Psalms 74

Psalms 74:1

Psalm 74: Remember!This moving lament looks back to the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar. But it also looks forward to three other similar tragedies in Israel: The desecration of the sanctuary by Antiochus Epiphanes, 170-168 B.C. The leveling of the temple by Titus and his Roman legions, A.D. 70. The still-future desolation of the temple, as prophesied in Mat_24:15. When the Babylonian wreckers were finished, it seemed that God had forsaken His people once for all. As they watch smoke arising from the debris, they correctly interpret the catastrophe as a smoking of His anger. But even then they remind the Lord with telling pathos that they are still: the sheep of His pasture (v. 1). His congregation (v. 2). the tribe of His inheritance (v. 2). His poor turtledove (v. 19). the oppressed (v. 21). the afflicted and needy (v. 21). They also ring the changes on the word “Remember”: Remember Your congregation (v. 2). Remember Mount Zion (v. 2). Remember the scoffing of the enemy (v. 18). Remember how an impious man sneers and reviles God’s name (v. 22). 74:1-4 As if He didn’t know what had happened, they call God to come and see how completely the Chaldean soldiers had razed the sacred building. Then they give an eyewitness account of how it happened. The foreign invaders stormed right into the middle of the holy place. They set up their own banners for signs, which means that they introduced heathen rites and idolatrous symbols in place of the scriptural worship of Jehovah. 74:5-8 Just as thick trees go down in swift succession under the deft blows of the woodsmen, so the costly carved work and wood paneling of the temple was shattered by the axes and sledge hammers of the pagan warriors. As soon as the place was in shambles, they set the ruins on fire and thus utterly desecrated God’s sanctuary. Intent on making complete havoc of Israel and its worship, they burned up all the meeting places of God in the land. 74:9 The extreme plight of the nation is summed up in three vacuums and four questions. The vacuums are: No signs. The miraculous interventions of God which Israel had experienced in the past were conspicuously absent. No prophet. The prophetic voice was silenced at this time (Eze_3:26). No hope of respite. There was no one who knew how long the misery would continue. 74:10, 11 The four questions are: How long will God allow the adversary to ridicule? Will God allow His name to be reviled indefinitely? Why is His hand restrained from stopping the destruction? Why does He keep His right hand idly hidden in the folds of His robe? 74:12-17 But the psalmist finds hope and comfort in rehearsing God’s mighty power in the past on behalf of His people. As Israel’s King of long standing, He has distinguished Himself by the fantastic deliverances He wrought in various places. For instance, He divided the Red Sea by His strength to make an easy route for the Jews escaping from Egypt. Then when the Egyptian sea serpents, that is, Pharaoh’s soldiers, tried to follow, He caused the waters to return to normal and drowned the hosts of the enemy. He crushed the heads of Leviathan, the monstrous crocodile that symbolized Egyptian power, and the corpses of the soldiers, washed up on the shores of the sea, became food for the vultures and beasts of the desert. He broke open springs and brooks in the wilderness, and dried up the Jordan so the people could enter the promised land.

Day and night are under His control, and the sun, moon, and stars serve by His appointment. It was He who arranged the geography and topography of the earth, and the seasons are controlled by Him. 74:18-21 The psalmist reminds God that He too is involved in the disaster. The enemy has reproached His name; yes, a vile, foolish people has heaped contempt on Him. But His people’s plight is desperate. They implore Him not to abandon them, His turtledove, to the wild Babylonian beast, or to forget His afflicted ones forever. They beg Him to respect the covenant which He made with Abraham now when the dark places of the land of Israel harbored violence and cruelty. They beg Him to bring back His oppressed people in honor, not in shame, and thus give them ample cause to praise His name afresh for answered prayer. 74:22, 23 Ultimately it is God’s cause that is at stake. He must defend the honor of His name, because the impious are mocking Him daily. He must not forget the swelling derision of His enemies which fills the air continually with challenges.