A CRY FOR HELP - PSALM 44

Psalm 44 is attributed to the “sons of Korah”. Korah was famous for leading an insurrection against Moses. God caused the earth to open and swallow the rebels, killing them. (Numbers 16) But the sons of Korah were spared. Maybe they did not take part in the rebellion.

Seven generations later, the prophet Samuel was born into the family as a descendant of Korah. The Korahites began to participate in the care of the tabernacle again. Under King David, they began to lead in worship. One man, Heman, became famous as a singer. (1 Chronicles 6:33)

Psalms 42 and 43 were personal laments. Psalm 44 is a national lament. It was written in a time of defeat in battle. It is a cry by the psalmist for the rescue of the whole nation.

We do not know an exact date for the writing of the Psalm or the circumstances to which it refers, but it deals with a time when Israel is oppressed by enemies. One possibility is the attack of the Moabites and Ammonites during the reign of Jehoshaphat, recorded in 2 Chronicles 20. Jeshoshaphat called the nation of Judah together to fast and seek help from the Lord.


44:1-3
Recalling the Past

The psalmist started by recalling the stories told by his ancestors of the great deeds of the Lord. (1) He focused on God’s driving the Canaanites and others out of the land of Canaan to give it to Israel. He acknowledged that the Israelites did not win the land in their own strength. Rather, the Lord did it. (3)

The psalmist, as with all of the Old Testament writers, related the history of Israel in terms of the sovereignty of God. “Sovereignty” means the authority and power to rule without interference from anyone.

John Piper wrote: “There are no limits to God’s rule. This is part of what it means to be God. He is sovereign over the whole world, and everything that happens in it. He is never helpless, never frustrated, never at a loss.”

The psalmist wrote “you afflicted the peoples”. (2) He was referring to the Israelites becoming slaves in Egypt. He laid the power to do this and the responsibility for it in God’s hands. God also took them into and through the wilderness, where they had to learn to trust him for survival.

Then, he wrote “but them you set free”. God delivered them from Egypt and from the wilderness and delivered them to Canaan.

God delivered Israel because he delighted in them. (3) They were his chosen people. He set his love and favor on them.

It is this way for us today as the church. (Ephesians 1:4)

44:4-8
Declaration of Faith

The psalmist declared that God was his king. He acknowledged God’s sovereignty and rule over Israel and over himself. And, based on that, he asked God to ordain salvation for Jacob. In effect, he was saying, since you rule over us and love us, save us. This indicates the time of writing this psalm was a time when Israel was defeated or oppressed by another nation.

Victory would be one “through you (God)”. The psalmist did not at all lean on the military strength of Israel. And, likely, that strength had failed and allowed another king and country to oppress them.

Again, the psalmist looked to the past, saying “you have saved us from our foes” and “put to shame those who hate us”. (7) Because of this, the nation had continually boasted in God and given thanks to him. (8) This might be an overstatement by the psalmist. Israel has certainly faltered in its obedience to God many times in its history. But, possibly, within the experience of the psalmist, that had not been the case.

God Had Afflicted Them
44:9-16

The Psalmist wrote that God, as the sovereign, was responsible for Israel’s troubles. All of their confidence in God was shattered by the present reality of defeat.
God had rejected and disgraced them by not giving victory to the army. He said God had not gone out with the armies. (9)

These military defeats are attributed to God by the psalmist. He said it in several different ways:
He made them turn back, or retreat, from the enemy (10);
The enemy had taken spoils from the army;
God made them like defenseless sheep to be slaughtered (11);
He scattered them among the nations;
He gave Israel up and got no value for it (“for a trifle”)(12);
He made them the subject of taunts, derision and scorn (13);
they were laughed at (14).

The psalmist is still acknowledging God’s sovereignty, but in a negative way. He blames God for the military defeats. And he is correct: God is sovereign and can give victory or defeat as it pleases him.

The psalmist personally felt the shame and disgrace of these defeats. Here he considered Israel as God’s favorite, yet they were defeated. His question is “how can the God of our fathers abandon the children”?

Like many who suffer, the psalmist is asking “don’t you care”?

A Claim of Innocence
44:17-22

In this section, the psalmist declares the innocence of Israel. In other words, he is saying “you are doing this to us and it is unfair because we have done nothing wrong”. If they had broken covenant with God, they would rightly be subject to the curses of the covenant set out in Leviticus 26.

But the psalmist stated that Israel had not been unfaithful and had not broken the covenant. (17) They had obeyed the law, and not departed from God’s way. (18)

Despite their faithfulness, God had broken them. (19) He brought death upon them. A “place of jackals” would be an abandoned, desolate place.

The psalmist then went back to the theme of unfairness. He said if they had been unfaithful, or turned to idolatry, God would know it. (20-21) The implication is that God knew they, as a nation, had been faithful to him.

Paul quoted verse 22 in Romans 8:36, to support his argument that nothing separates us from God, including tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword. Unlike the Psalmist, Paul expected suffering and knew God continued to be with us in it, with Jesus interceding for us.

The Call For Help
44:23-26

The Psalmist called for God to wake up and come to their aid. He questioned why God forgot them and their suffering. They are so low they are on the ground in the dust. (25) He asked for God to come and help and redeem them from their oppression, and to do this for the sake of his steadfast love.

This psalm certainly shows that we can pour out our pain and suffering to God. It borders on disrespect for God, which I do not endorse, but it shows us that God is willing to hear us even when our feelings are raw. We do not have to “sugar coat” our feelings or to act like we are not in pain. God made us, including our feelings, and knows we suffer at times. Jesus took on human flesh and felt all of the emotions, sufferings, and pains that we do, and he intercedes for us.

The Takeaways

1. The psalmist did a good theological thing when he acknowledged God’s sovereignty even over bad things. What he did not do is submit himself to God’s will in suffering. He considered it as unfair. It is difficult to suffer, but especially difficult to suffer without cause.

Compare the psalmist to Job.The Book of Job also is an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty. Satan is only allowed to attack Job when God lets him. Job, in contrast to the Psalmist, did not consider it unfair, even though he was a righteous man.

Job submitted himself to God. When his wife urged him to curse God, he said “shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10) Later, he said “though he slay me, I will hope in him.” (Job 13:15)

The Bible tells us that we may, and probably will, suffer. And we should accept it. This is another place the prosperity gospel errs. Righteous men and women suffered for the sake of the gospel in the New Testament, as recorded in the book of Acts. Stephen was killed. James was killed.

Paul suffered physical ailments. Peter and John were jailed. Peter was ultimately martyred, though this is not recorded in the New Testament, and John was exiled. Many others were imprisoned and had their property confiscated.

The promise of the gospel is not an immunity from suffering. Calvin said “In order, therefore, that weariness, or dread of the cross, may not root up from our herts true godliness, let us continually reflect upon this, that it behooves us to drink the cup which God puts into our hands, and that no one can be a Christian who does not dedicate himself to God.”

Additionally, the fact is, God does not always tell or show us why we suffer. He does not owe us an answer, because he is God and can do what pleases him and what he finds necessary. If you do not believe this, read the last few chapters of Job. In chapter 31, Job justified himself, telling all that he has done that is good and demanded that God to tell him why his suffering happened. He said “Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Oh that I had an indictment written by my  adversary! (Job 31:34)

In answer, his young friend Elihu blasted him for justifying himself and not God, then blasting Job’s friends for not speaking up. This goes on for six chapters! Then God spoke directly to Job of his sovereignty for five chapters. That is a thorough rebuke, 11 chapters worth!

Job got the message and said he repented in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6)

2. The psalmist did another good thing he continued to call on God for redemption and to believe God had the power to deliver Israel.   Though he was in despair over Israel’s defeat, he did not quit believing in God’s power to deliver them.

Suffering is very difficult, no matter the cause or the type. We are not promised there will be no suffering. In fact, Jesus told his disciples to expect it.

Faith is honed in suffering. The one who suffers and endures in the faith will find his faith strengthened and his relationship to Christ deepened.

Prepare your heart for suffering. Jesus told his disciples they would suffer so they would be prepared. Peter was not prepared when confronted on the night of Jesus’ arrest and trial, and he denied Christ. Later he was prepared and confessed Christ in the face of death.