Psalm 44: Facing Trials and Suffering
Psalm 44: Facing Trials and Suffering
Part 1
Last year, the middle school youth group that I help with was going through the Psalms. I signed up for a lesson, and the Psalm for that week was Psalm 44. After reading the psalm, I thought…How am I going to teach this? I don’t know what to do with this! But as I dwelled on the passage, God opened up some truths to me that I shared with them, and now I’ll pass on to you. We’ve been using the COMA Bible study method (Context, Observation, Meaning, Application) for the youth, so that’s how this lesson is set up.
Psalm 44
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
you covered us over with deep darkness.20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Context
Author
First, let’s look at the author for this psalm. It says, “For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.” Who are the Sons of Korah? And what is a maskil?
Korah was of the tribe of Levi, a descendant of Kohath. Kohath’s family was in charge of caring for the most holy things in the tent of meeting (an early/portable version of the tabernacle) (Numbers 4:1-20). When the Israelites were on the move, the Kohathites were in charge of carrying the items from the Most Holy Place—the ark of the covenant and other holy items.
As the Israelites were wandering in the desert, Korah and a couple men from the tribe of Reuben decided that they had enough of Moses leading them (Numbers 16:1-50). They gathered 250 Israelite men who supported them, and they rose up in rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Moses called the men forward and had them offer incense to the Lord. The Lord became angry at them, and the ground under the tents of Korah and the other two leaders opened up and swallowed them. However, somehow some of Korah’s descendants did not die (Numbers 26:8-11), most likely because they refused to follow their father’s revolt.
The Sons of Korah show up again in 1 Chronicles 6:22-61. We find that Samuel, Israel’s last judge and first prophet, was a Son of Korah, and other Sons of Korah served as musicians in the tabernacle under King David. It is this group of the Sons of Korah that wrote Psalm 44. They wrote Psalm 44 as a maskil, which refers to a wise saying, or something meant to impart wisdom to the people.
Covenant
This Psalm relies heavily on an understanding of the covenant God made with Israel. God’s covenant with Israel began with Abraham, which we discussed in our Bible Essentials series on Genesis. Over time, that covenant was passed down the generations. A great description of God’s covenant with the nation of Israel is found in Deuteronomy 28. Here are the basics:
If the people obey and follow God, they will receive many blessings:
They will have children and health.
Their crops and livestock will flourish.
They will defeat their enemies.
In contrast, if the people reject God and disobey him, they will be cursed:
Their families will be afflicted with diseases and become captives.
Their crops and livestock will be taken away.
They will be defeated by their enemies.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see God uphold this covenant. When the Israelites followed him, they were blessed. Enemies fled before them, and everything they did flourished. But when the Israelites rejected God, they went through a pattern of defeat and famine.
Observation
Now let’s look at shorter sections of Psalm 44. If you read verses 1-8 again, what side of the covenant does this seem to describe?
The verses talk about God’s hand driving out the nations (Israel’s enemies) and making the Israelites flourish. They knew that God’s hand was bringing them victory and not their own strength. This clearly seems to be talking about the “blessing” side of the covenant.
Then we go to verses 9-16. This seems like the opposite situation. God no longer goes out with the armies, and their adversaries have plundered them. They have been scattered among the nations so that they are now captive. They live in disgrace and scorn. Based on what we know of the covenant, this seems like the “cursed” side that happens when the people reject God.
But wait…when we read verses 17-24, it seems that the people haven’t rejected God at all. They had not been false to God’s covenant, and they had not pursued foreign gods. Surely God knows that they have been faithful, yet they still face defeat. Why does it seem like God is hiding from them and forgetting them? Doesn’t it seem like God isn’t holding up his end of the covenant? From what we know of God’s character, this can’t be the answer. So if the Israelites are still following God, why are they facing so much suffering?
Come back next week to find out.