Psalms 74-76, The Judgments of God

Psalms 74-76 are psalms composed by Asaph. Recall that Psalm 73 was also penned by Asaph where he questioned why the wicked seem to succeed but the righteous suffer. These next three psalms call for the judgments of God against the wicked. Yet these are confident calls for judgment but questioning calls for why God has not brought vengeance.

Psalm 74

“Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?”

Do you feel like God has rejected you? Asaph did. In fact, Asaph feels this way on behalf of the whole nation of Israel. The chosen people of God have been rejected by God. They are experiencing the burning wrath of the Lord. Notice as we read the first 9 verses that this question is posed in a similar way as Psalm 73. The question is why are the people of God rejected and experiencing God’s anger when the wicked succeed in their fight against the Lord. Essentially, Asaph cries out, “Look at the evil committed against you, Lord!”

Therefore, Asaph says that they have been rejected by God. Do you feel rejected by God? It is a lonely feeling. Notice verse 9, “We do not see our signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.” The people proclaiming in the name of the Lord have vanished. The wonders and signs of God are no longer available. The two most common questions that people ask in the midst of suffering, when we feel like we have been rejected by God: “why?” and “how long?”

Verse 10: “How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever?” How long will these continue this way? How long must we endure this suffering? How long will we continue to feel this way?

Verse 11: “Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!” Why are these things happening? Why will God not save us? Why doesn’t God change our circumstances?

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