1/9/2019

Psalm 44:1ff

O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

There is a fact of Old Testament Scripture that absolutely must be accepted to understand the Old Testament.  That is, that there is Israel National and there is Israel Spiritual.  This Psalm 44 is an example of that fact. The Psalmist begins with the history of God’s blessings on the nation Israel.  As he recounts them you can sense his pride, in the best sense, for God’s love and provision. But then he describes the defeats that the nation has suffered which extended to deprivation and captivity.

How does the writer deal with this utter loss?  First his conclusion is that God has deserted Israel.  Second he assumes that there must be complete desertion and rampant idolatry on the part of Israel to deserve what God has done to them.  And as we read in the history and prophets we know the Psalmist is correct in his analysis.

But then he denies that these accusations are so.  Their faith has never wavered and God’s Law had always been their delight.  Is the Psalmist mistaken or is he lying?  Neither! The punishment is for the sins of National Israel. And the Psalmist is writing with conscience of elect Israel.

Two facts must be understood.  First the writer is honest in his lament.  Second his citizenship and presence in National Israel makes his experience the same as the nation.  He is subject to all the conditions God places on the nation. But he never forfeits his privilege of the unconditional promises.

This is the only way I can see to find the writer completely honest in the whole of the Psalm.  Also it is the way Paul explains Abraham’s descendants and National Israel.  All Israel is not Israel.

There are some ways that this can be applied to the Church.  If we see the Church as more than a local assembly, but as those who claim the name Christian then there are conditions that must be met and are not being met. Therefore there are judgments that come nationally which we must all suffer.  What is our responsibility?