Psalms 44:1

The Bible says in Psalms 44:1, “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.” This verse reminds us of the number one responsibility of fathers and mothers also in the upbringing of their children: to tell them about God. It says here: “our fathers have told us.” Christian parents are told in Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Paul wrote in Second Timothy 3:15, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” And Paul wrote in Second Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

What did the fathers tell David and his generation? The fathers told them what they knew what God had done in the past. We can always do that when we give our personal testimonies about being saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What their fathers told them is recoded in Psalms 44:2-3, “How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.[3] For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.” God established the nation of Israel, and God did that by casting out the heathen that lived in Canaan before the Israelites arrived there. The Canaanites had become so wicked that God’s judgment had to fall on them. And since God was going to kick the Canaanites out anyway, it was good timing for giving the land to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. That is one reason that the Israelites were in Egypt for four hundred years: to give the Canaanites a good long time to repent, but they never did. The fathers knew that God had given them the land, and that they had not gotten it on their own. “For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them…”

The Bible says in Psalm 44:4, “Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.” David understood the power of God’s Word. God spoke and the world was created. Whatever God commands will happen. Jacob, another name for the nation of Israel, would be delivered from its enemies if God simply commanded it. It did not matter how powerful or how evil the enemies were. Once God gives the command, they will be defeated. They will melt away, or they will be destroyed, or they will be changed. However God decides to do it, it will happen.

The Bible says in Psalm 44:5, “Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.” When David said, “Through thee will we push down our enemies,” it means through trusting in God. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. God loves to see faith in people. God always reacts to our faith in a positive way. That is why Jesus said, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, Remove hence, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” David said, “through thy name will we tread them under…” Paul said the same thing in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In the Old Testament God’s name was revealed as Jehovah. In the New Testament His name is revealed as Jesus Christ. Use His name with honor and respect. His name reveals who He is and what He does. “Jesus Christ” means “Savior Messiah.” Jesus saves. Jesus is the Anointed One who was prophesied in the Old Testament.

The Bible says in Psalms 44:6-7, “For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.[7] But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.” David had a bow and a sword. He was prepared for war, but he knew that he had to trust in the Lord for his own deliverance. Every nation should have a good well-supplied army for self-defense, but those who are wise will trust in the Lord no matter how well prepared they are. If you trust in the Lord, He will save you, and He will fight your enemies for you.

The Bible says in Psalms 44:8, “In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.” The spiritual concept in this verse is the fact that it is very important to live a life of faith and to be a happy person. Once we come into the knowledge of God through faith in Christ, our goal is to start living by faith. That faith is in the all-knowing and all-powerful God. If we have that kind of faith, then we need to prove it by how we react to all the things that happen to us. God can do anything. He loves us. God is involved in everything. If we have that kind of faith, then we will be praising Him all day long every day for Who He is and for what He has done for us: not the least of which He died for us on the cross of Calvary.

The Bible says in Psalms 44:9-17, “But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.[10] Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.[11] Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.[12] Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.[13] Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.[14] Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.[15] My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,[16] For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.[17] All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.” Even though David is still trusting in the Lord and calling on the name of the Lord for help as we have seen in the previous verses and the previous chapters, the reality of what David is currently going through is very negative and difficult. Except for verse seventeen, these verses describe this difficult time. In verse nine David says that they are “cast off” and “put to shame.” In verse ten David says that they are made “to turn back from the enemy” and they are hated and spoiled. In verse eleven David says that they are “like sheep appointed for meat” and scattered. In verse twelve David says that not only have they been as slaves sold in the marketplace, but they were sold and got nothing for it. They were not even sold: they were given away. In verses thirteen and fourteen David says that they were a reproach and a derision and a byword. They were not respected. They were looked down upon. In verse fifteen David said that he was continually confused and ashamed. In verse sixteen David said that he was hearing the voice of the avenger and the enemy. They were saying terrible things of reproach and blasphemy. Does it sound familiar? Yes, it sounds just like circumstances today. But in spite of all this suffering and trouble, David said in verse seventeen: “All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.” No matter what other people do or say, we never forget the Lord. He has done too much for us to forget Him. He died for us. For those who believe, He has reserved us a home in heaven. He has helped us and protected us many times. He has kept His promises to us. He loves us and He forgives us. How could we forget Him? Surely there is no true Christian who forgets the Lord. And David also wrote at the end of verse seventeen, “neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.” No matter what happens to us, our goal remains the same: to serve the Lord according to the teachings of Jesus in the New Covenant: the New Testament. You must have backbone, determination, and resolve to do this. There is an old hymn that starts out: “I am resolved to follow the Savior.”

The Bible says in Psalms 44:18, “Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;” Some Christians become back-slidden Christians. They slide back or turn back to the life that they had before they were saved by Jesus. That is a big mistake and will not end well for them. If you get off the straight and narrow way, confess your sins quickly, and then you will stay in fellowship with Jesus and keep following Him.

The Bible says in Psalms 44:19-21, “Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.[20] If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;[21] Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” No matter what God allows to come our way, we must have a great resolve and desire to keep trusting in Him. The place where you are now may seem like “the place of dragons.” It might be your nation, your job, or even your home. It might be so bad that even death is near: “the shadow of death.” David said that even when he was in such places, he did not forget the name of God and he did not turn to false religion. One of the reasons that God is allowing all this trouble to come into our lives is that He is putting us through a trial. The trial of our faith is part of the Christian life. God sees and God knows. God knows “the secrets of the heart.” We do not want to fail in the life of faith. We are not ignorant: We understand what is going on. We want to be faithful to the Lord Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 44:22, “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” Paul quoted this verse in Romans chapter 8. It says in Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?[36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.[37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are God’s sheep, and one of the things that happens to some sheep is that they get slaughtered. Paull used this truth to state that even though this happens through terrible sufferings that may come our way, Jesus still loves us, and nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. No matter how bad it gets and no matter how much we suffer, one truth is above all others: Jesus still loves us. It says in Hebrews, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.” He loved us in the past, and He still loves us. By the way, God wants us to learn to die to self. All of these sufferings will help us do that, and they might teach us that we still have more to learn how to die to self. Jesus died for us. Should not we be willing to die for Him?

The Bible says in Psalms 44:23-26, “Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.[24] Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?[25] For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.[26] Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.” David was going through affliction and oppression. If we follow Jesus, we all will have such times. What can make such times even harder is when our connection with the Lord seems distant too. David said that it was as though God was asleep or that God was hiding. But as we have seen, David keeps praying and keeps calling on the Lord to intervene. Notice verse twenty-six. David asks God to help “for thy mercies' sake.” God is very merciful, and David knew that. We might not even deserve God’s help, but that is okay because God is merciful. Jesus loves to show how merciful He is. At least our situation is an opportunity for the Lord to do just that. If I rely upon God’s mercy, I can be sure that He will forgive and that He will help. It says in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

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