God Speaks
83 A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not be silent!
Do not be deaf.
Do not be quiet, O God.
2 Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?
Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?
3 They devise crafty schemes against your people;
they conspire against your precious ones.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.
We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
5 Yes, this was their unanimous decision.
They signed a treaty as allies against you—
6 these Edomites and Ishmaelites;
Moabites and Hagrites;
7 Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites;
and people from Philistia and Tyre.
8 Assyria has joined them, too,
and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Interlude
9 Do to them as you did to the Midianites
and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 They were destroyed at Endor,
and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil.
11 Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did.
Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 for they said, “Let us seize for our own use
these pasturelands of God!”
13 O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind!
14 As a fire burns a forest
and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
15 chase them with your fierce storm;
terrify them with your tempest.
16 Utterly disgrace them
until they submit to your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.
Let them die in disgrace.
18 Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord,
that you alone are the Most High,
supreme over all the earth.
84 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2 I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
at a place near your altar,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
4 What joy for those who can live in your house,
always singing your praises. Interlude
5 What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
7 They will continue to grow stronger,
and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.
Listen, O God of Jacob. Interlude
9 O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!
Show favor to the one you have anointed.
10 A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right.
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
what joy for those who trust in you.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection
Psalm 83: This psalm calls out to God for protection from both the physical and spiritual enemies of God’s people throughout the ages. Verse 4 makes it seem as if the psalmist is reading headlines from Middle Eastern news sources in our time. The physical enemies named in verses 6-12 have been replaced by modern nations in the same geographical locations. In praying for the peace of Jerusalem, God’s people need to call on Him to act as outlined in verses 13-18. Fr. Reardon* reminds us that our enemies are not only flesh and blood, but “spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.”(Eph. 6:12 NASB). We must use the powerful spiritual weapons of the truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith in God, salvation in Christ Jesus, the word of God and prayer in the Spirit and the grace and love of God to combat and defeat them, whoever and wherever they are. (Drawn from Eph. 6:13-24)
Psalm 84: This psalm speaks of having such a longing to be in the presence of God that we would be content to be like a bird building a nest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Again, Fr. Reardon reminds believers, “The true and lasting temple of God, the term of our longing and the abode of our rest, is in Christ the Lord. . . And because He is God’s temple, God abides in Jesus. Jesus is the one place where we meet God, and we too abide in Jesus, being united to God with him.”*
*Christ in the Psalms, by Patrick Henry Reardon, p. 163-166
Prayer
I cry out to You, LORD God, for protection from both the physical and spiritual enemies of Yourself and Your people. The headlines and news broadcasts from the Middle East and other hostile nations boldly proclaiming the intentions of Your enemies to eliminate Your people from the earth. The physical enemies named in this psalm have been replaced by modern nations in the same geographical locations. You have told us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Therefore, we, Your people, call on You to act as outlined in this psalm. Our enemies are not only flesh and blood, but “spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 NLT) Teach us to use the powerful spiritual weapons of Your truth, Your righteousness, the Gospel of peace with You, faith in You, salvation in Christ Jesus, Your word and prayer in the Spirit and Your grace and love to combat and defeat them, whoever and wherever they are. Give us such a longing to be in Your presence, O God, that we would be content to be like a bird building a nest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Remind believers of what Patrick Henry Reardon wrote, “The true and lasting temple of God, the term of our longing and the abode of our rest, is Christ the Lord. . . And because He is God’s temple, God abides in Jesus. Jesus is the one place where we meet God, and we too abide in Jesus, being united to God in Him.”* May people all over the world turn to Christ, receive His gift of salvation and join with him in intercession in fighting Your true enemies for Your glory, LORD. AMEN
Action
(Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
I will daily pray for myself and God’s people around the world to be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power in Christ Jesus, whenever I hear of someone under attack. I will learn to use the spiritual weapons listed above to fight battles in both physical and spiritual realms. I will constantly seek to focus my thoughts on (abide in) Christ Jesus, the permanent dwelling place of God. I will continually interact with Jesus in prayer about the items I see on my news feeds.
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