Theological Commentary: Click Here
Psalms 83 and
84 are two sides to the same coin, even if they feel like opposites at first
glance. That’s actually true of many
things. For example, hate and love are
both strong emotions that show passion.
Starting
with Psalm 83, we get a strong sense of anger.
The psalmist is feeling threatened.
He feels the oppression of the nations around the Hebrew people. He cries out for God to do something. In fact, He cries out for their destruction!
It’s easy
for me to look at this psalm and see some very unchristian behavior. After all, does God not tell us to love our
enemies and turn the other cheek? We are
to pray for our enemies, but where does God’s Word tell us to pray for the
destruction of our enemies?
Yet, I’ve
been there. I’ve felt oppression. I’ve felt anger towards people who want to
see my destruction. I know what this
psalmist is feeling. It’s human to
occasionally feel this way. It’s human
to ask God to look down and rescue the orphaned and oppressed. While I may disagree with the psalmist’s
desire to see his enemies crushed by God, I need to admit that I absolutely understand
it.
Looking at
Psalm 84, we see an entirely positive psalm.
Instead of the psalmist looking poorly on the current existence, the
psalmist looks hopefully towards the future.
The psalmist knows what it feels like to be in the Lord’s presence. The psalmist gets that if God can care for
the sparrows that we can place out hope in Him.
The psalmist knows that while enduring the persecution of the present
can seem like an eternity, a true eternity with God will pass like a day. This hopefulness is also a part of the human existence. Life isn’t worth living without hope to shine
light upon our path.
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