Psalm 73 - 77 (with 1 topic)
Psalm 73 Beginning of Book 3 of the Psalms (Psalms 73-89); A psalm by Asaph (a temple choir leader-- see 1stCh 25:1). Said to address being confused:
Surely (Yet) GOD is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for Me, My feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost My foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the worldly prosperity of the wicked. Note this was Asaph's lyrics-- earlier (Psa 17:5) young David had prayed, My steps have held to YOUR Paths, My feet have not slipped. BTW, this was likely well before 1stKi 11:3 says that David had a total of 700 wives & 300 concubines, & His wives led Him astray. Perhaps the 1st time he realized his feet slipped, was after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba (title of Psa 51). It was not Bathsheba (Uriah's wife) who counseled him to arrange for Uriah's death-- David alone made that decision! But back to Asaph:They have no struggles at their death; their bodies are healthy (fat/strong). They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace, they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity (Their eyes bulge with fat); the evil conceits of their minds knows no limits. They scoff, & speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to Heaven, & their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them & drink up waters in abundance. They say, 'How can GOD know? Does the Most High have knowledge?' This is what the wicked are like-- always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Leading to why I almost slipped: Surely in vain have I kept My heart pure; in vain have I washed My hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. If I had slipped & said, 'I will speak thus,' I would have betrayed Your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to Me (labor in My eyes) till I entered the Sanctuary of GOD; then I understood their final destiny.
Surely YOU place them on slippery ground; YOU cast then down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when 1 awakens, so when YOU arise, O LORD, YOU will despise them as fantasies. When My heart was grieved & My spirit embittered, I was senseless & ignorant & so I almost slipped. I was a brute beast before YOU.
Yet I am always with YOU; YOU hold Me by My right hand. YOU guide Me with YOUR Counsel, & afterward YOU will take Me into glory. Whom have I in Heaven but YOU? And earth has nothing I desire but YOU. My flesh & My heart may fail, but GOD is the strength (rock) of My heart & My portion forever. Those who are far from YOU will perish; YOU destroy all who are unfaithful to YOU. But as for Me, it is good to be near GOD. I have made the Sovereign LORD My refuge; I will tell all of YOUR Deeds.
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Psalm 74 A maskil (giving of instructions) by Asaph-- or 1 of His descendants, as many believe it was written after Jerusalem's fall (but see my conjecture in Psalm 77 below):
Why have YOU rejected Us forever, O GOD? Why does YOUR Anger smolder against the sheep of YOUR Pasture? Remember the people YOU purchased of old, the tribe (see Deu 32:9; Jer 10:16) of YOUR Inheritance, whom YOU redeemed-- Mt. Zion, where YOU dwelt.
Turn YOUR Steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary. YOUR Foes roared in the place where YOU met with Us; they set up their standards as signs. They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes & hatchets. They burned YOUR Sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of YOUR Name. They said in their hearts, 'We will crush (break) them completely!' They burned every place where GOD was worshiped in the land.
We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, & none of Us knows how long this will be. How long will the enemy mock YOU, O GOD? Will the foe revile YOUR Name forever? Why do YOU hold back YOUR Hand, YOUR Right Hand? Take it from the fold of YOUR Garment & destroy them!
But YOU, O GOD, are My king from of old; YOU bring salvation upon the earth. It was YOU who split (broke) open the sea by YOUR Power; YOU broke the heads of the monster whale in the waters. It was YOU who crushed the heads of Leviathan & gave him as food to the creatures of the desert. It was YOU who opened up springs & streams; YOU dried up the ever flowing rivers, The day is YOURS, & YOURS also the night; YOU established the sun & moon. It was YOU who set all the boundaries of the earth; YOU made both summer & winter.
Remember how the enemy has mocked YOU, O LORD, how foolish people have reviled YOUR Name. Do not hand over the life of YOUR Dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of YOUR Afflicted People forever. Have regard for YOUR Covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor & needy praise YOUR Name.
Rise up, O GOD, & defend YOUR Cause; remember how fools mock YOU all day long. Do not ignore the clamor of YOUR Adversaries, the uproar of YOUR Enemies, which rise continually-- see Jon 1:2.
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Psalm 75 A psalm by Asaph; a song for the director of music (chief musician); al-taschith (a memorial melody, to the tune of 'Do Not Destroy'-- as were Psalms 57-59):
We give thanks to YOU, O GOD, We give thanks, for YOUR Name is near; men tell of YOUR Wonderful Deeds.
YOU say, I chose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly. When the earth & all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. Selah To the arrogant I say, 'Boast no more,' & to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift up your horns against Heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck.'
No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it is GOD who judges: HE brings 1 down, HE exalts another. In the Hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; HE pours it out, & all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs. As for Me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the GOD of Jacob. I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.
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Psalm 76 A psalm by Asaph, a song for the director of music; neginoth (on stringed instruments):
In Judah GOD is known; HIS Name is great in Israel. HIS Tent is in Salem, HIS Dwelling Place in Zion. There HE broke the flashing arrows, the shield & the sword, the weapons of war. Selah
YOU are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep there last sleep; not 1 of the warriors can lift his hands. At YOUR Rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse & chariot lie still. YOU alone are to be feared-- 1stCh 16;25 says, HE is to be feared above all gods.
Who can stand before YOU when YOU are angry? From Heaven YOU pronounce judgment, & the land feared & was quiet-- when YOU, O GOD, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah Surely YOUR Wrath against men brings YOU praise, & the survivors of YOUR Wrath are restrained (the wrath of men brings YOU praise. And with the remainder of the wrath YOU arm yourself).
Make vows to the LORD Your GOD & fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the ONE to be feared. HE breaks the spirit of rulers; HE is feared by the kings of the earth.
1. History as determined by scholars:- In 586 B.C., Jerusalem was destroyed (exiles go to Babylon);
- in 539 B.C., Babylon was overthrown by Cyrus (king of Persia);
- a yr. later the 1st group of exiles (42,360) began returning (lead by Zerubbabel);
- 2 yrs. later many contributed materially or began rebuilding the temple;
- 6 yrs. later the temple reconstruction was halted;
- 8 yrs. later Darius I became king of Persia;
- 2 yrs. later the temple work resumed;
- 4 yrs. later the temple is finished;
- 58 yrs. later a 2nd group of exiles (2,000) returned, led by Ezra, whose primary responsibility was to educate, to restore the Jewish customs;
- 13 yrs. later Nehemiah returned with a 3rd group of exiles, to rebuild Jerusalem's city walls.
- Per PerspectivesA A.1.c. PROPHECY BOOKS (iv. & d.ii.), Ezra is the 15th & Jer the 24th books of the Bible; were they in chronological order, Ezra would be close after Jer. Ezr 1:1 substantiates this: In the 1st yr. of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the Word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah. Recall in 539 B.C., Babylon was overthrown by Cyrus (king of Persia)-- Jer 25:11 says, This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, & these nations (Judah, Egypt, the Philistines, etc.-- see vv. 17-26) will serve the king of Babylon 70 yrs.;
- Per PerspectivesC C.6., Nehemiah prayed a fine prayer, but this prayer was followed by some deplorable actions to others (in the name of zeal). Not so Ezra. Earlier, also being informed that many Israelites had intermarried, he also prayed, & did the very same things that Nehemiah did-- but to himself.
Ezra wrote (at some point after he led the 2nd group of exiles back): The leaders came to Me & said, 'The people of Israel, including the priests & Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices. They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves & Their sons, & have mingled the holy race with the people around Them. And the leaders have led the way.' When I heard this, I tore My own tunic & cloak, pulled hair from My own head & beard & sat down appalled until the evening sacrifice. Then I arose from My self-abasement & fell on My knees with My hands spread out to the LORD My GOD & prayed-- "this is my report, & I leave it in YOUR hands (Ezra 9)":
- Addressing God in the 1st person: O My GOD, I am too ashamed & disgraced to lift up My face to YOU, My GOD, because Our sins are higher than Our heads & Our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of Our forefathers until now, Our guilt has been great. Because of Our sins, We & Our kings & Our priests have been subjected to the sword & captivity, to pillage & humiliation at the hands of foreign kings, as it is today.
- Momentarily thinking, as in God listening (this interlude has been considered "without the radar", as detailed in Psalms 69 - 72 Psalm 69 2. "Within/Without the radar"): But now, for a brief moment, the LORD Our GOD has been gracious in leaving Us a remnant & giving Us a firm place in HIS Sanctuary, & so Our GOD gives light to Our eyes & a little relief in Our bondage. HE has shown Us kindness in the sight of the king of Persia: HE has granted Us new life to rebuild the house of Our GOD & repair its ruins, & HE has given Us a wall of protection in Judah & Jerusalem.
- Returning to addressing God in the 1st person: But now, O Our GOD, what can We say after this? For We have disregarded the commands YOU gave through YOUR Servants the prophets when YOU said: The land You are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from 1 end to the other. Therefore, do not give Your daughters in marriage to their son or take their daughters for Your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that You may be strong & eat the good things of the land & leave it to Your children as an everlasting inheritance. See Exo 34:10-16; Lev 18:24-30; Deu 7:1-8; 9:1-6; 23:2-8. What has happened to Us is a result of Our evil deeds & Our great guilt, & yet, Our GOD, YOU have punished Us less than Our sins have deserved & have given Us a remnant like this. Shall We again break YOUR Commands & intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would YOU not be angry enough with Us to destroy Us, leaving Us no remnant or survivor? O LORD, GOD of Israel, YOU are Righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here We are before YOU in Our guilt, though because of it not 1 of Us can stand in YOUR Presence.
And the beginning of the next chapter is (Ezra 10:1-2a,3a,7): While Ezra was praying & confessing, weeping & throwing himself down before the House of GOD, a large crowd gathered... They too wept bitterly. Then Secaniah said, 'Now let Us make a covenant before Our GOD to send away all these women & their children.' A proclamation was then issued.
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Psalm 77 A psalm by an older Asaph than the Asaph of Psalm 50; for Jeduthun; for the director of music. Figuring Asaph was young in David's court (c1000 B.C.), Psalms 73, 75-78, 81-82 were perh. written some 80 yrs. later by an older Asaph, after the kingdom divided-- Psalm 50 being the only psalm he wrote back then. Considerings: people lived for centuries back then; 40 yrs. after Solomon became king the kingdom divided; 2 centuries later Israel fell; c150 yrs. later Judah fell-- considering these, Psalms 74, 79-80, 83 were written centuries later, either by an elderly Asaph, or perhs. by 1 of his descendants:
I cried out to GOD for help; I cried out to GOD to hear Me. When I was in distress, I sought the LORD; at night I stretched out untiring hands & My soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered YOU, O GOD, & I groaned; I mused, & My spirit grew faint. Selah YOU kept My eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered My songs in the night, then My heart mused & My spirit inquired: 'Will the LORD reject us forever? Will HE never show HIS Favor again? Has HIS Unfailing Love vanished forever? Has HIS Promise failed for all time (to generation & generation)? Has GOD forgotten to be merciful Has HE in anger withheld HIS Compassion?' Selah
Then I thought, 'To this I will appeal: the years of the Right Hand of the Most High GOD.'
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember YOUR Miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all YOUR Mighty Deeds. YOUR Ways, O GOD, are Holy. What GOD is so great as Our GOD? YOU are the GOD who performs miracles; YOU display YOUR Power among the peoples. With YOUR Mighty Arm YOU redeemed YOUR People, the descendants of Jacob & Joseph. Selah
The waters saw YOU, O GOD, the waters saw YOU & writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; YOUR Arrows flashed back & forth. YOUR Thunder was heard in the whirlwind, YOUR Lightening lit up the world; the earth trembled & quaked. YOUR Path led through the sea, YOUR Way through the mighty waters, though YOUR Footprints were not seen-- because they were being lifted up & carried, as in Isa 63:9. YOU then led YOUR People like a flock by the hand of Moses & Aaron.
