Psalm 79

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 79

Persecuted Christians

1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps. 2 The dead bodies of Your servants they have given as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. 3 Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. 4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those who are around us.

11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; according to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are appointed to die; 12 And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord. 13 So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations.
Psalm 79: 1-4 and 11-13

We are a very indignant people! Laws are established to keep order in our countries, and yet we find ways to bend them to our advantage. The concept of an absolute law above all laws is almost lost in our world today.

In Psalm 79 we find that Israel was very much like this, too. Oh yes, there were laws established by God; yet they saw ways to bend and twist them to their advantage until they hardly resembled there original meaning any more. It worked; when they blatantly disobeyed God's laws, fire did not immediately come down from heaven and consume them! Even though God warned them repeatedly by His prophets the warnings fell on deaf ears.

Finally, God's judgment against His own people did come. Verses 1-4 tell of the rampant murder and distruction brought upon them by their enemies. Even God's faithful people among the Israelites received God's judgment along with the unfaithful.

How do I know that? Read verses 11-12. So, what is the proper response? In our world today we see so much unrest and warring among people. If you find yourself, as a Christian, in a land persecuted because of your beliefs or in a land constantly in peril due to the warring all around you, what should you do?

13 So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations (verse 13). It's not as easy as it sounds, is it? We are constantly reminded in a Psalm such as Psalm 79 that this world is not our home. So, in spite of turmoil and violence all around us, we are able by God's grace to thank and praise God. We know that a new heaven and a new earth awaits us where we will live for all eternity.

Pray today for Christians around the world being persecuted for their beliefs or who live amidst war and violence that they will remain faithful to God and will be able to give thanks and praise to God.

Next: Psalm 80 - Our Destiny

More Devotions on the 79th Psalm from my blog, Daily Bible Devotions

The Unthinkable, verses 1-7

You Raise Me Up, verses 8-10

We Thy People, verses 11-13