Interpreting Events
Opening Prayer
“Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake” (9).
Read Psalm 79
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 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.
3 They have poured out blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us.
5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
that do not call on your name;
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.
8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
9 Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Practice being still before God. Reflect on your relationship with him. What has he given to you? What have you given to him?How do we interpret the turbulent events that cast long shadows over people’s lives? At first glance this psalm, chronicling the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians, depicts how war destroys life (1–4) and relationships (4,6,12).
On closer inspection we notice that the psalmist interprets these terrible events in terms of Israel’s covenant relationship with God. The psalm begins and ends with an appeal for God to remember his covenant. Note the use of “your” in verses 1–3,13. Understanding that God is “for us” and has a commitment to us can keep our faith afloat when life events threaten to overwhelm us.
At the heart of the psalm (8–10) is an acknowledgment that the people’s failure to keep the covenant (5,8) has damaged God’s honor (10). I wonder whether we view our sin as a stain on God’s reputation?
It took this awful event (1–3) to bring God’s people back to their covenant relationship with God. In our own times of pain we can follow the psalmist’s lead: cry out, confess, commit ourselves to God (8,9), then trust God to act justly and with mercy (6,11).
Apply
Think of a difficult situation in your life. How can you glorify God even through the struggle?
Closing prayer
Use verses 8 and 9 to pray for yourself and for the nations of the world.
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