Psalms - Chapter 79

Psalms 79.1 O god, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. Psalms 79.2 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. Psalms 79.3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. Psalms 79.4 We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. Psalms 79.5 How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire? Psalms 79.6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. Psalms 79.7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. Psalms 79.8 O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. Psalms 79.9 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. Psalms 79.10 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. 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; Psalms 79.12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord. 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.

Psalms : Chapter 79

Reflections on Psalm 79: Lament and Hope Psalm 79, attributed to Asaph, represents a profound lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. Faced with a national disaster, how do God's people respond? This poignant text describes the desecration of the temple and calls for divine vengeance against God's enemies. Through its verses, the psalm addresses essential themes such as judgment, national repentance, and the restoration of God's honor.

Psalm 79 presents itself as a model for prayer in times of collective calamity, inviting us to meditate on biblical passages that resonate with the cry for national redemption expressed in this moving psalm.

Evocative Bible Passages

Lamentations 2:7

"The Lord has rejected his altar and abandoned his sanctuary. He has given the walls of his palaces into the hand of the enemy, who proclaims victory in the temple of the Lord as if it were a feast day." This verse from Lamentations expresses the anguish over the destruction of the temple, resonating with the suffering expressed in Psalm 79.

Daniel 9:16

"O Lord, as all your works are righteous, turn away your anger and your fury from Jerusalem, your city, your holy mountain. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people a mockery to all who are around us." Daniel's fervent prayer echoes the themes of Psalm 79, begging for mercy for Jerusalem.

Micah 4:11-12

"But Now many nations have gathered against you. They say, "Let Jerusalem be defiled, and let our eyes rejoice in her destruction!" But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, nor understand his plan, who has gathered them like sheaves for the threshing floor. This prophecy illustrates the situation of Jerusalem, surrounded by enemies, just as in Psalm 79.

Revelation 6:10

"They cried out with a loud voice, 'How long, O holy and true Lord, will you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?'" This cry for vengeance in Revelation resonates with the psalmist's call in Psalm 79:10, testifying to the expectation of divine justice.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-8

"For it is fitting that God should reward those who trouble you with tribulation, and give relief to you who are under tribulation, and to us. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. He will punish those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." This passage underlines the theme of divine judgment against God's enemies, present in the Psalm 79.

As we meditate on these verses, we are called to a deep reflection on our relationship with God, our collective responsibility, and our desire to see His honor restored in our lives and in our community. May our prayer be a cry of repentance and hope, like that of Asaph, that God may hear our voice and restore our land.