Psalm 79 – Nations
In psalm 79 – nations, who are the nations the psalmist is referring to? What is the significance of nations?
Psalm 79
A lament attributed to Asaph, but not Asaph of David’s time, Psalm 79 was written either by a later Asaph or someone writing in the school of Asaph. It is a psalm of desolation after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and Babylonian exile.
Psalm 79 begins by calling out to God that the nations have invaded the country, defiling the Temple and destroying Jerusalem.
“O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.” (1)
Not only that, they have killed the people, leaving no one to bury the dead.
“They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.” (2-3)
How Long, Lord?
The psalmist asks God how long he will be angry. He questions why God doesn’t pour out his anger on the nations rather than God’s people.
“We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.
How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.” (4-7)
He asks God not to hold the sins of past generations against them.
“Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.” (8)
He asks God to forgive their sins and avenge the blood of his people, then they will praise God forever.
“Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” (9)
”Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.” (12-13)
Who are the Nations?
Who are the nations referred to in Psalm 79 – Nations? Other translations of Psalm 79 refer to nations as heathens (King James, English Revised Version, Good News), those who do not believe in God. How could God abandon his people like this, leaving the nations to taunt, “Where is their God?” (10)
In Psalm 78 we hear the history of the people’s sin, how they continued to sin. In Psalm 79 we see the consequence of those years of sin. Finally, God allowed the natural outcome of their sins, no longer protecting them from their enemies.
The Hebrew nation had become like other nations, no longer following their God. They gave lip service to God, professing a belief they were not living.
“As a nation, Israel had become one and the same as the pagan kingdoms around them. Oh yes, they knew God’s name; and, in times of emergency they loved to call upon God for help; but the people as a whole had become even worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (Ezekiel 16). If God’s moral character was to be established as a fact in the minds of mankind, something drastic had to be done about Israel and their gross wickedness.
The name of God could not be used merely as a charm to get Israel out of every disaster; there positively had to be some moral integrity on the part of the people themselves. There were, no doubt, a few devout souls who sincerely called upon God and walked in his ways, among whom the psalmist here was surely numbered; but such as he were so few that no observer in that day could have told any moral difference between Israel and any other pagan nation of that era.” Psalms 79 – Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible – Bible Commentaries – StudyLight.org
Powers and Principalities
Theologian William Stringfellow speaks of powers and principalities, claiming they are nations, organization and companies who are no longer true to their founding beliefs and have become a power unto themselves. Their primary concern becomes amassing more power and “staying alive” rather than fulfilling their mission. Sometimes nations have to die in order to be renewed. Such was the case of Israel. They had strayed so far from their God that only a radical change would wake them up to reality.
“All of the symbols of Israel’s security were shattered – their nationhood, their capital, even the temple. Judah’s erstwhile allies had deserted her; alone she had faced the foe – and lost! Survivors of the ensuing bloodbath looked to God, their only hope in a creel, friendless world. Behind them lay the grim tragedy of 587 B.C… Ahead of them lay a question mark regarding both their own and their nation’s survival. Heartbroken, they gathered around the mined shrine to lay their anguish before the God of Judah.” (Baigent, as quoted in Psalms 79 – Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible – Bible Commentaries – StudyLight.org)
Psalm 79 – Nations
So. who are the nations in Psalm 79 – nations? Any nation that has strayed from their God, including the Hebrew nation when it no longer follows the ways of God. Including any nation that is no longer true to its founding principles or purpose, who have become powers and principalities in their own right.
Psalm 79 reminds us of the importance of remaining true to our roots, our guiding principles, our God.
Have you strayed from your passion for God? How might you rekindle this passion?
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 79: Growing through Times of Disorientation – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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