Three Things



Psalm 79
A Psalm of Asaph.
1O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
3They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
4We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.
5How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!
7For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
8Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
9Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!
10Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes!
11Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
12Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

As a part of God’s judgment for the idolatry of His people, the Babylonians swept through Jerusalem and carried the vast majority of the population off into captivity. The first deportation (605bc) included Daniel, and the second (597) included Ezekiel. A third deportation took place in 586, when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The city, it’s wall, and the Temple were burned and the gold from the temple was carried off as well. God’s people were in ruins. This psalm comes in response to those calamities. The psalmist has three prayers: that God’s honor be upheld, that his people be forgiven, and that his enemies be punished. The faithful in Israel knew that the disaster which struck Jerusalem was due to Israel’s sins, but the Babylonians thought that it was due to the weakness of Israel’s god. The writer of this psalm cries out to God to redeem the glory of His name and rescue the people.
As I muse over a psalm that seemingly has nothing to do with me, I am struck by three questions:
  1. How often do I turn my gaze outward and think about the impact my situation has on my witness?
  2. What have I done (usually sinfully) that has contributed to my situation?
  3. What is my response to those who want to harm me?
As per usual, looking to see the impact my words and actions have on my witness isn’t foremost in my mind. Realizing that my actions and words can negatively affect how others see God draws me up short. Of course God is judged by my actions because I don’t live silently about my faith. When I use words that are less than ideal or my actions show selfishness rather than care, God is held in contempt by those who do not love Him. They are able to rightfully say, “and she’s a Christian?”

Those thoughts lead directly into the next question. What are my sins? What have I done to offend God? The list is long and I don’t have the time to start typing all of that out on paper. It would take up the whole day! Suffice it to say, I am always in need of a Savior and my sin stands ever before me.

Finally, I am forced to deal with those who hate me. Unlike the psalmist, I don’t feel the need to ask God to destroy them. In fact, I am moved to do the opposite: I ask God to have mercy upon them and bring them to faith in Jesus Christ; but I don’t do that often enough! Every week at my church, we ask people to submit prayer requests on their response cards. And every week we have people who faithfully write down the name of the people for whom they are praying, asking God to bring them to faith. Every week. Their faithfulness is inspiring and convicting all at the same time. I don’t have that kind of tenacity.


Dear Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I want to thank You for this ancient prayer. While I was not present to witness the desolation of the temple or the burning of Jerusalem, I am witness to my own life. I know that I have failed to bring You glory on numerous occasions. I have managed to stay silent when glorifying Your name was the action to take. I have most certainly failed when given the opportunity to share Your Gospel and live in a manner that helps others see You. And while it is difficult to pray for my enemies I lift each one of them before You and ask for blessings and mercy in their lives. I especially ask that You would intervene in their lives through the power of Your Spirit and draw them unto You. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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