1 O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
3 They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your treasured ones.
4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
5 For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah Think about this!
Comment – The above is almost what you read everyday in modern newspapers! Israel is being attacked from within Lebanon, Gaza, a little bit by Egypt and certainly by Iran using parties in other surrounding countries like Yemen, Jordan and Syria. The red line in the upper map encircles the area where David and Solomon ruled outside Israel. Comparing the map above to the map below, where the yellow Israel and the mauve Judah above, is equivalent to modern Israel in white below! Asaph is crying out for God to listen from Israel’s point of view whereas most of the papers seem to side with the enemies of Israel!
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at En-dor,
who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God.” – These are people whose stories are told in the book of Judges. They were people who oppressed Israel and were overcome by God using such people as Gideon, Deborah and many judges were raised to set Israel free.
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane! – Asaph calls on wind, fire, tempest even a hurricane type power to burst on Israel’s haters and obliterate the enemy like dust in a sandstorm of smoke from a blazing fire!
16 Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
18 that they may know that you alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are the Most High over all the earth. – The Psalmist seems to wish terrible destruction on Israel’s detractors, but mixed in with this negativity there are two very positive desires expressed – that the enemy ‘may seek your name, O LORD‘ and ‘may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.
Isaiah 58: 4&6 – Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist…. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Prayer: Give us grace to amend what we are, and to direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”