Psalms 44

¹To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

²How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

³For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

Psa 44:1-26. In a time of great national distress, probably in David’s reign, the Psalmist recounts God’s gracious dealings in former times, and the confidence they had learned to repose in Him. After a vivid picture of their calamities, he humbly expostulates against God’s apparent forgetfulness, reminding Him of their faithfulness and mourning their heavy sorrows. 1-3. This period is that of the settlement of Canaan (Jos 24:12; Jud 6:3). have told--or, “related” (compare Ex 10:2).

⁴Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

4. Thou art my King--literally, “he who is my King,” sustaining the same covenant relation as to the “fathers.”

⁵Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

5. The figure drawn from the habits of the ox.

⁶For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

⁷But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

⁸In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

6-8. God is not only our sole help, but only worthy of praise.

⁹But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

9. But--contrasting, cast off as abhorrent (Psa 43:2). goest not forth--literally, “will not go” (2Sa 5:23). In several consecutive verses the leading verb is future, and the following one past (in Hebrew), thus denoting the causes and effects. Thus (Psa 44:10-12), when defeated, spoiling follows; when delivered as sheep, dispersion follows, &c.

¹¹Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

11. The Babylonian captivity not necessarily meant. There were others (compare 1Ki 8:46).

¹³Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

¹⁴Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

13-14. (Compare De 28:37; Psa 79:4).

¹⁵My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

15. shame of ... face--blushes in disgrace.

¹⁶For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

16. Its cause, the taunts and presence of malignant enemies (Psa 8:2).

¹⁷All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

¹⁸Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

¹⁹Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

17-19. They had not apostatized totally--were still God’s people.

²⁰If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

²¹Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

20-21. A solemn appeal to God to witness their constancy. stretched out ... hands--gesture of worship (Ex 9:29; Psa 88:9).

²²Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

22. Their protracted sufferings as God’s people attests the constancy. Paul (Ro 8:36) uses this to describe Christian steadfastness in persecution.

²³Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

²⁴Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

²⁶Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

23-26. This style of addressing God, as indifferent, is frequent (Psa 3:7; 9:19; 13:1, &c.). However low their condition, God is appealed to, on the ground, and for the honor, of His mercy.