Psalms 74 -- Old Testament -- Gospel Daily

Psalms

Chapter 74

Lament Over the Destruction of God's House

The psalmist cries out to God, questioning why He has rejected them forever and allowed enemies to destroy the sanctuary and profane God's dwelling place in Zion. The enemy has burned the synagogues and set up their signs in the congregations, and the people see no prophets or signs. The psalmist reminds God of His past mighty works—dividing the sea, defeating the dragons and leviathan, establishing the earth's borders, and creating light and seasons—and pleads with Him to remember His covenant with the afflicted, deliver them, and arise to plead His own cause.

Sanctuary destructionGod's past powerCovenant remembranceCry for divine intervention

¹O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

²Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

³Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.

⁴Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

⁵A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.

⁶But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

⁷They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

⁸They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

⁹We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

¹⁰O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

¹¹Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.

¹²For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

¹⁴Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

¹⁵Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

¹⁶The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

¹⁷Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

¹⁸Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

¹⁹O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

²⁰Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

²¹O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

²²Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

²³Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.