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Reflections on The Psalms |
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Psalm 83
{1}Keep not thou silence, O God:
hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
{2} For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult:
and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
{3} They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,
and consulted against thy hidden ones.
{4} They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation;
that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
It is uncanny to read this Psalm in the age of terror. Since Israel became a nation, there has been a fever to drive them into the sea. It seems nothing ever changes. History repeats itself because human nature never changes, nor does the nature of God.
{5} For they have consulted together with one consent:
they are confederate against thee:
{6} The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites;
of Moab, and the Hagarenes; {7} Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;
the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
{8} Assur also is joined with them:
they have helped the children of Lot. Selah.
Edom is the southernmost of the tribes of the Levant, covering the area south and southwest of Judah. The Ishmaelites are the Arabs, sons of Abraham. The Hagarenes may be other children of Hagar, Abraham's concubine. Ammonites were the descendants of Abraham's nephew, Lot, who settled across Jordan. The Philistines, who gave their name to Palestine, held what is today the Gaza strip.
{9} Do unto them as unto the Midianites;
as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
{10} Which perished at Endor:
they became as dung for the earth.
{11} Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb:
yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
{12} Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
{13} O my God, make them like a whirlwind;
as the stubble before the wind.
{14} As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
{15} So persecute them with thy tempest,
and make them afraid with thy storm.
{16} Fill their faces with shame;
that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
{17} Let them be confounded and troubled for ever;
yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
{18} That men may know that thou alone, whose name is JEHOVAH,
art the most high
over all the earth.
This last comes through like the crack of a whip. These haters of God, know
nothing of the God who alone is most high, he whose name is Jehovah. And their
defeat is for one purpose: That they may know who is the true and real God.
For a people like Israel, who are reputed to already have nuclear weapons, to pray this prayer of firestorms is sobering. But I don't think the madmen on the other side even care. They love death, not life.