Psalm 74
1. Psalm 74 is one of the most emotional laments found in the Bible. The land of Israel, including the temple, had been ravaged, and the situation is so bad that the psalmist–expressing the thoughts of the people–feels as though God has abandoned His people.
2. Verse 1 begins the lament in dramatic fashion, asking why God has rejected His people “forever.” It seems as though this psalm is written a while after the temple is destroyed and the people are penitent, but still being punished. Could it be that they know the common “circle” that is found in books such as Judges and wonder why, now that they have repented, they continue to suffer? We often repent, but still must suffer for our sinful decisions.
3. The psalmist continues to plead in verse 2 by “reminding” God that they have been His people for many years. Also, he mentions the place of the temple; obviously wondering why God has “left.”
4. In verses 3 and 4, Asaph asks God to examine the damage that has been left in the land. Though poetic, the language indicates that the damage is quite extensive. No doubt, Asaph is expressing a great hurt from the destruction.
5. In another description of the destruction the psalmist says that it is as if lumberjacks have taken their tools and just cut everywhere (verses 5-6). He is speaking of the buildings around the temple; all had been laid to waste.
6. Taking a slightly different approach, the psalmist tells us in verses 7-9 show that the enemies had gone so far as to burn down the temple and all other places that were sacred. Also, “there is no longer any prophet.” When things get this bad, it is human nature to seek out teaching from God. Sadly, for many it takes tragedies this bad to turn to God.
7. Verse 10 is interesting to me. It is almost as if Asaph is challenging God; asking Him how long He will tolerate these happenings. It could be a simple question of God, but the wording seems stronger.
8. Finally, after setting the stage with a description of the destruction, Asaph can no longer contain himself. In verse 11, he calls for God to destroy the enemies.
9. After that short emotional outburst, though, Asaph takes the next several verses (12-17) to rehearse some of the signs of God’s power and protection. This could be for one of two reasons: (1) Asaph wants to remind himself and the people that God will act to destroy the enemies, or (2) he is saying this to God as a way to praise Him for His power.
10. Again, in verse 18, Asaph “reminds” God of how obstinate these enemies are. They are spurning the very Name of God. Obviously, God doesn’t need to be reminded of these things, but Asaph is simply telling God all that is on the hearts of the people.
11. Verse 19 contains quite a request. “Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast.” What a strong way to express the feelings of panic and timidity felt by the Israelites.
12. As is done many times in the Old Testament, a writer asks God to “consider the covenant” (verse 20). The people needed to remember that the covenant was only “good” so long as the people lived for God. He continually gave them second chances, but they lost the right to the covenant with their disobedience. This is just one of the reasons why premillenialism is not a proper teaching. Due to disobedience, the Jews have no right to the Promised Land in a covenant with God anymore.
13. Ending with one final prayer of desperation (verses 21-23), this deeply emotional psalm ends. While there may not be as many modern-day lessons for us in this psalm, it does underscore the idea that God wants to know everything we think. He listens to His people, no matter their circumstances.
