Good Morning Siblings!
Today’s readings are Psalms 74-77
Click here to read today’s passages on BibleGateway.
Our precious sister, Debbie Ingle, provided the notes for today so I could get my garden work done. Thank you so much, Debbie! I sure do love ya!
Debbie’s Rabbit Trails
Hello Front Porch Family!
Many of us are so comforted by the Psalms. They are usually the first place we go during times of difficulty. This read though has been like walking by a cool stream, especially after some of the harder passages of Job. Today, however, we are going to take a look at a Psalm that is not so comforting, but rather, a reflection of the great sadness brought on by the exile of Jerusalem. But, there is a silver lining, as I believe it holds a pattern that can teach us a valuable lesson. Let’s dig in!
Psalm 74
I really don’t know how someone could understand this Psalm without the foundational knowledge that we have been acquiring as we have read through the bible to this point. Do you recall how sad it was when the Kingdom of Judah in Jerusalem finally fell to Babylon? You may want to revisit that for context today…
- 2 Chron 36:15-21
- 2 Kings 25:9-21
Do you remember what a roller coaster of emotions we all felt as the kings of Judah either did or did not follow after YHVH? Then, we all saw it coming…and it finally did. After the many warnings that went unheeded, “until there was no remedy,” Judah was taken captive. (from 2 Chron 36:16). Keep that in mind as you read Psalm 74. This is a Psalm written out of a heart of desperation that has lived though that. And it is full of trails for us to remember:
- For starters, this Psalm was written by Asaph, but scholars believe it was not the same Asaph as David’s Asaph. It could have been written as prophesy in an earlier time period, we certainly do see that in the Messianic Psalms, however, there is one clue that leads some to believe it was written later by a different Asaph. Look to verse 6 where you see discussion of tools. The words used here are not originally Hebrew words. They are of the Chaldean language. That gives some validity to the idea that this Psalm was written shortly after the time of the captivity.
- Notice that Asaph refers to “Your heritage” in verse 2. That word in Hebrew is “nachalah” (Strong’s H5159), and it is the same word that YHVH uses in Deut 4:20 when He declares Israel to be His inheritance among the nations. This Psalmist knows his history and is using it to build his case for The Father to take action.
- We read of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Again, without having read 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, this would make no sense. But, having read the history and about the people, this is incredibly moving. We remember the people and the kings and all that led to this point. We recall the warnings to turn back. We feel the sadness that they did not repent.
- Then, in verse 12 there is an attitude shift. Asaph now recalls from Israel’s history that there have been hard times before AND that The Father redeemed His people. Do you recall when YHVH split the sea and crushed the “monsters” into the waters? Sounds a lot like the Exodus….Asaph is reminded YHVH of Israel’s history.
- Next Asaph reminds The Father to remember that He is in covenant…If you will recall, way back in Genesis 15 YHVH made a covenant with Abram…giving him and his seed the land. Do you recall who walked through the sacrificial pieces? It was only The Father. Asaph is reminding The Father of the covenant…appealing to The Father not to forget the promise of The Land.
So Psalm 74 appears to be set up like a research paper with the thesis being that The Father should remember the covenant of the land and bring Judah back for the sake of YHVH’s own good name. Pretty bold, and all true!
I have found in my own prayer life, that The Father likes having His own words prayed back to Him. When we read The Word and know scripture…we understand His will. When we understand His will, we will petition Him more effectively, because we will be praying along with the straight edge of His Word.
Even though it may not be the most comforting Psalm, learning that little lesson can be comforting indeed. To petition The Father in this way, we need to be prepared.
- We need to know our history. And by “our history” I mean the history in YHVH’s Word. If we believe Romans 11:17 …that we have been grafted into the olive tree that is Israel, then we need to finally wrap our heads around the fact that we have also been grafted into Israel’s history. Their story is our story…just as much as if we had been adopted at birth into a family.
- We need to pray The Word back to The Father. He has made promises…just like we see in Psalm 74 about the covenant. There are more promises that He is just waiting for us to ask Him to fulfill. We will not know what to ask for, if we do not read The Word.
- We need to have faith that The Father will keep His Word. Do we really believe what He says in The Word? Really? Where is our faith? Without it, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Who knew that Psalm 74 could be so relevant for us today. That is the way with history, isn’t it? When we look to the past, we find wisdom to shape the future.
While I would love to keep talking about the rest of today’s Psalms, I feel like these notes are already getting a bit lengthy. I’m going to let you find the rest of the trails to share today in the comments. Enjoy! And I can’t wait to hear what you find.
Test everything, hold tight to what is good.~ 1 Thess 5:21
We are saved by Grace alone: Obedience is not the root of our salvation, it is the fruit!
May YHWH bless the reading of His Word!