LORD, may you cause the leaders of all nations to seek you
Psalm 83
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 Even now your enemies are in tumult;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
3 They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against those you protect.
4 They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more.’
5 They conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, ‘Let us take the pastures of God for our own possession.’
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane.
16 Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; let them perish in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord,
are the Most High over all the earth.
The powers of the ancient Middle East – Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistines, Assyria – have considered against Israel. The nation is under threat, the enemies are mobilizing to destroy the nation. The enemies want to wipe out Israel so that it is forgotten. The threat is real, the cry for help is full of anxiety.
That is verses 1-8. Then vs. 9-12, remind everyone that this has happened before. Midian attacked Israel under general Sisera; along with Midian’s ally the Canaanites under Jabin; and they were defeated by Israel under the leadership of Deborah (Judges 4). A generation later Midian again attacked Israel only to suffer the same fate as Israel was led by Gideon (Judges 7, 8).
Remembering what happened to the enemies of old, the psalm writer asks God to do the same in this new time. The writer is very clear it was neither Deborah noir Gideon who won the victories – it was God alone who defeated the enemies and rescued Israel. Israel did not have the military might to defeat Midian – but God did. The writer ends in vs. 18, let the enemies of Israel know that you alone, the god whose name is LORD (YHWH) is Most High over all the earth.
In our world armed conflict is very real and the threat of more armed conflict raises anxiety and fear, we can pray vs. 18 with the psalm writer. We can also pray vs. 16 – that the people who engage in armed conflict and perpetrate violence would be put to shame so powerfully that they would come to the LORD (YHWH) seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness.
PRAYER:
LORD God, we live in a world where powerful armies attack and threaten to attack. Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.