Psalms : Volume 2 (Teach the Text Commentary Series): Psalms 73-150

By C. Hassell Bullock

The Teach the Text Commentary Series utilizes the best of biblical scholarship to provide the information a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. The carefully selected preaching units and focused commentary allow pastors to quickly grasp the big idea and key themes of each passage of Scripture. Each unit of the commentary includes the big idea and key themes of the passage and sections dedicated to understanding, teaching, and illustrating the text.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781493411795

C. Hassell Bullock

C. Hassell Bullock (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Hebrew Bible emeritus at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he taught for thirty-six years. He also served as an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He specializes in Wisdom literature, particularly the Psalms, and wrote the successful textbook Encountering the Book of Psalms as well as the two-volume Teach the Text Commentary on the Psalms.

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© 2017 by C. Hassell Bullock

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ISBN 978-1-4934-1179-5

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan and Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com; Biblica.com. Italics in the NIV text have been added by the author for emphasis.

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Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011. Italics in the ESV text have been added by the author for emphasis.

Scripture quotations labeled JB are from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

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Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Italics in the NKJV text have been added by the author for emphasis.

Scripture quotations labeled RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Contents

Cover    i

Series Page    ii

Title Page    iii

Copyright Page    iv

List of Sidebars    ix

Welcome to the Teach the Text Commentary Series    xi

Introduction to the Teach the Text Commentary Series    xiii

Preface    xv

Abbreviations    xvii

Psalm 73    1

Earth Has Nothing I Desire besides You

Psalm 74    9

Remember the Nation You Purchased Long Ago

Psalm 75    18

We Praise You, God, We Praise You, for Your Name Is Near

Psalm 76    24

Surely the Wrath of Man Shall Praise Thee

Psalm 77    32

Your Path Led through the Sea, . . . Though Your Footprints Were Not Seen

Psalm 78    39

He Sent the Ark of His Might into Captivity, His Splendor into the Hands of the Enemy

Psalm 79    51

Then We Your People, the Sheep of Your Pasture, Will Praise You Forever

Psalm 80    59

Make Your Face Shine on Us, That We May Be Saved

Psalm 81    67

If My People Would Only Listen to Me

Psalm 82    75

Rise Up, O God, Judge the Earth

Additional Insights    81

The Meaning of Gods in Psalm 82

Psalm 83    83

O God, Do Not Remain Silent; Do Not Turn a Deaf Ear, Do Not Stand Aloof, O God

Psalm 84    90

How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place, LORD Almighty!

Psalm 85    98

Righteousness and Peace Kiss Each Other

Psalm 86    105

Give Me an Undivided Heart, That I May Fear Your Name

Additional Insights    111

David, the Prototype of the Poor and Needy

Psalm 87    112

The LORD Will Write in the Register of the Peoples: ‘This One Was Born in Zion’

Psalm 88    119

Darkness Is My Closest Friend

Psalm 89    125

I Will Sing of the LORD’s Great Love Forever

Psalm 90    134

Lord, You Have Been Our Dwelling Place throughout All Generations

Psalm 91    141

I Will Say of the LORD, ‘He Is My Refuge and My Fortress, My God, in Whom I Trust’

Psalm 92    150

I Sing for Joy at What Your Hands Have Done

Psalm 93    157

The LORD Reigns, He Is Robed in Majesty

Psalm 94    164

The LORD Knows All Human Plans; He Knows That They Are Futile

Psalm 95    170

Come, Let Us Sing for Joy to the LORD

Psalm 96    177

Sing to the LORD a New Song

Psalm 97    184

The LORD Reigns, Let the Earth Be Glad

Psalm 98    191

Sing to the LORD a New Song, for He Has Done Marvelous Things

Psalm 99    197

The LORD Our God Is Holy

Psalm 100    204

Shout for Joy to the LORD, All the Earth

Additional Insights    212

Why the Universal Perspective in the Wake of the Exile?

Psalm 101    214

I Will Conduct the Affairs of My House with a Blameless Heart

Psalm 102    220

The Heavens . . . Will Perish, but You Remain

Psalm 103    227

The LORD Is Compassionate and Gracious, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love

Psalm 104    234

I Will Sing Praise to My God as Long as I Live

Additional Insights    245

The Hallelujahs of Books 4 and 5

Psalm 105    248

He Remembered His Holy Promise Given to His Servant Abraham

Psalm 106    256

We Have Sinned, Even as Our Ancestors Did

Psalm 107    266

Let the Redeemed of the LORD Tell Their Story

Psalm 108    275

I Will Awaken the Dawn

Psalm 109    282

He Stands at the Right Hand of the Needy, to Save Their Lives

Additional Insights    290

A Hypothesis on Psalm 109

Psalm 110    292

The LORD Says to My Lord: ‘Sit at My Right Hand Until I Make Your Enemies a Footstool’

Additional Insights    299

The Priest-King Ruler Model

Psalm 111    301

Glorious and Majestic Are His Deeds, and His Righteousness Endures Forever

Psalm 112    308

Blessed Are Those Who Fear the LORD, Who Find Great Delight in His Commands

Psalm 113    315

Who Is like the LORD Our God, the One Who Sits Enthroned on High?

Additional Insights    322

The Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113–18)

Psalm 114    324

Tremble, Earth, at the Presence of the Lord

Psalm 115    330

Those Who Make [Idols] Will Be like Them

Psalm 116    337

Return to Your Rest, My Soul, for the LORD Has Been Good to You

Psalm 117    344

Great Is His Love toward Us

Psalm 118    348

Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good; His Love Endures Forever

Psalm 119    357

I Have Hidden Your Word in My Heart That I Might Not Sin against You

Psalm 120    372

I Am for Peace; but . . . They Are for War

Additional Insights    378

Songs of Ascents, the Pilgrim Psalter (Psalms 120–34)

Psalm 121    381

My Help Comes from the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth

Psalm 122    388

I Rejoiced with Those Who Said to Me, ‘Let Us Go to the House of the LORD’

Psalm 123    395

Have Mercy on Us, LORD, Have Mercy on Us

Psalm 124    400

We Have Escaped like a Bird from the Fowler’s Snare

Psalm 125    406

Those Who Trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which Cannot Be Shaken

Psalm 126    412

The LORD Has Done Great Things for Us, and We Are Filled with Joy

Psalm 127    419

Unless the LORD Builds the House, the Builders Labor in Vain

Psalm 128    426

Blessed Are All Who Fear the LORD, Who Walk in Obedience to Him

Psalm 129    432

They Have Greatly Oppressed Me . . . , but They Have Not Gained the Victory over Me

Psalm 130    438

I Wait for the LORD, My Whole Being Waits

Psalm 131    444

Like a Weaned Child I Am Content

Psalm 132    450

I Will Not Enter My House or Go to My Bed . . . Till I Find a Place for the LORD

Psalm 133    459

How Good and Pleasant It Is When God’s People Live Together in Unity!

Psalm 134    465

Praise the LORD, All You Servants of the LORD Who Minister . . . in the House of the LORD

Psalm 135    469

I Know That the LORD Is Great, That Our Lord Is Greater Than All Gods

Psalm 136    479

Give Thanks to the LORD . . . Who Alone Does Great Wonders, His Love Endures Forever

Psalm 137    486

By the Rivers of Babylon We Sat and Wept When We Remembered Zion

Psalm 138    492

Do Not Abandon the Works of Your Hands

Additional Insights    501

The Model of Historical Double-Tracking

Psalm 139    503

You Have Searched Me, LORD, and You Know Me

Psalm 140    512

I Say to the LORD, ‘You Are My God’

Psalm 141    518

Do Not Let My Heart Be Drawn to What Is Evil So That I Take Part in Wicked Deeds

Psalm 142    525

There Is No One at My Right Hand; No One Is Concerned for Me

Psalm 143    532

Let the Morning Bring Me Word of Your Unfailing Love

Psalm 144    538

Blessed Is the People Whose God Is the LORD

Psalm 145    547

Great Is the LORD and Most Worthy of Praise; His Greatness No One Can Fathom

Psalm 146    555

Blessed Are Those Whose Help Is the God of Jacob, Whose Hope Is in the LORD Their God

Psalm 147    562

The LORD Delights in Those Who Fear Him, Who Put Their Hope in His Unfailing Love

Psalm 148    569

Praise the LORD from the Heavens. . . . Praise the LORD from the Earth

Psalm 149    577

May the Praise of God Be . . . a Double-Edged Sword in Their Hands

Psalm 150    585

Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the LORD

Notes    593

Bibliography    608

Contributors    614

Index    615

Back Ad    623

Back Cover    624

List of Sidebars

Vows    28

The Shepherd Theme of Psalms 77–80    33

Realignment from Rachel to Leah    41

Does God Deceive?     45

The Covenant Formula    54

Psalm 83 and the Asaph Collection    84

The Temple in Book 3    91

Names of God in Psalm 84    92

Three Musical Instruments    151

The Palm and the Cedar    153

The LORD Reigns: Psalms of the Heavenly King    159

Ranking the Severity of Wrongs    230

The Thirteen Attributes of God    304

The Song of Hannah and Psalm 113    318

Reading Psalm 119    358

Ten Words for Law in Psalm 119    359

The Broom Bush    374

The Names Israel and Judah    407

History and Liturgy in Code Language    451

The Poplar Tree    488

A Pictogram of Worship    528

Number Symbolism    589

Welcome to the Teach the Text Commentary Series

Why another commentary series? That was the question the general editors posed when Baker Books asked us to produce this series. Is there something that we can offer to pastors and teachers that is not currently being offered by other commentary series, or that can be offered in a more helpful way? After carefully researching the needs of pastors who teach the text on a weekly basis, we concluded that yes, more can be done; the Teach the Text Commentary Series (TTCS) is carefully designed to fill an important gap.

The technicality of modern commentaries often overwhelms readers with details that are tangential to the main purpose of the text. Discussions of source and redaction criticism, as well as detailed surveys of secondary literature, seem far removed from preaching and teaching the Word. Rather than wade through technical discussions, pastors often turn to devotional commentaries, which may contain exegetical weaknesses, misuse the Greek and Hebrew languages, and lack hermeneutical sophistication. There is a need for a commentary that utilizes the best of biblical scholarship but also presents the material in a clear, concise, attractive, and user-friendly format.

This commentary is designed for that purpose—to provide a ready reference for the exposition of the biblical text, giving easy access to information that a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. To that end, the commentary is divided into carefully selected preaching units (with carefully regulated word counts both in the passage as a whole and in each subsection). Pastors and teachers engaged in weekly preparation thus know that they will be reading approximately the same amount of material on a week-by-week basis.

Each passage begins with a concise summary of the central message, or Big Idea, of the passage and a list of its main themes. This is followed by a more detailed interpretation of the text, including the literary context of the passage, historical background material, and interpretive insights. While drawing on the best of biblical scholarship, this material is clear, concise, and to the point. Technical material is kept to a minimum, with endnotes pointing the reader to more detailed discussion and additional resources.

A second major focus of this commentary is on the preaching and teaching process itself. Few commentaries today help the pastor/teacher move from the meaning of the text to its effective communication. Our goal is to bridge this gap. In addition to interpreting the text in the Understanding the Text section, each unit contains a Teaching the Text section and an Illustrating the Text section. The teaching section points to the key theological themes of the passage and ways to communicate these themes to today’s audiences. The illustration section provides ideas and examples for retaining the interest of hearers and connecting the message to daily life.

The creative format of this commentary arises from our belief that the Bible is not just a record of God’s dealings in the past but is the living Word of God, alive and active and sharper than any double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). Our prayer is that this commentary will help to unleash that transforming power for the glory of God.

The General Editors

Introduction to the Teach the Text Commentary Series

This series is designed to provide a ready reference for teaching the biblical text, giving easy access to information that is needed to communicate a passage effectively. To that end, the commentary is carefully divided into units that are faithful to the biblical authors’ ideas and of an appropriate length for teaching or preaching.

The following standard sections are offered in each unit.

1. Big Idea. For each unit the commentary identifies the primary theme, or Big Idea, that drives both the passage and the commentary.

2. Key Themes. Together with the Big Idea, the commentary addresses in bullet-point fashion the key ideas presented in the passage.

3. Understanding the Text. This section focuses on the exegesis of the text and includes several sections.

a. The Text in Context. Here the author gives a brief explanation of how the unit fits into the flow of the text around it, including reference to the rhetorical strategy of the book and the unit’s contribution to the purpose of the book.

b. Outline/Structure. For some literary genres (e.g., epistles), a brief exegetical outline may be provided to guide the reader through the structure and flow of the passage.

c. Historical and Cultural Background. This section addresses historical and cultural background information that may illuminate a verse or passage.

d. Interpretive Insights. This section provides information needed for a clear understanding of the passage. The intention of the author is to be highly selective and concise rather than exhaustive and expansive.

e. Theological Insights. In this very brief section the commentary identifies a few carefully selected theological insights about the passage.

4. Teaching the Text. Under this second main heading the commentary offers guidance for teaching the text. In this section the author lays out the main themes and applications of the passage. These are linked carefully to the Big Idea and are represented in the Key Themes.

5. Illustrating the Text. At this point in the commentary the writers partner with a team of pastor/teachers to provide suggestions for relevant and contemporary illustrations from current culture, entertainment, history, the Bible, news, literature, ethics, biography, daily life, medicine, and over forty other categories. They are designed to spark creative thinking for preachers and teachers and to help them design illustrations that bring alive the passage’s key themes and message.

Preface

This preface is intended not so much to celebrate the end of the writing of this commentary as to exult in the joy of discovering over and over again the riches of the Psalms. Indeed, the deeper I have delved into the Psalms in this second volume, the richer the experience has become. The treasures of the Psalter are endless, and this work would never have seen the light of day without the myriad of studies on the Psalms that have been written over the last two millennia and for which I am inexpressibly grateful. When the Psalms are part of our spiritual life, they are absorbed into the fibers of our souls. They will walk us through the valley, will direct our eyes to the hills where our help comes from, will steady our hearts when the arrows by day and the terrors by night are making havoc all around us. Indeed, we ought to wear the Psalms like a garment, and when we do, they will not grow threadbare—quite the opposite. The Spirit will reweave their fabric with each new reading.

But the Psalms also have a unique emotive power because their spiritual insights are a mirror that draws out of our souls those things we cannot or would not otherwise see in our souls and express with our lips. When we look into that mirror, we see our circumstances, emotions, actions and reactions, hope and despair, and God illumines our souls from the glow of the psalmists’ faith, whose embers have been collected from the passionate spirits of individuals like us.

One of my life’s greatest honors has been writing this commentary. It has not only increased exponentially my understanding of the Psalms, but I have personally experienced again and again their shaping power, bringing the contours of my worldview more in line with that of the psalmists who are confident of the Lord’s love and faithfulness to reshape his people and his world. To all who have had a part in commissioning me to this task and facilitating its completion, I express my deepest gratitude. And to the Lord, maker of heaven and earth and redeemer of our souls, I offer the Psalter’s own quintessential word of praise, Hallelujah! Soli Deo Gloria!

C. Hassell Bullock

January 23, 2017

Wheaton, Illinois

Abbreviations

Old Testament

New Testament

General

Ancient Versions

Modern Versions

Apocrypha and Septuagint

Mishnah and Talmud

Secondary Sources

Psalm 73

Earth Has Nothing I Desire besides You

Big Idea

When the prosperity of the wicked causes our faith to waver, God is still the only one who matters.

Key Themes

Envy of evildoers is ultimately conquered only by the incomparable reality of God’s presence.

Sometimes we talk too much about the problem and too little about its resolution.

Understanding the Text

The Psalter contains twelve Asaph psalms (Pss. 50; 73–83),1 and this group of eleven (Pss. 73–83) introduces Book 3. The Asaph psalms elude our system of classification, with some scholars preferring the wisdom psalm category,2 others the individual lament, or the psalm of trust, and the list goes on. The subject matter, as well as the vocabulary, tends to place them in the wisdom column, even though the definition of wisdom psalms is still under discussion (while the so-called wisdom psalms can be classified under more than one category, with the lists varying from one scholar to another, the following gives a typical list by book: Book 1: Pss. 32; 34; 37; Book 2: Ps. 49; Book 3: Ps. 73; Book 4: none; Book 5: Pss. 112; 127; 128; 133).3 I would prefer to speak about a wisdom way of conceptualizing the world rather than a wisdom literary category of psalms, even though we will use the category of wisdom psalms as a convenience. That means the writers of ancient Israel were free to move in and out of this mode of thought without being confined to a particular style of composition, which had not yet been clearly delineated. In the case of Psalm 73, it seems that the wisdom vocabulary (see the list based on Scott’s wisdom glossary)4 and the topic of concern point in the direction of wisdom thought. Further, the fact that Psalm 72 is dedicated to Solomon, known for his wisdom (1 Kings 3), associates Psalm 73, in both history and thought, with the wisdom tradition.

The Text in Context

The subject of this psalm connects it to Psalms 37 and 49, and particularly to Job. Hossfeld and Zenger call attention to the fact that the psalmist claims innocence as does Job (Ps. 73:13; Job 13:18; 16:17; etc.); they both have some type of vision of God (Ps. 73:17; Job 38:1; 42:5); and the profile of the wicked given in Psalm 73:4–12 is closely related to the sketch in Job 21:7–34.5 Moreover, Walter Brueggemann and Patrick Miller note that the verb will perish in 73:27 recalls the same verb in Psalm 1:6 (NIV: leads to destruction) to indicate that Psalm 73 is intended to be the introduction to Book 3 of the Psalter, as Psalm 1 was the introduction to Book 1.6

Outline/Structure

The poem is divided into three parts by the use of the adverb surely (’ak):

1. Surely—the problem and resulting crisis (73:1–12)

2. Surely—the jealousy and resulting perplexity (73:13–17)

3. Surely—the resolution and the reality of God (73:18–28)

Historical and Cultural Background

Psalm 73 begins Book 3, and with it a new perspective on Israel’s life and world. Asaph was one of David’s Levitical directors (1 Chron. 25:1), and a further hint of that is the phrase my portion (Ps. 73:26), alluding to the fact that the Levites did not receive a landed inheritance, but Yahweh was their portion (Num. 18:20 ESV). That perspective has shaped the psalmist’s theological viewpoint generally, as he has come to recognize that Yahweh is his only possession: Whom have I in heaven but you? (73:25a).

Quite likely the prophetic elements and the strong sense of history that characterize this collection of Asaph psalms (Pss. 73–83) were in part the criteria for their inclusion in Book 3, especially as the initial psalms.7 See The Structure and Composition of the Psalter in the introduction in volume 1.

Interpretive Insights

Title  A psalm of Asaph. The divine name in the Asaph psalms is overwhelmingly ’elohim (God). See the sidebar The Divine Names in Psalm 50 in the unit on Psalm 50, and The Divine Names and the Elohistic Psalter in the unit on Psalms 42–43.8

73:1  Surely God is good to Israel. The adverb surely (’ak, surely, truly) occurs in three places, marking the beginning of the psalm’s three parts (73:1, 13, 18). The emendation of the clause "God is good to Israel" (leyisra’el) to "God is good to the upright" (leyashar ’el; see RSV, NRSV) has no textual support and is unnecessary, particularly in view of the fact that the psalm is placed in the lead position of Book 3, which is about Israel’s tragic history and the ostensible failure of the Davidic covenant (see Ps. 89). Thus, the editor, by the inclusion and placement of the poems of Book 3, is addressing the theological implications of a new era. The rhetorical voice9 of Book 3 offers reassurance to Israel, exiled by a prosperous and arrogant nation whom they are tempted to envy (73:3). Despite the catastrophic proportions of Israel’s humiliating condition that are brought to our attention in 74:4–8, the psalmist’s witness is positive: Surely God is good to Israel (73:1). Already the editor of Book 3, by placing Psalm 73 in first place in the book, has begun to offset the depressing dimensions of Psalm 89.

pure in heart. Psalm 24:4 applies the term pure heart to those who reject idolatry.

73:2  my feet had almost slipped. This is a metaphor describing the confusion in the suppliant’s mind regarding the problem he is about to address. This clause is parallel to the second clause, I had nearly lost my foothold. See 40:2.

73:3  For I envied the arrogant. Now the psalmist begins to describe the problem, and it begins with his own envy of the arrogant (also 5:5). On the historical level, the arrogant were probably prosperous and wicked individuals whom the psalmist knew. On the rhetorical level—that is, the way the editor is adapting the psalm—the arrogant are likely the Babylonians.

when I saw. Parallel to I envied, this verb suggests that the suppliant was jealous of the prosperity (or peace/well-being) of the wicked. See Genesis 30:1 as another example of envy.

73:4  They have no struggles. The word for struggles is literally chains, perhaps a metaphor describing the chain of physical maladies that lead to death10 (see Isa. 58:6). The NIV translates the Hebrew phrase meaning to their death (lemotam) as an older form of to them—that is, "They have no struggles" (see also the NIV footnote).11

healthy. The Hebrew word means fat (cf. Hab. 1:16; NIV: choicest food), which was a sign of prosperity, often unlawfully gained.

73:5  They are free from common human burdens. That is, they do not experience the troubles that strike other human beings. Two words for human/humankind (’enosh and ’adam) occur in the two parallel lines: They are not in trouble as other men; Neither are they plagued like other men (ASV). While the two terms sometimes carry different nuances (see 90:3), here they function as synonyms.

73:6  pride is their necklace . . . with violence. The second half of the sentence further explains that their pride was serviced by violence. That is, they used violence as a way to guard their pride, or to save face.

73:7  From their callous hearts comes iniquity. The Hebrew (MT) reads literally, Their eyes stand out from fat (see the NIV footnote). The suppliant further explains: literally, The chambers of [their] heart overflow [with fat] (NIV: Their evil imaginations have no limits).

73:8  They scoff. This verb, which occurs only here, contextually seems to indicate mockery, or perhaps even slander (and speak with malice; they threaten oppression).

73:9  Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. The NIV renders the second clause as synonymously parallel to the thought of the first clause, but the Hebrew verb for lay claim means to set, and the sense would be, literally, They set their mouths in heaven (so presumptuous is their speech), giving a complementary parallelism to the second clause, literally, Their tongue walks through the earth (the latter clause suggesting arrogant speech) (so ESV). Their hypocritical posture is in view.

73:10  Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. Literally, Therefore his people return here; they drink up abundant waters. Sometimes we can translate the words of the text while its meaning remains obscure. That is the case with this rather opaque verse. The idea seems to be that they are so envious of the wicked and their prosperity that they come to them and drink up their words voraciously, just as the psalmist was at first inclined to do (73:3).

73:11  They say, How would God know? Does the Most High know anything? The two questions are rhetorical, the first expecting the answer There is no way he could know! and the second, The Most High knows nothing! They illustrate the arrogance of the wicked. See 2 Samuel 14:17 for a counterstatement. Note that the Most High (‘elyon), used contemptibly here, occurs at the end of the Asaph collection in a prayer that God would make the nations recognize that Yahweh is the Most High (83:18).

73:13  Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure. The righteous wonder if right living has any benefit. It is a contrast between the wicked who enjoy success and acclaim (73:10–12) and the righteous. This same sentiment is expressed in 15:2.

washed my hands in innocence. We may take this both literally (he was a Levite) and metaphorically. See also 26:6.

73:14  All day long I have been afflicted. It is difficult to know whether this was physical or emotional suffering—perhaps both.

73:15  your children. The suppliant is concerned about his own generation, saying that he has not introduced unnecessary doubts into their minds by talking too much about the issue.

73:17  till I entered the sanctuary of God. Literally, until I came to the sanctuaries of God. The plural noun is not unusual in reference to the sanctuary and most likely refers to the Jerusalem temple (the LXX and Syriac have the singular). Anderson calls it a plural of amplification or intensity.12 See also 84:1, How lovely is your dwelling place (lit., pl., dwelling places). We are not told what happened in the sanctuary, whether the speaker received a priestly pronouncement or a prophetic oracle or experienced a theophany. The important thing is that then I understood their final destiny.

73:18  Surely you place them on slippery ground. Note that surely (’ak) again introduces a new part in the psalm (73:18–28). God puts the wicked into a situation (slippery ground) that assures their ruin.

73:19  How suddenly are they destroyed. Literally, How they are brought into desolation in a moment! The word how (’ek) expresses distress and is used at the beginning of a lamentation (Jer. 9:19 [9:18 MT]).13 The suddenness of their fate indicates the certain and strategic judgment of God.

73:20  when one awakes. The ephemeral nature of the wicked is the idea. Elsewhere in the Psalter, God’s dealing with evil is described as awakening from sleep (Pss. 35:23; 44:23; 59:4–5; 78:65–66).

73:22  I was senseless and ignorant. Now that he sees the bigger picture, the suppliant confesses that his envy of the wicked and the anxiety he felt were all senseless (see also 92:6).

73:24  afterward you will take me into glory. The preposition into does not occur in the phrase, although the single noun may still be used adverbially (an adverbial accusative), and into glory (kabod) could mean honor,14 but here it seems to transcend the earthly experience. Anderson believes that the author may represent a tentative venture to go beyond the then current beliefs. . . . If this was the case, then it is understandable why the Psalmist remained content that God was his portion forever (v. 26) without giving a more definite shape to his hope.15 See Additional Insights: The Afterlife and Immortality in the Old Testament, following the unit on Psalm 49.

73:25  Whom have I in heaven but you? This is the high point of faith in the psalm. Now the reality of God’s presence (73:23) has become his greatest confidence and his strongest longing (73:26). See Teaching the Text.

73:26  my portion. In its literal sense this refers to the landed inheritance of the Israelites. Asaph being a Levite, he is probably now acknowledging, in a way that rises out of experience, that the Lord himself was his inheritance (portion; see Num. 18:20 ESV; Ps. 16:5).

73:28  it is good to be near God. This verse, and especially this clause, sums up the suppliant’s faith, composed of his awareness that he is always with God, who supports him, guides him, and takes him to glory (see comments on 73:24), and that God is his ultimate desire (73:25). For that reason he will tell of God’s deeds, which are either God’s redemptive works in history or his redemptive works in the suppliant’s own life. But in the order of faith, these two confessions belong together.

Theological Insights

This psalm is in the top rubric of theological reflections in the Psalter. Theodicy is the substance of the psalmist’s opening reflections and a problem that had the potential of disarming his faith, but this worshiper found a resolution in the sanctuary (73:17). While we do not know the precise form of the problem, we definitely know the end product, a faith focused on God alone (73:25), who is always there and grips (’hz; NIV: hold) the psalmist with his right hand, guides with his counsel, and takes him to glory (73:23–24). That sequence of verbs spans the scope of faith (heaven and earth), leaving nothing untouched, and eventuates in a faith that finds God to be the psalmist’s all in all (73:25). The senseless anxiety of the suppliant, which had no higher quality than beastly instinct (73:22), was transformed into an ascendant faith that sees the whole of life in view of God, who is, to use Jesus’s term for the kingdom, the pearl of great price (see Matt. 13:45–46). So having begun with the problem of God’s justice, the psalmist has discovered that the problem is resolved in the reality of God’s presence, for God is everything.

Teaching the Text

Psalm 73 gives us a textual framework for our sermon/lesson, three occurrences of the word surely (’ak; 73:1, 13, and 18). They are the pegs on which our poet hangs his ideas (see Outline/Structure). Thus we might begin by suggesting, as does Anderson,16 that the first surely (73:1) revolves around not theodicy per se but the survival of faith. If there is not some kind of justice behind this God-made universe, then whom can we trust? While justice is the real issue, the problem of envy, which introduces the psalm (73:2–12), is certainly ancillary. Gregory the Great insightfully observes that the real solution to the problem of envy is love (see Illustrating the Text). Envy is wishing we possessed the gifts and accomplishments of others, essentially depriving them of those assets. But we cannot envy those whom we truly love. Love causes us to hope and strive for the best gifts and accomplishments for those we love. Loving parents want their children to exceed their own accomplishments, to stand on their shoulders, and when they do, it is as if the parents have achieved those goals themselves.

While injustice and the envy it spawns may lead us to reexamine our faith, this psalm teaches us that divine justice is really intended to lead us to trust God (73:23–25), to make our whole life the answer to the psalmist’s rhetorical question, Whom have I in heaven but you? (73:25a). The question is tinged with desperation, but more than that, with the finality of absolute trust.

That quandary brings us to the second surely of the psalm (73:13), an angle of faith that the Psalms describe so well and so often, especially if we, like the psalmist, have tried to follow the path of obedience and encountered the obstacle of doubt (73:13–14). We could, of course, allow the passionate dimensions of the problem to create a garrulous reaction, and as a result, we could betray our generation and the next by talking too much about the problem and too little about the solution (73:15). One of the temptations of scholars and saints alike—these two categories are too often distinctly separate—is that academia and culture have a way of glorifying the problem, and examining and presenting it in its multiple dimensions (which we ought to do), but giving too little attention to the solution. The psalmist’s strategy, however, was to talk less and worship more (73:17–19). That drove him, as it should us, into the sanctuary (73:23), where our spirits can be renewed by a power we cannot fully describe, but nevertheless a power we know is present and real (73:23–24). At this turning point of faith (73:17) we begin to discover, or rediscover, the truth that dominates the last movement of the psalm.

That leads us to the third surely of the psalm (73:18), that when the injustice in the world sends a seismic rumble through the foundations of our faith, the truth of the psalm is that God is still the only one who matters. It follows then that envy of evildoers is only assuaged by the reality of God’s presence (73:25b). In fact, the Psalms are replete with declarations and longings to be in the sanctuary, where God is. And God is always the key, just as he is here in this psalm. The suppliant’s earthly experience (When my heart was grieved . . . You hold me by my right hand, 73:21a, 23b) was merely the worldly tether held at the other end by his heavenly God: Whom have I in heaven but you? (73:25a). And the marvelous truth is that God and God alone is all the psalmist needs, and all he needs and all he desires have become one and the same: And earth has nothing I desire besides you (73:25b). Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven is not only a prayer for the coming of God’s kingdom in the world but a prayer for its coming in our hearts.

Illustrating the Text

Love makes the good deeds of others our own.

Church Fathers: Gregory the Great. The psalmist was tempted to envy the prosperity of the wicked (73:3). While this is not the kind of thing we should envy, when envy is turned instead toward people who are good and do good things, it reminds us that a very important ingredient is missing from our spiritual profile—love. Love makes the good deeds of others our own, while envy denies them to others and to ourselves. Parents can understand this truth because when they truly love their children, they look on their children’s accomplishments as if they were their own. Gregory the Great explicates this mystery:

The good things of others which these people cannot have, they would be making their own if they but loved them. For, indeed, all are knit together in faith, just as the various members of one body, though having their different functions, are yet constituted one by mutual concord.

In fact, those things are ours which we love in others, even if we cannot imitate them, and what is loved in ourselves becomes the possession of those who love it. Wherefore, let the envious consider how efficacious is charity, which renders the works of another’s labour our own, without any labour on our part.17

Anxiety is sometimes a sin.

Quote: C. S. Lewis. The psalmist describes his anxiety as beastly (73:22), suggesting that it is not appropriate, at least in the context of faith, for us humans to be possessed by such a faithless emotion. To be anxious belongs to our sinful nature, for it is the counter position to trust, trusting the God who holds us by our right hand. Lewis wrote to an American friend: I am also very conscious (and was especially so while praying of you during your workless time) that anxiety is not only a pain which we must ask God to assuage but also a weakness we must ask Him to pardon—for He’s told us take no care for the morrow.18 Paul admonished the Philippian church, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6–7).

Psalm 74

Remember the Nation You Purchased Long Ago

Big Idea

Our questions, even when they go unanswered, are ultimately resolved in the reality of God.

Key Themes

The perpetual sense of the kingdom’s decline is an ongoing sense of God’s people.

In biblical theology, God is both subject and victim of disaster.

Understanding the Text

Psalm 74 is a community lament, generated by a national crisis that resulted in the destruction of the temple. The crisis is the background of Psalm 89, with its reflection on the ostensible failure of the Davidic covenant, and this psalm is the capstone of the collection of psalms contained in Book 3 (Pss. 73–89). In Psalm 74 we are likely hearing the historical voice of the Psalter, as the Asaph poet tells the story of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

The Text in Context

Psalm 73 opened Book 3 with a crisis of personal faith, applied in the context of Book 3 to the national crisis created by the Babylonian invasions of Judah in the early sixth century. It is thus quite appropriate that Psalm 74 should exploit the historical situation by describing the invasion as it centered on the destruction of the temple (74:4–8). Hossfeld and Zenger propose that Psalms 74; 75; and 76 form a compositional arc, sharing three themes: God as the saving judge (74:12; 75:2, 4; 76:8–9), divine wrath (74:1; 75:8; 76:7), and the theology of the divine name (74:7, 10, 18, 21; 75:1; 76:1).1 Psalm 73 draws the hermeneutical horizon of these three psalms by raising the question of God’s justice and drawing attention to the temple, the place where divine justice can be understood, or at least dealt with in the larger context.

Outline/Structure

Psalm 74 falls into three parts, the first bounded by the interrogative why? and the second taking the form of a hymn celebrating the kingdom of God. The third is a series of petitions framed by remember (74:18a and 22b) and do not forget (74:19b and 23a).2

1. Prayer bounded by why? (74:1–11)

a. The first boundary, a prayer (74:1–9)

i. "O God, why have you rejected us forever?" (74:1)

ii. "Remember your relationship to Israel, and turn your steps to these everlasting ruins" (74:2–3)

iii. Description of the destruction of the temple (74:4–7)

iv. Reflection on the enemies’ detestable destruction (74:8–9)

b. The second boundary, a prayer (74:10–11)

i. How long will the enemy mock God? (74:10)

ii. "Why" does God not act? (74:11)

2. God’s kingship and kingdom (74:12–17)

a. Affirmation of God as King (74:12)

b. Prayer affirming God’s kingdom and creation (74:13–17)

3. Prayer bounded by remember and do not forget (74:18–23)

a. "Remember how the enemy has mocked you" (74:18)

b. Do not hand over the life of your dove (74:19a)

c. "Do not forget the lives of your afflicted" (74:19b)

d. Have regard for your covenant (74:20)

e. Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace (74:21a)

f. May the poor and needy praise your name (74:21b)

g. Rise up, O God, and defend your cause (74:22a)

h. "Remember how fools mock you" (74:22b)

i. "Do not ignore [forget] the clamor of your adversaries" (74:23)

Historical and Cultural Background

The destruction of the temple (74:3–7) positions this psalm sometime after 586 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and burned the temple (2 Kings 25), perhaps soon after the tragedy since the details seem fresh in the psalmist’s mind. Psalm 74 may have been used as a lament on other occasions, for example, the desecration of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC and the destruction of the Herodian temple by Titus in AD 70. The reference to other worship places in the land is made with no word of condemnation, leading some to suggest they were merely places of prayer.3 With the psalmist’s concern being the temple and not pagan worship, verse 8b may simply report the fact of their destruction without comment.

Interpretive Insights

Title  maskil. A maskil (from skl, to instruct, or to be skilled) may teach a moral lesson4 or relate to skillful and artistic style5 (see the comments on the title for Ps. 32). Among the Asaph psalms, only Psalms 74 and 78 have the term maskil in the title, suggesting that their purpose was to draw a lesson from the historical tragedies of Israel’s past.6

74:1  O God, why have you rejected us forever? The use of ’elohim (God) characterizes the Elohistic Psalter (see the sidebar The Divine Names and the Elohistic Psalter in the unit on Pss. 42–43). The interrogative why? used twice in this verse, forms an inclusio to part 1 of the psalm (74:1 and 11). The verb rejected (znh) is used in the exilic literature to refer to Yahweh’s rejection of Israel, which implies an abandonment of the covenant he himself made with them,7 thus presenting the theological conflict: Yahweh has chosen Israel and then rejected them.

Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? The expression your anger smolder (lit., your nose smoke) suggests the image of an angry person who is breathing so hard that it seems almost as though his nose is smoking. And since Israel is metaphorically the sheep of Yahweh’s pasture,8 that makes the question all the more insistent.

74:2  the nation you purchased long ago. Literally, your congregation you purchased of old. See, for example, Exodus 12:3; 16:1 (ESV) for Israel as Yahweh’s congregation. (See Theological Insights for the you [God] of the psalm.)

the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed. Two verbs and one noun allude to Exodus 15:13 (redeem), 16 (purchase; NIV: bought), and 17 (inheritance). The verb purchased is common to commercial law, while redeemed is common to family law and refers to a person buying the freedom of a relative who has fallen into poverty resulting in enslavement. The noun inheritance alludes to the land of Canaan.9

Mount Zion, where you dwelt. The use of duplicate terms from the Song of the Sea (the people you have redeemed, in your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling, Exod. 15:13; and you will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance, Exod. 15:17), and following the same order of that text, the psalmist may be alluding to the similar circumstances that Israel faced then (Egyptian bondage) and now (Babylonian exile), and by so doing implanting in the psalm and in the hearts of his compatriots the hope of a miraculous deliverance from exile comparable to that from Egypt (see Jer. 16:14–15; see also Additional Insights: The Model of Historical Double-Tracking following the unit on Ps. 138). The verb you dwelt may carry the nuance of you used to dwell, and thus the petition of verse 3 would follow naturally: [Now] turn your steps [again] toward these everlasting ruins.

74:3  everlasting ruins. This expression, though a difficult one, is generally understood as ruins, and the modifier everlasting may be used hyperbolically to mean they have been that way for some time and will probably remain ruins.10

74:4  Your foes roared. The verb is used of the roar of a lion. Verses 4–9 describe the destruction Israel’s enemies carried out in the temple (2 Kings 24:13). Note that the suppliant understands the devastation to be directed against Yahweh himself ("your foes, your sanctuary, the dwelling place of your Name"; Ps. 74:4, 7). According to Kings, the burning of the temple (2 Kings 25:9) took place one month after the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:2–12).

74:7  They burned your sanctuary. See 89:39 for a statement that implies that the destruction of Jerusalem represents damage to the reputation of David, the Lord’s servant.

74:8  We will crush them completely! The verb we will crush occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible and seems to carry the sense of destroy.11

every place where God was worshiped. In spite of King Josiah’s reform that removed the local sanctuaries (2 Kings 23:7–8), evidently many of them still existed at the time of the exile.

74:9  no signs from God; no prophets are left. The central statement is no prophets are left, and on either side of this Hebrew verbless clause is a description of the lack of prophetic activity. This clause is a hint of the prophetic content of the Asaph psalms, for which they are known.12

74:10  How long . . . your name forever? Both the interrogative phrase and the object your name belong to both halves of the verse, which reads literally, How long, O God, will the enemy insult [your name], [how long] will the foe revile your name forever?

74:11–12  your hand, your right hand? In the Hebrew, your hand and your right [hand] are a hendiadys, meaning, your right hand.

from the folds of your garment. The imagery is that God has hidden his right hand in his robe, an imagery of inactivity.13 There is a wordplay on the word midst (qereb) in verses 11 and 12. In verse 11b God has his hand in the midst (qereb) of his bosom (NIV: "folds of your garment), withholding his help, but in verse 12 the psalmist remembers the olden days when God was performing his saving deeds in the midst [qereb] of the earth" (see ESV), the opposite of his present inactivity (see also Exod. 8:22 ESV [8:18 MT]).

74:13–17  Verses 13–17 enumerate the saving deeds mentioned in verse 12. They are concentrated in Yahweh’s mighty acts surrounding the exodus (Exod. 15:2–13). In 74:13, 14, 15, and 17 the independent Hebrew pronoun you precedes the seven finite verbs, putting emphasis upon the subject, who is Yahweh.14 Note also the double occurrence in Hebrew of to you (74:16a). If we put it was you before each of the seven verbs, the force of the grammar becomes apparent, although it might not be quite as beautiful as the NIV’s fourfold use of it was you (74:13–17).

74:13–14  split open the sea. The verb (root prr) connotes dissolution of a solid mass.15

the heads of the monster . . . the heads of Leviathan. This could allude to the multiple-headed sea monster of the Ugaritic texts (ca. 1300 BC) called Litan, whom the sea god, Baal, defeated. However, it could also be a mythical symbol of Egypt (Ps. 87:4; Isa. 30:7).16

74:16–17  all the boundaries of the earth . . . summer and winter. These verses probably allude to Genesis 8:22.17 Genesis 1 may be the general background. God has built boundaries in the order of creation, as Psalm 104:9 suggests, so that everything operates sequentially. Winter is the rainy season that begins in the autumn and softens the ground so that it can be plowed and planted.

74:18  Remember. This verb occurs three times, the first with a very positive usage, referring to God’s election of Israel (74:3), and the other two instances in reference to the enemies’ mockery of God (74:18a, 22b). The verb frames part 3 of the psalm (74:18–23) along with its negative expression do not forget (74:19b, 23a). See Outline/Structure, above.

foolish people. A term from wisdom thought that pits the foolish against the wise. Their wisdom consisted in part of their recognition of the order of the universe. Note the use of the covenant name LORD, as compared to God (’elohim) in verse 10, where the same verb (defiled; NIV: reviled) and noun (your name) occur.

74:19–20  Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts. This is likely a reference to Israel, with the sense Do not allow the nations to destroy your people Israel. There may be allusions to the Noah story here, even though dove (tor) is a different word from dove in Genesis 8 (yonah). The covenant would then be the Noachian covenant, and have regard (or look) would imply that God ought to look into the covenant he made as a reminder of his promises.

74:22  Rise up, O God. This is the call for Yahweh to rise up and defend himself from his adversaries, an exact duplication of Numbers 10:35, except for God (’elohim) instead of Yahweh.

defend your cause. In other instances the psalmists ask Yahweh to "defend my cause (119:154; cf. 35:1; 43:1), but here the pronoun references God. It is reminiscent of the phrase for your sake or for the sake of your name," where the referent is Yahweh rather than the psalmist.18

remember. The occurrence of this verb here and in verse 2 provides a virtual inclusio for the psalm. God’s people’s cause is God’s cause too.

74:23  the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually. The abrupt close of the psalm prompts Goldingay to remark that the psalm stops rather than finishes, achieving no closure, as the people’s experience had achieved no closure.19

Theological Insights

As is generally true in the Psalms, the literary clues of this psalm also point the reader to its theology. One of those is the personal pronoun you for addressing God, God being front and center in the psalm, making him the subject and object of the prayer. The destruction has been done to "your congregation (74:2 ESV); Israel is the sheep of your pasture (74:1), the nation you purchased; your inheritance, whom you redeemed; Mount Zion, where you dwelt (74:2). Moreover, the explicit pronoun you occurs seven times in verses 13–17 and is reinforced by two occurrences of to you" (see the comments on 74:13–17).

God, the you of the psalm, is the actor (e.g., 74:1), and he is also the victim. The poet does not recount the story in the third person, as he could have done, but in the second person you (74:4–7), which makes the offense much more acute. And more than that, God’s foes ("your foes, 74:4) set their destructive sights on the place where you met with us (lit., your appointed place). And the weight of the offense reaches colossal proportions when it is against the King of the world, you who split open the sea and created the universe (74:12–17)—the offense was against you," God! That is, the Creator God becomes the offended God (74:18–23).

Teaching the Text

Why? and How long? are the two questions that sound louder than all others in the Psalms, and for good reason: human tragedy continues to generate these questions in every age. Psalm 74 asks both of them (74:10, 11a). They are particularly created by the evil events and persons of human history, and we have known them as well as those sad victims of Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Such names as 9/11, Boston Marathon, Sandy Hook, the Paris massacre, San Bernardino, and so many others trigger our awful memories. These events modulate these questions into a still higher key.

The rubble of Jerusalem’s destruction at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 BC is strewn throughout this psalm. But thankfully that is not the theme of the psalm. Rather the theme is God, and it is developed in an interesting way: God is both the subject and object of history.

First, God is the subject of history. That is, this world is about God, and if we miss that point, we miss the meaning of Scripture altogether. That’s the note of Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The reason the modern world is so devoid of hope is that men and women no longer perceive God as the subject of history, that God is both the Subject and the Verb. We have lost our perspective. The psalmist recognized that malady in his own world: as subject, God has rejected Israel (74:1); "but you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth (74:12, author’s translation). And our suppliant’s review of history has the same effect: It was you who split open the sea by your power (74:13a); it was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan (74:14a; also 15 and 16). While we may feel uneasy saying that God causes the tragic events of our world, it was not difficult for the psalmist. Whether he viewed God as the subject (cause) of the tragic events or believed that God merely permitted them to happen is a question we won’t argue here, because the psalm is intent on informing us that God is in charge of the universe, and however he initiates and accomplishes the events of history, and for whatever reason, his sovereign rule in the universe is a basic premise of the psalm (see Teaching the Text and Illustrating the Text" in the unit on Ps. 53).

Our second point is even more challenging, but it is demanded by the text: God is also the object of history. The psalmist writes, "They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name" (74:7). It was his sanctuary that the Babylonians burned down, and it was the dwelling place of his name that they defiled (see also 78:60–61). This, of course, raises the question of how the sovereign God can be both the subject and the object of history. While it is a topic that is no stranger to the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament works this out for us much more clearly, and it secures God’s sovereignty by presenting the doctrine of Christ’s willing sacrifice on the cross (Matt. 26:39; Phil. 2:5–8; Heb. 12:2). That is, Christ was not a victim of sin’s ravages by accident, but he was a willing victim and was so, in fact, says John, from the beginning of history: the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world (Rev. 13:8). That certainly makes our victimization by intentional and random events of our personal history easier to understand and hopefully endure—God identifies with us in our victimization. As Christopher J. H. Wright says, lament is a reflection of God’s grief, what we might call the human reflex of divine sorrow (see Illustrating the Text in the unit on Ps. 79).20 And, as Calvin taught us, the church, as did ancient Israel, must always see itself with bent back, overflowing tears, among these everlasting ruins, while it never forgets that God created this world for its happiness (see Illustrating the Text).

Illustrating the Text

The church must see itself with bent back and overflowing tears, among these everlasting ruins.

Church History: This psalm raises a question that the church, by virtue of its antagonistic posture toward this evil world, must ask in every age: How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever? (74:10). While the church’s normal stance should not be confrontational, one cannot eliminate altogether an element of antagonism in the church’s strategy. The everlasting destruction (74:3) that the forces of evil have caused to the kingdom of God are visible in every age. So the image, often attributed to Calvin, of the church making a pilgrimage through this evil world with bent back and flowing tears (a Jeremianic figure;