which was of great expense and long labor and art was destroyed in but a few minutes.
* Man's meeting place with God, for the benefit of man, was destroyed by man, at the will of God, because of the sins of man against the will and nature of God.
>Which carved paneling did they smash?
* Psalm 74:6 They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets."
* It is difficult to determine whether this refers to carved panels in the temple or to engravings on some of the bronze or gold pieces connected to the temple. What is clear is that the intricate artwork that embellished this temple (like many others in the ancient world) was being ruthlessly destroyed. (Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament)
* "axes and hatchets" -These are Chaldean or Syriac and/or of these origins, not Hebrew. The author points out the time when the destruction occurred.
* The iron age had started shortly before the times of kings David and Saul.
>3. What did they do to the temple? When did this occur in history?
* Psalm 74:7 "They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name."
* ""They burned your sanctuary to the ground" -The Babylonians (Chaldean) and the Romans were the only one's to do this.
* "they defiled the dwelling place of your Name." -Often said of the place identified of a deity in ancient societies.
* Verse one states God's answer smolders long after the defeat and destruction. Here, the psalm recalls the burning of the sanctuary to the ground.
* Jeremiah, 2 Kings 24:20-25:30, and 2 Chronicles 36:11-23 records the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah and Ezekiel tells why Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem falls.
>What does it mean "they said in their hearts"? What are the "every places" in verse 8?
* Psalm 74:8 "They said in their hearts, We will crush them completely! They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land."
* "They said in their hearts" -Their motivation.
* "We will crush them completely" -As the ashes from the burned panels.
* "They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land." -Even though the temple existed, the Israelites had created places of worship on other hills and mountains in Judah. God did not allow this. But they did it anyway. After the return from exile, they had synagogues.
* Victim or Perpetrator.
Asaph's duet burns with questions, stated and unstated (1). The questions stated are to God. Within are unstated questions asking, Am I a victim or the perpetrator? What is my part in it? If I can ask God, "Why have you rejected me? Why are you angry?", then I have a part in the answer to the questions I am asking God. When I ask God, "Why rejection, why angry?" I am really asking myself the same questions, that is, if I am humble enough to accept God's answer, especially if God's answer is silence.
I see with my little eyes, one on Babylon Asaph and another on modern Western Wall Asaph, two men singing this prayer-psalm. Visions of Babylonian and Roman soldiers dance in their heads. "Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs." (4) A standard was a banner with false deities painted or embroidered on it. Each troupe followed its deity in battle. When the battle was won, they hung the standards on the temple mount as a sign of victory.
Asaph, who composed this prayer-psalm as an old man in Babylon, witnessed as a young man while a Levitical musician in Jerusalem, what is written next. He sang in memory his prayer, "They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets. They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name."
Jews in Babylon and Jews today can mourn this same prayer concerning the place where God told them the temple will be the place where I will meet with you.
Now, for the faithful in the Messiah, the place of meeting is with the Spirit of God within us. We cry "Abba Father." Many Messianic Jews and Christians pray to our heavenly Father as is in verse 8, "They said in their hearts, 'We will crush them completely!'" Persecution is sure to happen. We do not need to ask God why. But we do need to ask ourselves why.
2 Peter 3:11-14 says, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."
>What was taken from Judah besides the temple? When was this so in Israel's history? Asaph already stated this all started a long time ago. Does he or anyone know when it will end?
* Psalm 74:9 "We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be."
* "We are given no miraculous signs" -Miraculous signs usually, but not always, came at the word of prophets. Several miracles came that were not announced by a prophet. Miraculous signs were confirmation that the word that was spoken was from God and/or were performed to help God's people. One example is the parting of the Red Sea. The author will later state that he wants the Lord God to miraculously remove God's enemies from persecuting God's people and defaming God's name, a desire and prayer that will continue till the time of Jesus, the Messiah.
* "no prophets are left" -Elijah once wrongly believed this too. The Lord told Elijah that he had 1,000 who had not bowed to the Baals (1 Kings 19). After the prophet Malachi, if prophets were sent to Judea, no written word exists nor was accepted as from God by the seventy Jewish scholars who canonized the Jewish Old Testament. They translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek, called the Septuagint, over three hundred years before Jesus was born of Mary.
Asaph's statement would also mean that the priest's garments that contained the twelve stones used to determine the Lord's will was lost as well. Scholars believe the priest's garments along with much of the temple artifacts were lost when the Babylonians destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. (2 Kings 24:10-17, 25:9-21)
However, neither of these are what Asaph is referring to. An NIV Study Bible text note says, "Jeremiah had been taken to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:6-7), but whether Ezekiel was no longer prophesying is unknown. Perhaps this psalm was composed by an Asaphite who remained in Israel part of a small group overlooked by Johanan when that army officer lead the remnant to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:4-7).
While that is possible, I believe this Asaph was taken to Babylon when the temple was destroyed. He was a young lad then, and an old man now. Ezekiel was no longer given the word of the Lord to give to the people. Between Ezekiel and Haggai and Zechariah was at least 30 years with no prophets.
* "none of us knows how long this will be." -No prophets was present to tell the Jews how long God would be silent and when and if the temple will be built (Ezekiel 40 depicting a extremely impossible to build temple and Jerusalem was written at the end of his ministry). Also, the breast plate warn by the high priest that was used to inquire of the Lord was also lost at the hands of the Babylonians.
* Considering that the Lord God has sent so many prophets, especial multiple at the same time at the very end of David's line of kings, and the Jews refused to obey the Lord, it is ironic that Asaph is asking the Lord why he has not sent a prophet to tell them what to do and what is going on.
* God Goes Silent.
Asaph, to write this psalm, would have been the last of the Levitical musicians to serve during the reign of a king of Judah. He would be looking back at his youth when he witnessed the temple's destruction. No other generation fits the criterion as presented in the psalm. Not even the Levitical musicians who watched the Romans destroy the temple for Psalm 74 existed centuries before the Romans controlled Israel. Instead, they could only pray the psalm in song.
Asaph, in Babylon captivity, would have been an old man in order to write verse 9, "We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be." Jeremiah's prophecy ended with the temple's destruction in 586 B.C. Daniel began prophesying years after this. However, most of Daniel's prophecies concern the Gentiles, not the Jews. So, what of Ezekiel?
The Egyptians defeated the Jews in 609 B.C. The Babylonians defeated the Egyptians 4 years later in 605 B.C., gaining control of Jerusalem. 8 years later, in 597 B.C., during Babylon's second victory over rebellious Jerusalem, the prophet Ezekiel was taken to Babylon. Ezekiel was in Babylon for 5 years before he began receiving prophecies, which was 11 years before Jerusalem fell and 11 years before Jeremiah's prophecies stopped (Ezekiel 1:1). Ezekiel and Jeremiah's prophecies overlapped.
The Babylonians defeated Judah a third and final time in 586 B.C. They burned the temple and Jerusalem and exiled all but the poor and despondent (Jeremiah 39:9-10, 16, 40:3-6, 52:13-27). Asaph would have been taken to Babylon in 609 B.C. Ezekiel's prophecies rebuking the Jews lasted until at least 571 B.C. and no more than 559. Then, the Lord was silent until he sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah decades later. Asaph wrote this prayer-psalm when the Lord went silent.
God's silence will drive the faithful to where he intends us to be to change us into Jesus' character. God has a purpose in his silence. For Asaph, God's purpose was this psalm and the beginning of the nation's repentance.
II. How Long? (74:10-17)
* A illustration titled, "The Standards of the Inquisitions in Spain and Goa" by Limborch, Philippus van (1633-1712)referencing Psalm 74 is from the book "The history of the inquisition / Translated into English by Samuel Chandler. To which is prefixed, a large introd. concerning the rise and progress of persecution, and the real and pretended causes of it."
To the left is the Standard of the Inquisition in Spain, which features a cross, an olive branch (representing clemency), and a sword (representing justice). Surrounding the image is the Latin verse EXURGE DOMINE ET JUDICA CAUSAM TUAM (Arise, O God, and defend your cause) from Psalm 74. To the right is the Standard of the Inquisition in Goa, which features a priest holding an olive branch and a sword above a dog setting fire to a globus cruciger. At the top is the Latin phrase MISERICORDIA ET JUSTITIA (on mercy and justice).
>4. What two questions are asked in verse 10?
* Psalm 74:10 "How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever?"
* "How long will the enemy mock you, O God? -Asaph is saying this hoping God will at least come to show other nations and the Jews that are still worshiping idols that the Lord God is better than their gods.
* "Will the foe revile your name forever?" -"Foe" here is not just the people who say their gods are better than the Lord God, but also the idols and the demons behind the idols.
* The enemy mocks the God of Israel because their gods defeated Israel's God. Asaph wants the Lord God of Israel to show them that he is better. However, that is not happening and he cannot understand why the Lord God allows the situation to remain unchanged.
>What is asked in verse 11? What does Asaph request? What does he want God to do? What do you do when it seems like God is sitting on his hands when you need his help and people mock him and he does nothing about it?
* Psalm 74:11 "Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!"
* "Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?" -Asaph does not understand why God is doing this. However, the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel already told the Jews why God did what he did. Asaph, and most likely other Jews who want to keep their faith in God, cannot accept it. They want God to do it their way. They refuse to repent, that is change their ways. They want God to repent, that is change what he is doing.
* "Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!" -The statement represents that a person, and in this case God, is not doing anything. They are idol. They are not working.
* Asaph is being humiliated and he does not like it. Rather than admit he is the cause of the humiliation and repent. He wants God to stop them. Asaph is no different than Cain who killed Ablel rather than listen and obey God.
* God, What is the Problem?
Asaph asked God two questions in verses 1 and three more in verses 10-11; the verses in between are concealed, pain-provoked complaints. Asaph is having a crisis of faith. He does not hold back. He vomits his soul. Anger, heartache, fear, guilt, and embarrassment intertwine with doubt, denial, logic, and faith. God's silence is always a fearful pain, reflecting the image of one ugly soul.
Asaph's veiled complaint in verse 9 ignores the fact that the Lord God had sent the prophets Habbakkuk, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, warning that if there was no repentance, he would send the Babylonians to destroy them. They did not repent. The Lord God kept his word. If they did not listen then, why would God listen to them now and send a message via a prophet after the Babylonians destroyed them? Are we not the same?
If there is no acknowledgment of fault, then how can there be a change? If we do not confess our sins, how can we be forgiven of sins? If we do not humble ourselves, how can God raise us up? If we do not ask to be forgiven, how can we be forgiven?
1 John 1:8-10 states, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
Hebrews 10:22-23 states, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
>5. What does Asaph believe and state about God? (12) Why might it be import to him that God is king and not a person? How is God his salvation on earth?
* Psalm 74:12 "But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth."
* Verse 12 is the center verse of the psalm, (center line in the Hebrew text). The whole psalm presupposes the truth confessed here: God is Israel's King, her hope and Savior; and Israel is God's people (kingdom). This accounts for both the complain and the prayer, and why the destruction of Israel brings with it the mocking of God. (NIV Study Bible)
* "But you, O God, are my king from of old" -Israel's last king was removed by Babylon after the third rebellion and replaced by a governor who was not a descendant of David. He was assassinated by someone who was a descendant of David. The people learned of the assassination and feared the Babylonian response. The confession that God is king should have been made generations earlier, instead of asking the prophet Samuel for a king.
* "God" -"God" is the noun "Elohim" in the original Hebrew, plural of "Eloah", a prolonged version of the base word "El". (transliterations)
* "king" -"King" in the original Hebrew is the noun "Melek" meaning royalty from the verb "malak" meaning "to reign" and "to counsel".
* "my" -Communal use of the singular pronoun. (NIV Study Bible)
* "you bring salvation upon the earth." -Not just Israel and Judah.
* God, My King Who Saves.
Asaph springs from questions and confusion in verses 1-11 (shared by the community) to clarity and certainty in verse 12, the center line in the Hebrew psalm. The psalm is meant to convey the community's truth confessed here: God is our King and Savior, and we are God's people (kingdom), whether we understand all the whys and hows of our present circumstances or not. This accounts for both the complaint (1-11 darkness) and the prayer (12-23 light), and why the destruction of Israel and the prophets bring with it the mocking of God.
Asaph's revelation, God is Israel's king of old ("my" in implied plural); He gave Israel salvation (from Egypt, stated in verses 13-17), " should have been made in the time of the prophet Samuel. They approached Samuel, asking for a king. The Lord God told the prophet, "They have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods." (1 Samuel 8:7-8) He warned them this would happen. They did not listen to them back then. So, they experienced the results.
How did Asaph arrive from darkness to light? Where did this confession come from? Apostle Paul wrote, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." (Romans 8:26-27)
Is it your time to allow Jesus to be your King and Savior? Have you had enough of being on the throne of your life? Are you ready to come out of the darkness and into the light?
>When did God split the sea for Israel? How does Asaph describe the enemy back then? Can verse 13 refer to some other event?
* Psalm 74:13 "It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters."
* Depending on where one picks a point of reference for verses 13-17, will determine how each verse and phrase are interpreted. For example: if one uses the Lord God delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt, then every verse must fit within that parameter. If one does not, then perhaps the deliverance from Egypt should not be used as the point of reference for interpreting verses 13-17.
However, if one uses the Lord God creating the heavens and the earth and other ancient age events that are recorded in Genesis, then every verse must fit within that parameter. The interpretation cannot move from one point of referance to another in verses 13-17, and then back again.
Also, one should consider which creation story and ancient age records should be used. The Bible scholar would say Genesis, Job, and other Bible records accessible to the exiled Jews. However, if this is a reply to the enemy who is currently mocking God and his people, the Babylonians, then perhaps Asaph is also drawing from their creation records as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Every ancient creation myth has at least some similarities to the Bible.
So, what point of reference should be used in understanding verses 13-17? A proper choice must fit in with the center line of the Hebrew text, verse 12, as well as the verses before and after. The whole psalm presupposes the truth confessed in verse 12 first and foremost. Verse 12 concerns a confession of faith, "...you, O God are my king from old; you bring salvation upon the earth."
The understanding and interpretation of verse 12 needs then to be understood. First, who does "my" refer to? Is it Asaph only or all Judah (Israelites were also in Babylon)? Second, what does Asaph mean by "of old". Third, what does "bring salvation on earth" mean and imply? The KJV translates verse 12, "For God is my King of old; Working salvation in the midst of the earth." The CBS translates, "God my King is from ancient time, performing saving acts on the earth." Other English translations that I have are like the NIV and one of these.
One final consideration is that Asaph, and most of Judah, and even some from Israel (the norther tribes) are in Babylon. The enemy is the Babylonians who destroyed the temple and took Judah captive including their king. They are the ones who destroyed the temple and are mocking the Israelites God.
* "It was you who split open the sea by your power" -Some commentators state this is when the Lord parted the Red Sea for Israel. They say this is probable since the former verse speaks of the Lord God as Israel's (if "my" in the communal tense) king of old, bringing salvation to earth. Therefore, Egypt can be implied and assumed. Yet, why is God stated as saving earth, not just Israel? And where does the Leviathan and other statements fit into the Exodus? (See comments below.) They do not.
Others state this has nothing to do with the parting of the Red Sea. Rather, they say it is referring to the cosmic battle, parallel to Marduk's (Babylon's god during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar) splitting of Tiamat ("sea") that is recounted in the tell Enuma Elish.
Finally, others have translated it as a reference to the churning of the sea that sometimes precedes such battles.
* "you broke the heads of the monster in the waters." -Many interpretations of this exist. See below for more commentary concerning the Leviathan.
>What is a Leviathan? Where did they live? What did the Lord God do? Is this recorded elsewhere in the Bible?
* Psalm 74:14 "It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert."
* "Leviathan" -The word means "coiled one" according to most. However, no one has figured out the language this very old word originates. Different written languages are variations of the same word. Therefore, the interpretations "coiled one" is only educated speculation.
Other Biblical references of Leviathan include Job 3:8, 41:1, 19-21, Psalm 104:24-30, and Isaiah 27:1. Some say the seven headed monster in Revelation is the Leviathan because it is similar to other references in the Bible and extra Bible sources.
Almost all pre-Reformation commentators said the Leviathan was a whale. However, two Reformation scholars, Beza and Diodati, were among the first to interpret it as the crocodile. They, and others gave a good argument that convinced most. Since the discovery of dinosaurs bones, some modern scholars say it was a dinosaur.
* Leviathan has often been identified as a crocodile, which were found mostly in Egypt (where it symbolized kingly power and greatness), but also sparsely in Palestine. However, the multiple heads here and the fiery breath in Job 41:19-21 make the crocodile identification difficult. Alternatively, Leviathan has been depicted as a sea monster (Isaiah 27:1). Support for this is found in Ugaritic (ancient Bronze age Northern Syrian port) texts, which contain detailed descriptions of a chaos beast, representing the seas or watery anarchy, in the form of a many-headed, twisting sea serpent who is defeated by Baal (later worshiped my most in Israel). There is a close affinity between the description of Leviathan in Isaiah as a "coiling serpent" and the Ugaritic Baal epic, which speaks of how the storm god "smote Litan the twisting serpent," which is described as having seven heads. In both cases there is a sense of the god of order and fertility vanquishing a chaos monster. In Akkadian (ancient Babylon per-Abraham) literature there is a creature named "bashmu" that is described as having six tongues and seven mouths. In one text "bashmu" is named alongside other fabulous creatures including one with two heads and one with seven heads. The latter is also pictured on a cylinder seal. This seal shows four of the heads hanging limp while the battle continues with the remaining three. Several other passages in the Old Testament mention Leviathan, but most of them speak in terms of God's creative act that establishes control over watery chaos (personified by the sea serpent). In Isaiah 27:1, however, that struggle between order and chaos occurs at the end of time. It may be that the fall of Satan, portrayed as a seven-headed dragon in Revelation 12:3-9, also echoes the Ugaritic image of Litan as "the tyrant with seven heads." Biblically, Leviathan would therefore most easily fit into the category of "supernatural" creature (like cherubim) as opposed to natural or purely mythological. As such it may appear in extrabiblical mythology, as well as being symbolized by something like a crocodile (as in Ezek 29:3, though Leviathan is not specifically referred to in that context). (Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), Ps 74:14.)
* Verse 14 is the Lord God of Israel defeating the Leviathan, the feared seven headed myth serpent of the Babylon.
* "It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan" -Crushed head refers beck to the curse of the serpent where the offspring of Eve, Jesus the Messiah, would crush the head of Satan.
* "gave him as food to the creatures of the desert." -Perhaps refers to the judgement to come or the Babylonian myth epic.
>6. When did God open the springs? When did he dry up ever flowing rivers?
* Psalm 74:15 "It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever flowing rivers."
* "It was you who opened up springs and streams" -If believing that this refers to the Lord God leading Israel to the promised land, then one would say this is the rock spliting open and water pouring forth when the Lord God told Moses to command the rock to bring forth water.
* "you dried up the ever flowing rivers." -If believing that this refers to the Lord God leading Israel to the promised land, then this is the Jordan drying up when Joshua and Israel crossed the river.
* If believe this verse, along with verses 13-17 are referencing the time of Genesis and Job, then it may refer to creation, the flood, the global climate change after the flood, and/or the creation of the African desert where large very old society's and river bed remains now exist. Also consider the recently discovered 10,000 year old civilazations that use to exist in northern Turkey, Gobekli Tepe that are now near dry lands.
>What does it mean to establish the sun and moon?
* Psalm 74:16 "The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon."
* "The day is yours, and yours also the night" -For God made them possible and gave them their names. (Genesis 1)
* "you established the sun and moon." -Also, an act of creation.
* The act of creation shows the power of the Lord God, the God of Israel. None of Babylon's gods are stated to have done this in all their epics.
>What boundaries is verse 17 referring to? How does the summer and winter occur? What does all these thing tell us about God, who is silent to Asaph's questions? About Asaph's faith?
* Psalm 74:17 "It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter."
* "It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth" -The boundaries of land and sea as decreed by God are stated in Genesis 1.
* "you made both summer and winter." -The tilt of the earth's axes makes this possible. None of Babylon's God have done this either.
* Remembering God's Deliverance.
Asaph's confession of faith, "You O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth," (12) turns into a flow of a collection of God's deliverance worthy of remembrance of his almighty power over all creation. Asaph counters the Babylonian mocking words, "Where is your God that we crushed? (8) Asaph reminds the earth of some crushing the Lord God did at the creation of the world, during the time of Genesis (13), and the Son of Man did 2,000 years ago.
The Lord God said the the serpent in the Garden, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15) The Lord told Job who lived in the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, "Can you pull in the Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? ...He is king over all that are proud." He speaks of the Leviathan breathing fire from his mouth, while implying to Job that he, the Lord God, defeated him. (Job 41:1, 19-25, 34) Jesus, through his death and resurrection, defeated the serpent who uses the fear of death to compel the proud to rebel, just as the Babylonians burned every place where God was worshiped in the land (8). Asaph reminds the Babylonians of this, for these teachings were also in their legends.
Remember also, Jesus opens the river of life and closes it too (15). He named the day and night and established the course of the sun and moon (16). He said to the land, "Here is your end," and to the sea, "Here is your beginning." (17) The Lord Jesus established the seasons with a little tilt of the earth's axis (17).
The next time the enemy of God mocks your faith in Jesus, remember who Jesus is and what he has done. Make a journal of answered prayers and revelations of the Holy Spirit. When fear of powers seen and unseen seeks to control you and bring you down, "You may say to yourselves, 'They are stronger than me. How can I drive them out?' Do not be afraid of them, remember well what the Lord your God did..." (Deuteronomy 7:17-18)
III. Have Regard for Your Covenant (74:18-23)
>7. Does God need Asaph to remind him? Then why did he do it? Why might he be saying they are foolish to mock God?
* Psalm 74:18 "Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name."
* "Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O Lord" -Past. Probably not just the recent past, but all the way back to the burning of the temple.
* "how foolish people have reviled your name." -The mocking of the God of the Israelites (the people in Babylon were called Jews according to the books of Daniel, Esther, Nehemian, and Malichi.
* Asaph knew God did not need remindeding. Rather, Asaph wanted God to do something about it. This is the same as why he asked the questions in the first half of the psalm. He was indirectly wanting God to respond on the Jew's response.
* Asaph, in verses 13-17 was reminding himself, and even the Babylonians that they were foolish to mock God.
>Who is God's dove? What else does Asaph ask God? (19)
* Psalm 74:19 "Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever."
* "Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts" -Asaph is refering to Israel (the Jews) as God's dove. The dove is simple, meek, harmless, and vulnerable. The wild beasts are those who mock God, the ones who destroyed the temple. The contrast is stark.
* "do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever." -Afflicted by the wild beasts. The Lord God has taken away via the Babylonians theeir place of meeting with God (temple), all prophets who deliver his word, their land, their homes, their goods, and their safety and pride. Asaph asks that he not forget them too.
* "your dove... your people" -They are saying they are still his possession.
>What covenant is Asaph refering to? What is haunts of violence?
*Psalm 74:20 "Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land."
* "Have regard for your covenant" -The covenant at Mount Sinai which they broke. The Mount Sinai covenant was conditional. However, the Abraham and Davidic covenants were one sided. In other words, God would always keep those two covenants. The Mount Sinai covenant was superceeded by the New Covenant in Jesus' blood. It is also a one sided covenant, unless Jesus' command to love one another as he loves us is our side.
* "because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land." -
>What does verse 21a imply?
* Psalm 74:21 "Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name."
* "Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace"
* "may the poor and needy praise your name."
>8. Why might Asaph be repeating himself in verses 22 and 23? What can be learned about prayer?
* Psalm 74:22-23 "Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually."
* "Rise up, O God, and defend your cause" -The request.
* "remember how fools mock you all day long" -Repeated again.
* "Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually." -A repeat.
