Psalm Chapter 74

Maschil of Asaph.

Psalm 74:1 O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Israel, because of disobedience and sin were cast off many times by the judgment of God but if all the scriptures are studied together we shall see that God has not cast away His people.

Romans 11:2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

God knows who belong to Him and believe in Him. Among millions and billions of people on the earth; once we come to Christ for salvation, He knows who we are as Gentiles or as Jews.

Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Jesus the Messiah is that deliverer that is described in prophecy to take away sins. Israel denies Him as the Messiah at this present time as a nation but they will find out maybe sooner than we think who their Messiah really is. They will be restored to a right relationship with God. This is why Israel has suffered so much. First of all Satan has desired to stamp out Israel because they are God's chosen people to bring salvation to the whole world. He sent His own Son Jesus into the world through the nation of Israel fullfilling His covenant with Abraham. Through Abraham's seed all nations shall be blessed.

When Israel sins, God's hand of protection is sometimes held back and Satan is allowed to steal, kill and destroy. Remember the Babylon captivity, rule of the Romans, days of Esther, Hitler and many others who through the power of Satan has destroyed many Jewish people.

One day though these times will end and the enemies of both Israel and the followers of Jesus will be destroyed permanently. No more will anyone hurt the children of God. We become children of God only one way. We have to be cleansed from sin. The one who came to cleanse our sin is the one who paid for our sin, Jesus the Christ. Sin cannot enter God's kingdom.

We have to be free from sin in order to inherit God's kingdom and everlasting life. Faith in Jesus makes this possible. There is no other way. If there had been another way, Jesus would not have had to be a sacrifice and die such a horrible death on the cross.

Jesus did not fail like a few down through history has claimed. He did just what He was sent here to do. Die for sins.

This is why Israel did not recognize the first coming of Jesus as the very Son of God. They were looking for a deliverer from the Roman Empire. They were looking for a kingdom on the earth. They failed to recognize that in order for God to set up that visible kingdom, the sin of mankind had to be taken care of first. Sin cannot continue forever. It has to be stopped. Jesus came the first time to save from sin. This way of salvation is the kingdom coming within us. He will come the second time to set up His visible everlasting kingdom.

Now is the time to repent of sin and turn to Jesus. When He returns the second time, those that oppose righteousness, persecute and refuse to repent of sin will be destroyed once and for all time. Hell awaits all the rebellious and unbelievers. This has to happen in order for the Kingdom of God to bring in a kingdom without sin, peaceful and where everyone can dwell safely. Don't take my word for any of these sayings here. Study the bible and see for yourself.

Psalm 74:2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

Notice the word purchase. Whether the Psalmist knew who he was prophesying about, we don't know but he is speaking of the Messiah, that we now know was Jesus.

Jesus purchased our souls by His death on the cross. In order to be counted among those He bought and paid for, we must believe in Him and turn from sin.

Psalm 74:3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

All over the world at this present time, enemies of the gospel prevail. They kill, persecute and are harming those that believe in Jesus Christ. This will end.

Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

It may seem that the enemy now has the power for a season to do evil to the children of God but their time of power will end.

Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This is serious business folks. God gave us His word to warn of us of the wrath to come. He has done everything possible to save us from sin. He allowed His own Son to become one of us to pay for our salvation. Jesus paid the price for every wicked sin that mankind has every committed. When we believe in Him and receive Him into our lives, His death for sin counts on our behalf. If we ignore this there is no other way to be saved from sin. If we die in our sins, there is no hope left. We then will spend eternity in hell.

Psalm 74:5 A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.
6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.
7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.
8 They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
9 We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

This has to be a vision into the future unless it is written by someone at the time of the captivity of Babylon. We know that this didn't occur under the reign of King David so it looks like it could be referring to the Babylonian captivity, the time when Rome destroyed the nation of Israel in 70 A.D., the German holocaust, or the future time of Jacob's trouble we call the great tribulation. There were many other times when Satan tried to wipe out the descendants of Israel.

Psalm 74:11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.
12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
16 The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
19 O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.
21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.
22 Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
23 Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

If we look at today's world and even the world since the death of Jesus, it does look as if God is silent and the evil ones succeed against the nation of Israel and at times the believers in Jesus we call the church.

The disappearance of Israel as a nation for so many years is why some of the church assumed God was done with Israel and the church became the new Israel. This is called the replacement theology and it is wrong.

We can be excused a little for thinking that before 1948 but not after that time. God brought the nation of Israel back from the grave and revived them again but they still need to find their Messiah to inherit eternal life just like the rest of us do.

This is why according to some bible prophecy studies, there is a future great tribulation. To bring Israel back to God. They are already there in the physical but they still need to recognize their savior from sin: Jesus the Messiah of Israel and savior of the world.

Whether persecution and trouble comes to Israel or the followers of Jesus, the called out ones which we refer to as the church, these times are temporary. In the end Israel is redeemed back to God and the faithful followers of Jesus will have new bodies, live forever and never suffer ever again. While we are still in our temporary bodies on the earth though, we live by faith.

God does not leave us alone. When we come to Christ and seek Him, He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell with us and give us witness to the truth. The Holy Spirit abides with us to show us what is true and what is a lie. We will only be deceived if our hearts depart from the word of God and we willingly wish to believe a lie. Now we walk by faith. Now is looks dark. That is why we need to gather together with other believers and worship. We do this to strengthen one another. God gave us the bible. We need to read and understand.

God gave us first salvation through Jesus the Messiah.
Second the written word to show us the way of righteousness.
Third, the Holy Spirit to be our constant witness to the truth.
Fourth, fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord to encourage and help one another. God is good.

Now our faith is tried. Abide not in unbelief but walk in the truth. Jesus Christ will return sooner than you think. DC

Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Psalm 75

Psalm Index