![]() ![]() Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours,Ī scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat Īnd dost not increase thy wealth by their price. Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy:Īnd they which hate us spoil for themselves. From verses 9-14 he repeatedly employs the word “thou”, in emphasising this:īut thou hast cast off, and put us to shame He sees the hand of God at work and actually attributes the national tragedy to Him. He does not accept, however, that these circumstances were brought about as a result of random forces. ![]() This writer is evidently penning his words in bad days, these were times of military defeat and national decline. We would not have our freedom and our faith, our Bible and the Church were it not for God. We can trace the Christian influences which shaped our nation from Patrick the missionary, to the Christian King, Arthur who defeated the Vikings, to Magna Carta, to Wycliffe, to the Reformation, to John Knox, to the stakes of the martyrs, to the translation of God’s Word, to the battles for freedom, to the great revivals and missionary activity…we cannot understand what it means to be British without the Gospel. The unity of our four nations arose directly out of the Protestant reformation against the power and cunning of Rome’s Jesuitical counter-reformation the United Kingdom was forged by one Protestant faith. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, we are part of a nation which has been been created and maintained as a result of the sovereign hand of God. Without a knowledge of Israel’s past, this Psalm would not have been written and this prayer would not have been offered. For the Christian, history is the discovery of what God has done in the past. We must never underestimate the value of recording, relating and learning the history of our nation. The Psalmist also instructs us as to how he became acquainted with the past “our fathers have told us”. Therefore the prayer begins with a note of humility and gratitude, recognising the role that God played in their history. God drove out the heathen, His right arm gave them the victory, He alone commanded and therefore ordained deliverances for Jacob. Remembering “the times of old” the inspired writer acknowledged that the land was received by a Israel only as a result of divine intervention. ![]() The Psalmist, as he was composing words which would capture the national mood, began by looking backward. With this in mind there are few Psalms that are as helpful and encouraging as the 44th, in terms of relevance, as we offer prayers for the country which God by His providence has made us citizens of. There are few matters that concern us so deeply as the spiritual condition of our nation. weh)Noun - proper - masculine singularStrong's 3068: LORD - the proper name of the God of Israelwill drive you.And redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.šer-)Pronoun - relativeStrong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order thatthe LORDיְהוָ֖ה (Yah.mîm)Article | Noun - masculine pluralStrong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flockto whichאֲשֶׁר־ (’ă.ḵōl)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular constructStrong's 3605: The whole, all, any, everythe nationsהָֽעַמִּ֔ים (hā.nāh)Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singularStrong's 8148: A sharp (cutting) word, tauntamong allבְּכֹל֙ (bə.šāl)Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 4912: A pithy maxim, a simileand ridiculeוְלִשְׁנִינָ֑ה (wə.māh)Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singularStrong's 8047: Ruin, consternationscorn,לְמָשָׁ֖ל (lə.ṯā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singularStrong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, bean object of horror,לְשַׁמָּ֔ה (lə.(See 1Kings 9:7-9, where the threat is repeated Jeremiah 42:18 Ezekiel 36:20-22.)Parallel Commentaries. It was verified in the first captivity, and did not wait for the last dispersion. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(37) And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword.-This verse is the contrary to Deuteronomy 28:10. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |