Psalm 79:13

Psalm 79:13

We will proclaim Your praise.

This final verse of the Psalm does seem a little bit like a bribe, doesn’t it? “If you eliminate our enemies Lord, we will praise Your forever.” 

Cause and effect do not work with God, much as He may love the praises of His people. He is not in the relationship just to enjoy our praise, neither does He deliver us from our enemies so that He can bask in the plaudits that may ensue. God is in a war. He has divine strategies that affect the course of every nation and every individual on earth, at any moment in time. He loves to hear our praises but what blesses Him most is when they are offered, not as a consequence of what He has done, but for who He is! 

The wonderful thing about our Father is that He will deliver us anyway! The Jews were freed from captivity, and they were allowed to return to their land under extraordinary circumstances. God was in control of their plight from start to finish. But did they then praise Him forever? No, they did not. They soon forgot, they soon drifted away, not so much into pagan worship but into legalism and man-made ritualism. They formed political pacts, they became proud of their status, and spontaneous love and worship turned into rigorous, dutiful religion. They proclaimed His praise alright, but not in a way that glorified Him. Does anything ever change? 

I do not wish to end this revealing Psalm on a cynical note. It is easy to judge people with hindsight. None of us are any different, so let’s take the positives out of this. Verses 1-4 describe the dreadful catastrophe that overcame Judah, at the hands of the Babylonians. There follows pleas for justice against the enemy and deliverance for the captives. This Psalm is a wake-up call to the people. It contains words of penitence but best of all, it is a Psalm of faith. The Jews depicted in Psalm 79 believe that God will save them. They believe that He will judge their enemies. They believe that one day, they will once again proclaim the praise of the Lord. That is the journey of faith, the journey we all share. Hallelujah!

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