O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work that You did in their days, in the days of old. You with Your own hand drove out the nations; then You planted them; you afflicted the peoples, then You spread them abroad. For by their own sword they did not possess the land, and their own arm did not save them, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, for You favored them. You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob. Through You we will push back our adversaries; through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me. But You have saved us from our adversaries, and You have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted all day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah. Psalm 44: 1-8, NASB.
Merciful God of our salvation, we come before You today relying solely on Your mercies! Remind us, I pray, that the only boast that will stand the test of time, is our boast in the LORD! In the name of Jesus we humbly pray. Amen.
Beginning today, we will be meditating on psalm 44. It is attributed to the sons of Korah, the priest who rebelled against God’s leading, through Moses (see Numbers 16). This psalm has several parts: Remembering God’s leading in the past. Complaints about God casting them off. Their claim of faithfulness to the covenant. Their cry for God to awaken and look on their affliction. Finally, their plea for redemption.
We will begin by looking at their memories of God’s leading in the past. It is so easy for us as human beings to forget. And even when we remember, our memories are not always trustworthy. As descendants of Korah, remembering might not have been very pleasant. His rebellion against the man of God, and actually against God Himself, cost him and his followers their lives, in a most unusual way. Something that had never been seen before took place, the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up. But even tragic memories can produce positive results – they can serve as deterrents against evil.
Some of the highlights of this Scripture are: The confidence that can be produced by faithful witnessing; the awareness that the victories that had been won were won by the power of God, not man; and the fact that this generation was willing to accept God as their personal King.
Because in the past, God had cast out the heathen nations and “planted” their forefathers in the land; because He had troubled the heathen, but had “spread [their ancestors] abroad,” this generation could take courage.
I imagine during the different feast days and solemn ceremonies the scribes would read from the scrolls all of the wonderful works that God had done on behalf of His people Israel. I believe that the Levite musicians, had also put to music many of the wonderful works of the Lord. So they were hearing of God’s goodness,”when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6: 7b). They knew that it was YHWH who had provided them with a land of their own. They were simply the recipients of His everlasting kindness. They were kept constantly aware of this. It was God’s “right hand,” and not theirs, that had “gotten [them] the victory” (Psalm 98: 1).
“You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob.”They had heard sufficient about God, to know that it pays to be on the LORD’s side! Therefore, they declared Him as their King. Now, they could ask Him to work for them their own miracles. The testimonies of others are wonderful, and have a powerful influence on those who witness them, or hear about them – but there is no miracle like your own miracle. Once you have experienced one, your life will never be the same!
Then you can make your boast in the Lord! Others will hear of it and be blessed (Psalm 34: 2)!