Slices
Prepare
‘In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established … it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it’ (Isaiah 2:2). Pause to remember that Jesus came because God loved the world (John 3:16).
Bible passage
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
4 ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.’
5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you –
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, ‘Let us take possession
of the pasture-lands of God.’
13 Make them like tumble-weed, my God,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
16 Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord –
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Explore
At first sight this psalm doesn’t seem too promising. It’s all a bit vindictive and not very … well … Christian. But the full revelation of God’s love in Jesus had not yet come. This, and other psalms like it, also encourage us to be honest in sharing our feelings with God. It’s OK to be angry about oppression and injustice and to cry out to God.
God is so intimately involved with his people that their enemies are his enemies. What grieves the writer is that God is attacked (vs 2–5). The world has not changed. God is still under attack. Some deny his existence, some ignore him, others worship gods of their own choice or blame him for the state of the world.
The psalmist wants God to act so that others will turn to God. When God acts in judgement it is always so that people might turn to him. It doesn’t guarantee that they will, but that is God’s desire (v 18).
Respond
Take a look at the world. Perhaps reach for a newspaper or visit a news website. How do we react to a world that turns its back on God? How might we adapt this psalm to form our own prayer for the world?
Deeper Bible study
Our natural reactions when we are under attack are usually wrong. Pray for a new way of thinking as you read today’s psalm.
Around 250 million evangelicals in 35 countries are subject to direct and hostile persecution. This is nothing new: Psalm 83 is an account of sustained hostility towards believers. The psalmist lists enemies, old and new, as he looks at the foes ranged against God’s people now and looks back over the centuries (vs 9–12). The psalm highlights several features of such attacks, which help us to respond rightly.
First, at whom are the attacks directed? They are ‘your enemies’ (v 2, italics added), the psalmist says to the Lord. This calls to mind the words of Jesus spoken to Saul on the road to Damascus: ‘Why do you persecute me?’1 Hostility towards believers is an attack on the God in whom we believe. Jesus promised God’s blessing on those who are persecuted ‘because of me’.2 The psalmist also refers to ‘your people’ (v 3, italics added) who are suffering as a result. For believers under hostile pressure, it is vital to know that we are cared for by the Sovereign Lord. It has been a sustained encouragement to God’s people throughout history and the world over that we are shielded by God’s power – not immune from hostile attacks, nor necessarily kept physically safe, but always known and cared for according to God’s good purposes. There is one other significant theme: not only will God himself be vindicated, but his enemies themselves will come to acknowledge his rule (vs 16,18). As Paul was to declare, ‘every knee should bow …’.3
For sure, all true believers will face hostility, whether verbal or physical abuse, or mockery or martyrdom, but we can face such opposition knowing that it is the Lord’s name which is under attack, the Lord’s care which protects us and the Lord’s rule which will finally be acknowledged.
The Christian family around the world is facing growing persecution. Please seek out information and pray for a family, a church, or a country where this is an everyday reality.
1 See Acts 9:4,5 2 See Matt 5:10,11 3 Phil 2:10,11
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Zechariah 13,14; Revelation 21
Pray for Scripture Union
Thank God for the appointment of Gareth Lynch, as the National Leader of Scripture Union in the Republic of Ireland. Pray for him as he sets about developing a strategic vision and new direction for the ministry.
