One of the most exciting and encouraging passages
in the Bible is connected to this Psalm. 2 Chronicles 20 gives us the details
of the story behind this Psalm and prayer of Asaph. It describes a coalition of
at least ten Gentile nations that had formed a confederacy to wipe Israel off
the face of the earth.
When
King Jehoshaphat heard that they were coming he immediately turned to the LORD
and called the people to do the same. (2 Chronicles 20:3-4). They prayed and
sought the Lord to deliver them and give them wisdom about what to do. I love
Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:12, “O our God, will You not judge
them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against
us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." God answered his prayer by telling him through
a prophet to send the choir out in front of his army to sing and lead them to
victory. God then destroyed the enemy miraculously (2 Chronicles 20:21-24).
Asaph
is also praying and records his prayer here in Psalm 83. In verse 1, he asked
God to “not be a silent observer of their dilemma but to rise up to help them.”
Then in verses 2-8, he specifically identifies the enemy armies who have come
to destroy Jerusalem. I’m sure God already knew everything about the situation
and who the army was that had come to destroy His people. Sometimes, I think
when we pray about difficult situations and we are telling God what is going
on, it helps us to face the reality of our situation and acknowledge that only
God can help us.
In
verses 9-11, Asaph remembered some of Jehovah's great victories in Israel's
past history, especially Gideon's victory over the Midianites (Judges 6-8), and
the victory of Deborah and Barak against Sisera and Jabin (Judges 4-5). En Dor
is not mentioned in Judges 4-5, but it was a city near Taanach (Judg. 5:19),
which was near En Dor (Josh. 17:11). The phrase in verse 10, "as dung
for the ground" (ESV) describes the unburied bodies of enemy soldiers
rotting on the ground. The enemy was defeated and disgraced.
Oreb
and Zeeb were commanders (princes) of the Midianite army, and Zeba and Zalmunna
were Midianite kings (Judg. 7:25-8:21). The victory of Gideon ("the day of
Midian") stood out in Jewish history as an example of God's power (Isa.
9:4; 10:26; Hab. 3:7). Asaph closed his prayer by asking God to send such a
victory to Israel that the enemy soldiers would flee in panic and look like
tumbleweeds and chaff blowing before the wind. Like a forest burning on the
mountainside, their armies would be consumed. The image of God's judgment as a
storm is also found in Psalm 18:7-15, 50:3 and 68:4. If Asaph's prayer seems
vindictive, remember that he was asking God to protect His special people who
had a special work to see on earth.
In
verses 16-18, Asaph concludes his prayer asking for God’s name to honored and
lifted up. Before asking for the destruction of the invading armies, Asaph
prayed that the enemy would be "ashamed and dismayed" and would turn
to the true and living God. This is what happened in Jehoshaphat's day: "And
the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that
the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel" (2 Chron. 20:29).
King Hezekiah later prayed a similar prayer for the invading Assyrians (Isa.
37:14-20). The armies of the ten nations depended on many gods to give them
success, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob defeated the armies and their
gods! "Hallowed be Thy name" is the first request in the Lord's
Prayer (Matt. 6:9) and must be the motive that governs all of our praying. The
Most High God is sovereign over all the earth!
A
great lesson to learn from Psalm 83 and 2 Chronicles 20 is that we should start
out our journey of life each day praising, singing, and seeking to glorify the
Lord. We can do this by reading a “Praise Psalm” and listening to worship and
praise music as we get ready and are driving to work!
God
bless!
