9 But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
Comment: Line numbered 9 begins with what sounds very accusative. You have rejected us etc. Is that any way to speak to the Creator of the Universe? The One who has rescued them from slavery and established them in the Promised Land with a Great King (David) over them? The author goes on as I have underlined above. In every line there is an accusation against God! Is He, God, such a beastly person? If someone loses a loved ‘good’ child or partner to cancer or kidnapping or murder, some of these thoughts must pass through their minds. And for Israel today as they face the gross bias of the United Nations and the majority of the world media, surely such thoughts must pass through their minds! This is a provocative passage. How much did the people of David’s day bring the mentioned troubles on themselves? Who is to blame for the cancer which kills? Has Adam’s rebellion at the beginning really messed up the whole world system? Why do people hate the Jews? Is God the God of love that we always hear about? Does believing in Jesus take away all the bad results of the fall, of original sin? Does God want us to just say accept what I say and get on with doing what you want to? Is God really in control?
There are no one sentence answers which are deeply satisfying – but we must set firmly in our thinking all the positive things about God – The Cross, Forgiveness, Shalom in the midst of rough times, HOPE for the future. Let us at least be honest with God. But I trust that we can be a bit more respectful than the beginning lead in in line 9 suggests to me!
Proverbs 6: 16-19….There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Prayer: You know my thoughts already God. Help me to be honest with myself in Your Presence, please.
As I read it! 