Psalms 44

Former Deliverances and Present Troubles.

1 O God, we have heard with our ears, Our ¹fathers have told us The ²work that You did in their days, In the ³days of old.

2 You with Your own hand ⁴drove out the nations; Then You ⁵planted them; You ⁶afflicted the peoples, Then You ⁷spread them abroad.

3 For by their own sword they ⁸did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your ⁹arm and the ¹⁰light of Your presence, For You ¹¹favored them.

4 You are ¹²my King, O God; ¹³Command victories for Jacob.

5 Through You we will ¹⁴push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will ¹⁵trample down those who rise up against us.

6 For I will ¹⁶not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me.

7 But You ¹⁷have saved us from our adversaries, And You have ¹⁸put to shame those who hate us.

8 In God we have ¹⁹boasted all day long, And we will ²⁰give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.

9 Yet You ²¹have rejected us and brought us to ²²dishonor, And ²³do not go out with our armies.

10 You cause us to ²⁴turn back from the adversary; And those who hate us ²⁵have taken spoil for themselves.

11 You give us as ²⁶sheep to be eaten And have ²⁷scattered us among the nations.

12 You ²⁸sell Your people cheaply *, And have not profited by their sale.

13 You make us a ²⁹reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a ³⁰derision to those around us.

14 You make us ³¹a byword among the nations, A ³²laughingstock * among the peoples.

15 All day long my dishonor is before me And my ³³humiliation * has overwhelmed me,

16 Because of the voice of him who ³⁴reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence of the ³⁵enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us, but we have ³⁶not forgotten You, And we have not ³⁷dealt falsely with Your covenant.

18 Our heart has not ³⁸turned back, And our steps ³⁹have not deviated from Your way,

19 Yet You have ⁴⁰crushed us in a place of ⁴¹jackals And covered us with ⁴²the shadow of death.

20 If we had ⁴³forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to ⁴⁴a strange god,

21 Would not God ⁴⁵find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

22 But ⁴⁶for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as ⁴⁷sheep to be slaughtered.

23 ⁴⁸Arouse Yourself, why ⁴⁹do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, ⁵⁰do not reject us forever.

24 Why do You ⁵¹hide Your face And ⁵²forget our affliction and our oppression?

25 For our ⁵³soul has sunk down into the dust; Our body cleaves to the earth.

26 ⁵⁴Rise up, be our help, And ⁵⁵redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.

Psalms 44 Commentary

Chapter 44

A petition for succour and relief.

Verses 1-8 Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as coming from the favour of God. He fought for Israel, else they had fought in vain. This is applicable to the planting of the Christian church in the world, which was not by any human policy or power. Christ, by his Spirit, went forth conquering and to conquer; and he that planted a church for himself in the world, will support it by the same power and goodness. They trusted and triumphed in and through him. Let him that glories, glory in the Lord. But if they have the comfort of his name, let them give unto him the glory due unto it.

Verses 9-16 The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against them, but what is permitted from above.

Verses 17-26 In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should not suffer them to drive us from our comfort in God. Let us take care that prosperity and ease do not render us careless and lukewarm. The church of God cannot be prevailed on by persecution to forget God; the believer's heart does not turn back from God. The Spirit of prophecy had reference to those who suffered unto death, for the testimony of Christ. Observe the ( psalms 44:25-26 ) but the poor sinner's pleas. None that belong to Christ shall be cast off, but every one of them shall be saved, and that for ever. The mercy of God, purchased, promised, and constantly flowing forth, and offered to believers, does away every doubt arising from our sins; while we pray in faith, Redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 12:26, 27; Deuteronomy 6:20; Judges 6:13; Psalms 78:3
• 2. Psalms 78:12
• 3. Deuteronomy 32:7; Psalms 77:5; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 63:9
• 4. Joshua 3:10; Nehemiah 9:24; Psalms 78:55; Psalms 80:8
• 5. Exodus 15:17; 2 Samuel 7:10; Jeremiah 24:6; Amos 9:15
• 6. Psalms 135:10-12
• 7. Psalms 80:9-11; Zechariah 2:6
• 8. Deuteronomy 8:17, 18; Joshua 24:12
• 9. Psalms 77:15
• 10. Psalms 4:6; Psalms 89:15
• 11. Deuteronomy 4:37; Deuteronomy 7:7, 8; Deuteronomy 10:15; Psalms 106:4
• 12. Psalms 74:12
• 13. Psalms 42:8
• 14. Deuteronomy 33:17; Psalms 60:12; Daniel 8:4
• 15. Psalms 108:13; Zechariah 10:5
• 16. 1 Samuel 17:47; Psalms 33:16; Hosea 1:7
• 17. Psalms 136:24
• 18. Psalms 53:5
• 19. Psalms 34:2
• 20. Psalms 30:12
• 21. Psalms 43:2; Psalms 60:1, 10; Psalms 74:1; Psalms 89:38; Psalms 108:11
• 22. Psalms 69:19
• 23. Psalms 60:10; Psalms 108:11
• 24. Leviticus 26:17; Joshua 7:8, 12; Psalms 89:43
• 25. Psalms 89:41
• 26. Psalms 44:22; Romans 8:36
• 27. Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 4:27; Deuteronomy 28:64; Psalms 106:27; Ezekiel 20:23
• 28. Deuteronomy 32:30; Judges 2:14; Judges 3:8; Isaiah 52:3, 4; Jeremiah 15:13
• 29. Deuteronomy 28:37; Psalms 79:4; Psalms 89:41
• 30. Psalms 80:6; Ezekiel 23:32
• 31. Job 17:6; Psalms 69:11; Jeremiah 24:9
• 32. 2 Kings 19:21; Psalms 109:25
• 33. 2 Chronicles 32:21; Psalms 69:7
• 34. Psalms 74:10
• 35. Psalms 8:2
• 36. Psalms 78:7; Psalms 119:61, 83, 109, 141, 153, 176
• 37. Psalms 78:57
• 38. Psalms 78:57
• 39. Job 23:11; Psalms 119:51, 157
• 40. Psalms 51:8; Psalms 94:5
• 41. Job 30:29; Isaiah 13:22; Jeremiah 9:11
• 42. Job 3:5; Psalms 23:4
• 43. Psalms 78:11
• 44. Deuteronomy 6:14; Psalms 81:9
• 45. Psalms 139:1, 2; Jeremiah 17:10
• 46. Romans 8:36
• 47. Isaiah 53:7; Jeremiah 12:3
• 48. Psalms 7:6
• 49. Psalms 78:65
• 50. Psalms 77:7
• 51. Job 13:24; Psalms 88:14
• 52. Psalms 42:9; Lamentations 5:20
• 53. Psalms 119:25
• 54. Psalms 35:2
• 55. Psalms 6:4; Psalms 25:22

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "salvation"
• [b]. "Selah" may mean: "Pause, Crescendo" or "Musical interlude"
• [c]. Lit "for food"
• [d]. Lit "for no wealth"
• [e]. Or "set a high price on them"
• [f]. Lit "shaking of the head"
• [g]. Lit "the shame of my face has covered me"
• [h]. Lit "palms"

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. It is not certain who was the writer of this psalm, nor when it was written, and to what time it belongs: some have thought it was composed by one of the Babylonish captivity, and that it gives an account of the church and people of God in those times; but what is said in Psalm 44:17 does not seem to agree with Daniel 9:5. It is most likely it was written by David, and to him the Targum ascribes it; though it does not respect his times; since what is said in Psalm 44:9 cannot agree with them; yet he being a prophet might, under a prophetic influence, speak of future times, and represent the church in them. Some are of opinion that he prophetically speaks of the times of the Maccabees and of Antiochus, when the church and people of God suffered much for the true religion, and abode steadfast in it; so Theodoret: but rather the whole may be applied to the times of the New Testament, since Psalm 44:22 is cited by the Apostle Paul, Romans 8:36, and is applied to his times, and as descriptive of the suffering state and condition of the church then; and which seems to be the guide and key for the opening of the whole psalm.