Psalm 44: Spiritual Enlightenment in the Form of Lament
As an heir to God’s Kingdom through His salvation work (Justification of Sin), are you at peace with God? Are you also at peace with the world? If you answer both the questions in the affirmative, your profession of the peaceful relationship with God proves to be tainted. You can never be at peace with God and the world alike. The psalmist in this lament reveals the reality that God’s faithful people are faced with: their loyalty to the covenant with God puts them into vulnerability to humiliation, derision, shame, depravity, and even imminent death in the harsh spiritual warfare (the process of Sanctification). Paradoxically, behind the lament toward God lies the longing and hope for His victory over the ungodly world (Glorification). A series of ostensible laments in the present life function as indispensable steps that God’s people should take to qualify themselves to join their consequent songs of triumph in His Kingdom yet to come.
Psalm 44
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
you covered us over with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love. (NIV)
Introduction
Lament
Pleins defines the book of Psalms as “the human spiritual terrain [constituted of] personal suffering and national disaster, individual hope and collective aspiration.”[1] Among the psalms of human emotional expressiveness are laments, or “songs of disorientation.”[2] William Brown enumerates several different terms for the psalmic genre of lament: complaint, complaint psalm, prayer for help, and petition, adding, “this category comprises the largest group of psalms in the Bible, more than one-third of the Psalter. . . . [and] forms the Psalter’s backbone.”[3] A German OT theologian and developer of “form criticism” methodology, Hermann Gunkel divides laments into two types: individual (in the first-person singular “I”) and community (in the first-person plural “we” but at times both singular and plural mixed). However, there can be no clear division between the two, in the case that the person “I” in an individual lament may speak for a community. Psalms 12, 14, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 89, and 126 represent the community lament. Federico Villanueva points out, “one of the conspicuous differences between the individual lament and the communal lament is the absence of resolution in the latter.”[4] Psalm 44 falls into the community lament with both the first-person singular and plural pronouns mixed and no resolution at the end.
Delimitation
Psalm 44 includes the term “Maskil”[5] in its superscription. Its NASB version adds a supplementary note to the term with “possibly a contemplative, or didactic, or skillful psalm” and its NIV and ESV versions, with “probably a literary or musical term.” Allegedly, King David intended to teach his people God’s truth through Maskils for their spiritual enlightenment. The didactic purpose of this psalm can also be attributed to the verses (vv. 17–18, 20–21), which state Israelites’ covenantal faithfulness with no idolatry. It would be unrealistic that a whole nation have not been spiritually faltering or off track in the context antithetical to God’s. Those verses should be interpreted as requisites for sanctification before claiming God’s intervention rather than as evidence with which to prove faithfulness. On these grounds, this post will approach the 44th psalm authored by the sons of Korah[6] from such a spiritually didactic angle and explore how theologically contemplative and literarily skillful it is.
Theological Interpretation
Remembrance & Praise of the Past Salvific Work: Justification of Sin (vv. 1–8)
The psalm embarks on the liturgical invocation in retrospect of what God did for Israel in the past: God saved Israelites from their surrounding nations, empowered them to conquer the land, and granted victories over them; they humbly credit God with such achievements; and they make a vow of lifting their praise and thanksgiving forever. Examined through the lens of this psalm’s instructional purpose to illumine God’s people with His truth, this section would be equivalent to God’s redemptive work, or justification of sin, establishing the covenantal relationship between God and His people.
Complaints of the Present Suffering: Requirements of Sanctification (vv. 9–22)
In the present, Israelites continue to be loyal to the covenant with God, who seemingly abandons them and puts them into situations of all negativity, either of God’s design or of their enemies’. Taking into consideration that Israelites’ unwavering loyalty to God is unlikely from a realistic standpoint, the reality in which they are situated can be viewed as the scenes where spiritual conflicts are waging between God’s redeemed people and the unredeemed. This section is not simply a succession of complaints toward God in the mode of lament. Even in the spiritual wilderness with God’s seeming withdrawal, His people persist in struggling to maintain the covenantal status, which can correspond to the process of being sanctified. Requirements of sanctification, the inevitable privilege for God’s redeemed, are enumerated in this section: not being forgetful of God, the truthful observance of the covenant, the unwavering heart, no deviation from God’s way, no false worship, and no idolatry.
Petitions for the Future Redemption: Glorification (vv. 23–26)
The psalmist, still in downcast lament, proceeds to the next level, pleading with God to take action to vindicate Himself and His people. On the surface, the psalm shows no hint of the resolution to the lamentable situation. However, the petition itself presupposes the hope for its resolution, its ultimate form being “glorification” in the eschaton.
This psalm adopts the form of lament to illustrate and enlighten God’s people with the three stages of salvation, justification of the past, sanctification of the present, and glorification in the end time.
Literary/Poetic Analysis
A variety of poetic devices in parallelism and imagery are interwoven throughout the psalm, enhancing its rhetoric.
Metaphor:
Among the metaphors are “sword and arm” (v. 3) to represent military power, “the light of your face” (v. 3) as God’s beneficent attitude for His people, “a haunt for jackals” (v. 19) as the object of enemy’s pursuit, “deep darkness” (v. 19) as the situation of desperation, “spread out our hands to other gods” (v. 20) as worship other gods or fall into idolatry, “sheep” (v. 22) as beings in vulnerability, “cling to the ground” and “be brought down to the dust” (v. 26) as being in the extreme misery, and so forth.
Anaphora:
The use of “anaphora” in vv. 9–14, each line of which starts with “you,” increases the sense of urgency of the situation to which Israelites are exposed by listing God’s treatments against them and lamenting His changed attitude.
Chiasmus:
The device of “chiasmus” found in verses 2–3 and 7 reinforces the contrastive messages: the different ways God adopts in treating Israel and other nations.
Simile:
Only one usage of simile is found in verse 11, “like sheep.”
Tautology:
The psalm utilizes the most the device, tautology, to convey the same meaning in different expressions: two times in verse 2; one in defeating other nations and the other in making Israel flourish instead; bringing victory over enemies in verses 4 and 7; our trampling enemies in verse 5; no trust in my ability in verse 6; our perpetual praise of God in verse 8; God’s rejection and its consequent shameful situation upon us in verses 9–11, 13–14, and 15–16; our undisturbed loyalty to God’s covenant in verses 17–18; the reality of facing death in verse 22; God’s indifference and silence to us in verses 23–24; and our exposure to imminent death in verse 25.
Parallelism:
Verses 2 and 7 employ antithetic parallelism respectively; each of the verses 3, 5, and 6 adopts synonymous parallelism; and climactic parallelism is used in verses 9–14.
The very skillful incorporation of diverse poetic mechanisms into the truthful and heartfelt messages would stir both the heart and the mind of the reader.
Applications to Corporate Worship
As Bonhoeffer titled his book on the Psalter Das Gebetbuch der Bibel (“The prayer book of the Bible”), the book of Psalms is a collection of prayers. However, many superscriptions evidence musical elements in psalms, so does that of Psalm 44. Therefore, this psalm can be incorporated both in prayer and in songs. Furthermore, distinct themes in the three sections add to the applicability of this psalm in corporate worship.
Responsorial Singing and Reading:
The superscription of “For the director of music” is indicative of the role of a skilled musician who should be in charge of leading music, instructing a choir and supervising its performances. It also indicates that the director takes solo parts written in the first-person singular and the choir, the rest of the psalm in the first-person plural. The three sections, remembrance and praise, complaints, and petitions, can create very distinctive musical expressive modes. In addition to songs, this pattern is applicable to a responsorial psalm reading as well.
Prayer:
In attempts to employ this psalm in prayer, the first and third sections can be appropriately interwoven in acts of worship consistent with the contents. However, the incorporation of the second section of complaints should be abstained from, unless adjustments are prudently made in word choice, not to include harsh words.
Invocation:
The first section, remembrance and praise, can open the service as an invocation with the messages of God’s salvific work.
Preaching:
Nevertheless, the second section, when interpreted as the enumeration of requisites for sanctification, can be one of the most proper topics for preaching.
References
Brown, William P. Psalms. Interpreting biblical texts. Nashville : Abingdon Press, 2010.
Charry, Ellen T. Psalms 1–50 : Sighs and Songs of Israel. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2015.
Futato, Mark David, and David M. Howard. Interpreting the Psalms : An Exegetical Handbook. Handbooks for Old Testament exegesis. Grand Rapids, MI : Kregel Publications, 2007.
Grogan, Geoffrey. Psalms. The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2008.
Longman, Tremper. Psalms : An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2014.
Lucas, Ernest. Exploring the Old Testament : A Guide to the Psalms & Wisdom Literature. Exploring the Old Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2003.
Pleins, J. David. The Psalms : Songs of Tragedy, Hope, and Justice. Bible & liberation. Maryknoll, N.Y. : Orbis Books, 1993.
Selderhuis, H. J. Psalms 1–72. Reformation Commentary on Scripture. Old Testament. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2015.
Villanueva, Federico G. Psalms 1–72. Asia Bible Commentary Series. Carlisle, England: Langham Global Library, 2016.
Waltman, Joshua C. “Psalms of Lament and God’s Silence: Features of Petition Not Yet Answered.” Evangelical Quarterly 89, no. 3 (July 2018): 209–221.
“Understanding the Superscriptions and Authorship of the Psalms.” https://desperatelandscapes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/understanding-the- superscriptions.doc Accessed October 13, 2018
[1] J. David Pleins, The Psalms: Songs of Tragedy, Hope, and Justice., Bible & liberation (Maryknoll, N.Y. : Orbis Books, 1993). 1.
[2] Mark David Futato and David M. Howard, Interpreting the Psalms : An Exegetical Handbook., Handbooks for Old Testament exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI : Kregel Publications, 2007). 150.
[3] William P. Brown, Psalms: Interpreting biblical texts (Nashville : Abingdon Press, 2010). 12.
[4] Federico G. Villanueva, Psalms 1–72, Asia Bible Commentary Series (Carlisle, England: Langham Global Library, 2016). 119.
[5] “Maskil, has the meaning of a contemplative poem which is to cause one to understand and be instructed. Since, most of the Psalms using this term are lament psalms, perhaps the term is used to remind the readers that there is a lesson to be learned in the suffering of the Psalmist.” From https://desperatelandscapes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/understanding-the-superscriptions.doc “Understanding the Superscriptions and Authorship of the Psalms.” 7.
[6] “The Sons of Korah were Levites who were descendants of their leader, Korah (Num. 16, 19) who was killed for his rebellion (Num 26: 10) but his children were spared. Their outstanding merit, however, was that a branch of their clan, similar to the Asaphites and Hemanites, distinguished itself in the sacred musical service (I Chron. 9:19; 2 Chron. 20:19).” From https://desperatelandscapes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/understanding-the-superscriptions.doc “Understanding the Superscriptions and Authorship of the Psalms.”10.
