Saturday, April 28, 2012

Psalms 79-83

Psalm 79 - Asaph calls on God to rise up and smack down Israel's enemies. The psalm has a sense of desperation as if Israel has had to endure invasion for some time.

Psalm 80 - this is similar to psalm 79, but Asaph calls on God to return to Israel. The psalm has an overall theme of being abandoned by God and as result, the enemies mock Israel.

Psalm 81 - this one seems to answer to the question raised in psalms 79 and 80- why has God abandoned Israel? In psalm 81, the question is answered. The psalm is written by Asaph but narratively taking the perspective of God, it says that God told Israel not to follow other gods, but God let them go according to their own hearts.

Psalm 82 - another by Asaph. It begins with an interesting imagery, in particular God is presiding over a heavenly assembly. It quickly turns to a focus on protecting and helping the needy and poor.

Psalm 83 - this might be the last by Asaph. In it, he asks God to rise up against the concerted plotting by Israel's enemies. It specifically names a number of enemies, many of whom we saw in the wars of David: Philistines, Edom, and Ammon.

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