Asaph’s Cry For Help
Opening Prayer
Dear Lord, I want to walk in the way of love. Grant me an ardent, pure and courageous love.
Read PSALM 83
1 O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
16 Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
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.
Meditate
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Rom. 12:19, ESV)
Think Further
Since Abel (Gen. 4:1–8), God’s people have experienced horrific persecution. Such suffering is happening at this time, in the Middle East in particular. Extreme examples are being widely reported, including whole towns being invaded and Christians forced to convert, pay a tax or leave. How does one respond to these horrors?
In the text above, Paul urges the Romans never to avenge themselves, but to leave vengeance to God (cf. 1 Thess. 5:15). This became a shocking reality eight years later as Nero brutally persecuted the Roman Christians (Tacitus, Annals, 15.44). Like some recent extremists, he crucified them, among other atrocities. Paul’s injunction is premised on the Lord Jesus, who preferred crucifixion to violence. Psalm 83 reflects the same kind of situation for Israel. The ten nations are not historically specific, but give a composite picture of the nations who seek Israel’s destruction. The national lament pleads with God to rise up and deal with them. Although we who read the New Testament injunctions to love our enemies may find this distasteful, in fact this is an appropriate response of God’s people when facing the horrors of violent tyranny. We are to love our enemies; God will sort them out.
The side of God who avenges his people is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:6, where God is the avenger (ekdikos) of those who transgress against others through sexual immorality. It will emerge again in 2 Thessalonians 1:6–9, which assures the Thessalonians, who are also suffering, that God will repay their persecutors. Christians are to love each other with a holy, pure love. They are to love their enemies. They are not to take revenge when wronged, no matter how horrendously. They are to leave it to God to deal with those who violently oppress others.
Apply
Who are your opponents in “the game of life” right now? How are you handling the immediate inclination for vengeance? How can you achieve the special grace needed to love your enemies?
Closing prayer
Lord, I am not sufficient for these things. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me, as only You can do.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.