Psalm 79
A Psalm of Asaph Petitioning God for Rescue and Vindication
The author Asaph was the great singer and musician of David and Solomon’s era (1 Chronicles 15:17-19, 16:5-7; 2 Chronicles 29:13). 1 Chronicles 25:1 and 2 Chronicles 29:30 add that Asaph was a prophet in his musical compositions. - David Guzik
Asaph was one of David's chief musicians (1 Chronicles 6:39; 15:17,19; 16:5,7; 2 Chronicles 5:12). He was also the ancestor of a group of temple musicians (Ezekiel 2:40-41). The name might have come to represent his descendants or the musicians who followed him rather than Asaph himself. - Kevin R. Warstler and Sheri L. Klouda
In this song, Asaph lamented the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and pleaded with God for relief, rescue, and for vindication against those He had allowed to desecrate the holy city. The content is similar to Psalm 74. Not all scholars agree, but most believe the lamented devastation to have been the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
In this national (communal) lament psalm: Asaph mourned Jerusalem’s destruction and pleaded with God to have mercy on His people, despite their sins, for His name’s sake (cf. Psalms 74). - Thomas Constable
Psalm 79 is titled A Psalm of Asaph, though it was clearly written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian armies. This event was so traumatic and important in the scope of Jewish history that it is described four times in the Hebrew Scriptures: 2 Kings 25, 2 Chronicles 36:11-21, Jeremiah 39:1-14, and Jeremiah 52. - David Guzik
The Nations Have Invaded
Jerusalem And The Temple
Vs. 1 - God, the nations have invaded your inheritance, desecrated your holy temple, and turned Jerusalem into ruins.
The scene around Jerusalem is one of horror. The temple has been destroyed, the city is in ruins, and the army is a mass of decaying corpses providing food for wild birds and animals. Shame is added to sorrow through the insults heaped on Israel by its neighbours. - Don Fleming
The psalmist begins by stating his complaint, telling God what he already knows. It feels like God has abandoned his people, as if he has failed as a shepherd, allowing an invading army to cross their borders, lay siege to their cities, conquer them and level them, and worst of all, defile his temple. - Matt Stafford
Vs. 3 - They poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
To lie unburied was the final humiliation, as though one had departed unloved and of no account, as disposable as an animal. - Kidner
An Object of Reproach
Vs. 4 - We have become an object of reproach to our neighbors, a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us.
Israel was chosen as God’s special people so that they might demonstrate His greatness and graciousness to all nations. But at this time, because of their sin and God’s judgment, they had become a source of mockery rather than majesty. Their reputation had become one of reproach.
Rescue And Atone
How Long?
Vs. 5 - How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy keep burning like fire?
The psalmist can see no end to the righteous anger and jealousy of God. It is just. It is deserved. As his people are carried away into captivity and his beloved city is razed to the ground, he asks, “how long?” We can endure a lot of things if we know there is an endpoint. You can run a race if you know that each step puts you closer to the finish line. But the psalmist doesn’t know. No one knows when YHWH’s anger will subside and his fiery jealousy will be quenched. - Matt Stafford
The question itself, a common one in the psalms, indicates an awareness of the merciful character of God. He would not be angry forever (Psalm 103:9). In His righteous wrath, He would remember mercy (Habakkuk 3:2). In His perfect timing, He would rescue His beloved.
Atone for Our Sins
Vs. 8 - Do not hold past iniquities against us; let your compassion come to us quickly
Vs. 9 - Vs. 9 - Rescue us and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake.
The psalmist acknowledged that sin was the root cause of the calamity, so he prayed for atonement before asking for aid.
For Your Name’s Sake
Vs. 9 - God of our salvation, help us, for the glory of your name.
Asaph wisely appealed to the glory of God in his prayer for help. The glory of Judah and Jerusalem had been shattered, yet God might move for His people in the interest of His own glory. - David Guzik
Let Vengeance Be Known
Vs. 6 - Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name
Vs. 10 - Before our eyes, let vengeance for the shed blood of your servants be known among the nations.
Vs. 12 - Pay back sevenfold to our neighbors the reproach they have hurled at you, Lord.
Asaph urged God to direct His rage at Israel’s enemies who disregarded Him and devoured His habitation. He also asked God to forget the sins of the Israelites’ ancestors and show compassion on His lowly people. He based his petition on God’s glory as well as the Israelites’ need. - Thomas Constable
If this psalm was composed in response to the Babylonian invasion, this imprecatory prayer of Asaph was answered around 70 years later in 539 BC when the empire fell to the Medes and Persians under the leadership of Cyrus the Great. God allowed his people to be punished, but He also kept His promise to preserve a remnant.
We Will Thank You
Vs. 13 - Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever; we will declare your praise to generation after generation.
In spite of the suffering and sense of abandonment he’s experienced, the psalmist clings to this truth: The Lord is our shepherd. Even when it feels like the shepherd has abandoned his flock to be ravaged by thieves and wild animals, the fact remains that the Lord is still our shepherd. - Matt Stafford
After failure and in the midst of fear, we see the faith of the psalmist in the final lyric. He reminded himself and his people that God would keep His promise to lead them like a shepherd.
