Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Psalm 121:4 says, "Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps." Nor does He in His divine state need such rest or refreshment.

There were occasions during Jesus' earthly ministry when His physical human nature grew weary and required rest or sleep, such as Mark 4:38. But that did not also apply to God the Father, or to Jesus in His glorified state.

Any seeming inaction or unawareness on God's part is grounded in His omniscience and perfect will for reasons such as making us realize ways in which we have forsaken Him; or have forgotten our dependence on Him, or His ability to make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28) in ways that our limited human perspective does not or cannot comprehend.

3 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Danny Hickman Supporter Believer in The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

Of course, the Psalmist of Psalm 44 is being facetious. He's complaining. He starts by reminding God that He was the One who "delighted in them." The 'them' are the Psalmist's ancestors to whom God gave the land. Now it seems as if God has abandoned the people.

The Psalmist conveniently omits their part in the stalemate. He talks as if everything was fine between the people and God; they'd been doing what they were supposed to do; they'd kept their end of the bargain, and God has simply disappeared; He's gotten busy doing something else, maybe. 

This is the prayer of a person who is in covenant with Jehovah, and he's trying to provoke the Lord to either act or tell him why not! Whichever way it goes, he wants the lines of communication to be reopened. 

Listen to him: 'You have rejected us; You've disgraced us, and You haven't gone out with our armies... You've made us like sheep for slaughter; You've scattered us all over the place! You sold us in a trifling way; You didn't even demand a high price for us; the people of the land (foreigners) are laughing at us!' (A summary of Psalm 44: 9-15) 

Then the Psalmist drops the hammer: "All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten You, and we haven't been false to Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from Your way." (vss 17,18). 

Does anyone believe any of that? Does the writer of this song believe those lyrics are true? I think he does! He wants Jehovah to know that he and the people are desperate. He wants Jehovah to remember the covenant He made with Abraham. I think he has a strong case! 

Then he decided to try to 'get under God's skin.' He accuses God of being asleep on the job. He says, "Wake yourself up! Why are You hiding from us? Did You forget how oppressed and afflicted we are?" (vss 23,24). 

He finishes by reminding God of their affliction. He tells God, 'We are level to the ground; we're as low as the dust. Come and help us!' 

I'm very impressed by this Psalmist. This sounds like one of Jehovah's friends calling out to Him, reminding God that he and the people with him are totally dependent upon God. That's what he means by saying, "All this has come upon us, though we haven't forgotten You." They hadn't forgotten that He was their only hope. They even remembered the covenant. 

In Genesis 15, God made a one-sided covenant with Abraham. He told Abraham, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon." Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he didn’t cut the birds in two. (Here comes Abraham's part in the covenant): And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abraham drove them away. (Genesis 15:9-11)

Then God put Abraham in a deep sleep and explained to him the conditions of His covenant with Abraham. Abraham's descendants would be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve that nation for four hundred years. Then He (God) would return them to the land in which Abraham was presently, and He would give them the land. 

And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abraham, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land...." (that's not a typo, it says HAVE GIVEN...) (vs 17,18)

It's God's covenant. The oven and the torch that passed between the animal carcasses represented God affirming that the keeping of the covenant was totally on Him. Abraham's part was done when the vultures tried to take the pieces and Abraham drove them away. 

The writer of Psalm 44 knew all of this. The covenant is unbreakable. The sons of Korah knew it. The writer is spot on with the things he writes about how they had not forgotten the covenant. God made them a promise through their father Abraham, and he's simply reminding God of it.

2 days ago • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report