Psalm 79:1-13 / Cries for Deliverance
📖 Scripture
1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
3 They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.
5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;
7 for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.
8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.
9 Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.
✅ Scripture Summary
✅ Memory verse
– Psalm 82:3
✅ Reflection
Lamenting What They Deserved (79:1–9)
In this lament, the psalmist mourns what has happened to his nation. He is aware that the people are fully culpable. Their sins have brought about judgment and destruction. The people beg for relief while acknowledging that they have been unfaithful in the past and deserve God’s anger and judgment. When we realize that our sin has led to the pain we are experiencing, we can wallow in our sorrows or we can allow our pain to lead us to much-needed repentance. We repent in humility and gratefulness knowing that, because of Jesus, God’s wrath has already been fully satisfied on the cross. Rather than allowing the consequences of sin to persist in our lives, we have the opportunity to grow ever closer to God in our character and in our actions.
When have you experienced pain because of a sin that you committed? Praise God for the new mercies He pours out when you repent.
Everlasting Praise (79:10–13)
After seeking forgiveness, the psalmist continues by asking God to demonstrate that He is the avenger of His servants who have been condemned to die. The people identify themselves as God’s sheep, using the imagery of the shepherd to ask for His protection and care, and they promise that generations will praise Him forever. When others have committed wrongs against us, we can be tempted to seek revenge. However, this passage serves as a reminder that the God of justice cares about His people. We can look to Him to deliver us from our troubles and to judge those who oppress us. We can offer praise to Him, giving Him the glory that He richly deserves for His deliverance and protection.
Recall a time when God delivered you from your troubles. Give Him praise for His deliverance and protection.
✅ Prayer
“There is no area of life we should not pray about; there is no petition too small. We can, we must, make our requests known to God.”
– Tim Challies
✅ Essay
Praying with Raw Honesty
I love the raw emotion of the psalms. Reading the heartfelt prayers, the joyful proclamations of praise, and the desperate cries for help reminds me that we are emotional beings created in the image of an emotional God. Of course, God governs His emotions perfectly and we certainly do not. The psalms challenge me to take any emotion I experience—such as terror, anxiety, happiness, boldness, and contentment—and process it in prayer. As a pastor, I seek to remind my congregation of the importance of an honest prayer life. I encourage them to pour out the contents of their hearts in prayer without any filter because God already knows what we are going to say. Being honest in prayer is more for our sake than for His, and reading and meditating on the psalms help us to grow in this discipline. An honest prayer life fuels greater dependence on God. The preacher H. B. Charles, Jr. writes, “The things you pray about are the things you trust God to handle. The things you neglect to pray about are the things you trust you can handle on your own.” When we take time to present all areas of our lives in prayer, we are admitting to God that we cannot accomplish anything apart from His grace. When we are in that place of utter dependence on God, we realize a most valuable truth: we need Him. That is when we find ourselves right where God wants us to be.
Written by Bob Koo