Psalms 79:1

The Bible says in Psalms 79:1-4, “O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.[2] The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.[3] Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.[4] We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.” The Psalmist has seen what the unbelievers have done to the nation of Israel, to the temple, and to the people. The unbelievers attacked and killed the people of Israel. They overran Jerusalem. They defiled the holy temple. Other nations saw what happened and Israel became “a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision.” What a terrible result: Israel was supposed to be an example and a blessing to the rest of the world, but because they turned away from God, the opposite happened.

The bad things that happened to Israel only happened because God allowed them. That is why the Psalmist starts verse five with the phrase, “How long, LORD?” The Bible says in Psalms 79:5-7, “How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?[6] Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.[7] For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.” If God allowed the bad things to happen, then only God can fix them.

The Bible says in Psalms 79:8-10, “O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.[9] Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.[10] Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.” The writer knows that there is a sin problem. If you want to see problems solved, then take care of the sin problem first. Start by asking for forgiveness. In verse eight it says, “O remember not against us former iniquities.” In verse nine it says, “purge away our sins.” Thankfully, because of Jesus the Lord will always forgive us when we ask Him. The Psalmist knew something else about the Lord: you can always ask Him to act on our behalf “for the glory” of His name as it says in verse nine. We are believers and we go to church services to be with other Christians. People know us and what we stand for. If we lose and if we fail, how will the Lord’s name be glorified? It will not be. And so we can know and expect that God will intervene and will give us victory. With God’s power and God’s blessing every single thing that happens can result in the name of Christ receiving honor and glory. That is our prayer.

The Bible says in Psalms 79:11, “Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;” This verse mentions people who are in two of the most difficult situations in life: prisoners and those who have received the death penalty or a death sentence. Some people may feel that their situation is hopeless, but that is never the case. There is always hope because God can do anything. God can free the prisoner, or God can free the prisoner from sins and guilt so that the prisoner can feel free as a bird. God can change a sentence of death to a sentence of life. God is the Author of all things, and God is in charge. You will not die until God decides. Just make sure that you know Jesus as your Savior, and you will not die. You will live forever.

The Bible says in Psalms 79:12, “And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.” Notice that the Psalmist knows that the unbelievers deserve to be punished for what they have done, but the Psalmist is not going to do anything himself. He simply asks that God do what should be done. And God will do that very thing because the Lord is Judge. When the time is right and when all of their chances to repent are gone, judgment will come. The judgment will be deserved and all the people of God will know and agree with God’s judgment.

The Bible says in Psalms 79:13, “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.” This verse stands in great contrast to the previous verse. The previous verse talked of judgment for the unsaved. This verse talks of some of the benefits for those who do know Jesus as their Savior. We are his “people.” It is a wonderful thing to belong to God. God loves His possessions and takes care of them. We are compared to sheep because the Lord does for us all the things that a shepherd does for his sheep. He guides us. He feeds us. He protects us. He watches over us. Can it get any better than having the Almighty God taking care of us? We have a tremendous number of reasons to give “thanks.” Notice that we are told to give thanks “for ever.” Do not ever stop thanking Jesus for your salvation, and do not stop thanking the Lord for every blessing that you have every day. What will be doing in heaven? One of the things we will be doing forever is praising His name because we will see much more clearly how much He was involved in our lives, directing and controlling all things for our benefit and for His glory.

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