62 He gave his people over to the sword
and vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no marriage song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lamentation. – In three verses Asaph covers all the history from the first disciplinary action of God upon the Israelis from the time of the settlement in Canna until David was made king, about 400 years.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 And he put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame. – this is obviously very poetic language because God does not sleep nor slumber and I can’t imagine that He gets drunk, although the degree of shouting which a drunkard does is a good illustration!
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loves. – Ephraim & Judah were both a) sons of Jacob and b) tribes of Israel and c) both names were used for the Northern (Ephraim) and the Southern (Judah) Kingdoms after Solomon died. Mount Zion (Jerusalem) was in Judah but the capital of both nations while they were united under David & Solomon. If it means the two separate nations the author was not Asaph as he died before Solomon died. Some of the Psalms attributed to ‘Asaph’ cite things that occurred after Solomon died. His descendants were a musical group after him, and presumably some of his psalms were written by them.
69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his inheritance.
72 With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with his skilfull hand. – This ending makes me think that the Psalm was written by the ‘David appointed’ Asaph and is meant to stimulate the people to do as the Scriptures command and teach faithfully their history to on-coming generations. They were in a time of national blessing and I think that neither Asaph nor David wanted the nation to slide into neither idolatry nor disobedience again! The response is meant to be personal and societal!
Proverbs 14: 34 – “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Prayer: Help to be righteous and to pray that our national leaders may honourable and righteous.