Psalms 83

Psalms 83:1

Psalm 83: Psalm of the SixDay WarOn May 28, 1967, Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of the United Arab Republic, said, “We plan to open a general assault on Israel. This will be total war. Our basic aim is the destruction of Israel.” When war broke out on June 5, the United Arab Republic was joined by Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. The attempt of this confederacy to drive Israel into the sea was unsuccessful. In six days the war was over. Israel was the undisputed victor. For many Bible lovers, Psalms 83 took on new meaning after the Six-Day War. And perhaps it will have further fulfillments before Israel’s claim to the land is irrevocably settled by the coming of the Lord Jesus to reign as King. 83:1-5 The language is obviously that of besieged Israel, calling on God to break His silence and to act decisively. Although the people are pleading for their own safety and preservation, they present their case as if it were God’s cause as much as their own: “Your enemies . . . those who hate You . . . Your people . . . Your sheltered ones . . . They form a confederacy against You.” They will not let Him forget that Israel’s enemies are His enemies. The details are true to life. The enemies are in tumulta vivid description of the blustering threats of the opposition. They lay crafty plansassisted behind the scenes by advisors from Soviet Russia. They consult togetherin what have now become known as Arab summit meetings. They threaten the annihilation of Israelas witnessed by the quotation above. They form a formidable federation of nationsmostly of people who are near relatives of the Israelites. 83:6-8 When we try to identify these nations with modern counterparts, we run into difficulty. We do know that Assyria is the same as modern-day Iraq, and that the Ishmaelites, descended from Abraham and Hagar, were the progenitors of the Arabs. We know that the Edomites and the Amalekites were descended from Esau, and the Moabites and Ammonites from Lot, but to trace them today is well-nigh impossible. The Philistines inhabited the area now known as the Gaza strip. The city of Tyre was located in what is now Lebanon. Gebal is the same as ancient Gubla or Byblos, located in Phoenicia.

Some sources list the Hagrites as descendants of Hagar, and therefore a segment of the Ishmaelites, but the identification is not positive. Since so much obscurity surrounds these names, it is best not to try to link them with modern countries in the Middle East, but simply to see them as representing Gentile foes of Israel. How could little Israel stand against such an overwhelming confederacy? Part of the answer is found in the fact that God’s people are His “sheltered ones” (v. 3), His “hidden ones” (AV), His “precious ones” (LB), or “those He loves” (Gelineau). In the hour of danger, He miraculously shields them, and makes His strength perfect in their weakness. When the odds are all against them, He sends a victory that defies all human explanations. 83:9, 10 Now the beleaguered people call on Jehovah to deal with the current threat as He did with His enemies on three different occasions in the past. Jabin, king of Canaan, and Sisera, his commander in chief, were killed ingloriously at En Dor after a disastrous defeat at the Brook Kishon (Judg. 4). Their decaying carcasses became fertilizer for Israel’s soil. 83:11, 12 Oreb and Zeeb, two princes of Midian were killed and decapitated (Jdg_7:23-25). According to Isaiah (Isa_10:26), it was an epic slaughter. Two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, had threatened to occupy “the pastures of God.” They managed to escape from the Israelites when Oreb and Zeeb were slain, but they were subsequently overtaken and executed by Gideon (Judg. 8). 83:13-18 In its bold plea for God’s judgment on His foes, Israel leaves nothing to the divine imagination. The details of the punishment are specified. Let them be like the whirling dust, or as some translate it, like a tumbleweed. Let them be like the chaff driven before the wind. Let them be pursued as if by a fire sweeping through the woods, and consumed as if by a raging holocaust. Let them be terrified by the Lord’s storm. Let them be thoroughly put to shame so that men might seek the LORD. Let them perish in disgrace so that men might learn that Jehovah alone is the Sovereign Ruler over all the earth. Strong language? Yes, strong but not unjustified. When the honor of God is at stake, love can be firm. Morgan explains: These singers of the ancient people were all inspired supremely with a passion for the honor of God. With them, as with the prophets, selfish motives were unknown. Selfishness sings no song, and sees no visions. On the other hand, a passion for the glory of God is capable of great sternness as well as great tenderness.