Psalm 79 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Psalm 79 Short Summary:
Psalm 79 is very reminiscent of Psalm 74 and appears to describe the same events, namely the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of God’s people by the Babylonians. Asaph’s main intention in writing this psalm was to call out to God to avenge His people and His honorable name against their godless enemies.
Psalm 79 Summary
AUTHOR:
Psalm 79 was written by Asaph.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:
No Known New Testament References.
THEMES:
The desolation of Jerusalem (probably by the Babylonians).
The psalmist pleads with God to forgive Judah’s sins.
He asks God to avenge Judah on their enemies.
DEFINITIONS:
Atone (79:9) – To fix or to make amends.
Deride (79:4) – To express your contempt for something; to make fun of something.
OUTLINE:
*CONTEXT: Psalm 79 appears to speak of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians (586 B.C.). If this is the case, either Asaph was writing prophetically about the future, this is another Asaph other than the one living during the time of David, or it is a psalmist writing under Asaph’s name, which is possible because the singers became known as the “sons of Asaph” (Ezr 2:41; Neh 11:22)
HOW LONG, O LORD? WILL YOU BE ANGRY FOREVER? (79:1-13):
Psalm 79 is very reminiscent of Psalm 74 and appears to describe the same events, namely the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of God’s people by the Babylonians.
Asaph’s main intention in writing this psalm was to call out to God to avenge His people and His honorable name against their godless enemies.
He began by describing the depressing scene in Jerusalem.
The Temple had been defiled, Jerusalem was in ruins, the bodies of the people of Judah were lying dead in the streets, and Judah’s neighbors were making fun of them because of this defeat.
This calamity was the result of Judah’s own sin. God allowed the Babylonians to conquer Jerusalem because His people had persisted in sin for generations (2 Chr 36:15-21).
Asaph wasn’t in denial about that sin, but he was looking forward to the time when their punishment would end.
He asked, “How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?”
Asaph pleaded with the Lord compassion and for Him to atone for their sins.
He asked God to turn His anger away from Judah and direct it towards the nation that had conquered them.
The Babylonians didn’t worship the Lord or respect Him. Asaph wanted Babylon to be humbled so that God’s name would be exalted among the nations.
He wanted God to punish the nations that taunted them, saying, “Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord” (79:12).
Lastly, Asaph prayed for the people of Judah to be preserved and for those in captivity to be spared.
He acknowledged that God was their shepherd, and they needed Him to lead them to a better future.
APPLICATION:
Sometimes God uses wicked people to judge His own people.
When God’s people aren’t being what they should be, God can use wicked people to correct them.
He did this a lot in the Old Testament, and this is a key theme in the opening chapters of the Book of Habakkuk.
There is a good application here that relates to the comparison game.
Sometimes we look at our own sins and think, “Well, I’m not perfect, but at least I’m not as bad as that person.”
We comfort ourselves that the disciplining hand of God isn’t going to be directed at us because we don’t sin nearly as much as these others.
But this is a foolish conclusion. God has very often used super wicked people to correct His erring saints.
He did this with Judah because the people of Judah should have known better. They had a relationship with God. They knew what they were doing was wrong.
Those of us who claim to know Jesus, to have a relationship with Him, should know better than to wander off into a life of sin.
If we do, we should expect God’s hand of discipline, and God may employ the hands of worldly people to facilitate that correction.
