Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2692 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.
Today’s Wisdom Nugget is titled: For Your Name's Sake – The Ultimate Appeal - Concluding Our Trek Through Psalm 79:9-13
Today, we reach the powerful and ultimately hopeful conclusion of our poignant trek through Psalm 79 in the New Living Translation, encompassing its final verses, 9 through 13.
In our journey through Psalm 79, we’ve plunged deep into the raw agony of a communal lament. In verses 1-4, we witnessed the utter devastation of Jerusalem and the desecration of God’s holy Temple, hearing the cries over unburied dead and crushing national shame. Then, in verses 5-8, Asaph, the psalmist, questioned God about the duration of His anger, pleading "How long, O Lord?" while simultaneously redirecting God’s wrath toward the pagan nations who did not know Him. He also humbly acknowledged Israel's own past sins, appealing for God's swift mercy despite their unworthiness.
Now, in these concluding verses, the lament reaches its climax and finds its resolution in a powerful appeal to God's own glory. The psalmist shifts the primary argument for divine intervention from Israel’s suffering or even their partial repentance to the ultimate stakes: God’s own glorious name and reputation among the nations. It’s a fervent prayer for vindication, not just for Israel, but for the very character of God. The psalm culminates in a profound promise of perpetual praise, even from a people still reeling from catastrophe.
So, let’s immerse ourselves in this final, desperate, and ultimately hope-filled plea for God to act for His name’s sake.
(Reads Psalm 79:9-10 NLT)
Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Rescue us and purge away our sins for the honor of your name. Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff, asking, “Where is their God?” Show us your mighty power, and take revenge for the spilled blood of your servants.
Guthrie Chamberlain: The psalm opens this final section with an urgent, desperate plea, grounded in God’s redemptive character: "Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name." The psalmist appeals to God as the "God of our salvation," emphasizing His proven track record as a deliverer. The repetition of "Help us!" underscores the extremity of their need. But the key argument here, repeated twice, is "for the glory of your name." This is the ultimate appeal in a lament of national catastrophe.
It's not primarily for Israel's comfort, or even just for their justice, but for the sake of God's own reputation and honor among the nations. If Israel, God's chosen people, remains in such utter ruin, humiliated and without recourse, God's glory is diminished in the eyes of the world. This appeal is far broader than mere self-interest; it's a profound concern for the worldwide recognition of God's power and...
