But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
(Psalm 44:9–14, 22)
What is not True of God. The psalmist wrestles furiously in this section. Nothing is held back. It is too early in the psalm to figure out what particular kind of oppression the psalmist is experiencing, but we can start exploring possible reasons for it.
Perhaps the psalmist is experiencing defeat because God turned his attention elsewhere for a time to deal with another matter, and while he was glancing away, an enemy rushed in and took advantage of his child. No, that couldn’t be it. Not only do we know from other places in Scripture that God never loses sight of his children, we know it from this passage. Notice the pronouns from vv.9-14, “You made us retreat. . .” “You gave us up . . .” “You sold your people. . .” etc. No one sneaked in unawares to God; God is ultimately responsible for whatever is happening to his people.
Perhaps it is just a matter of perspective. Maybe the defeat is not as bad as it appears and the psalmist just needs to think more positively. No, that can’t be it either. In v.11, they are being devoured like sheep (that sounds treacherous) and scattered among the nations (that can be observed objectively). Furthermore, whatever is happening is so bad that unbelievers recognize it and mock their faith as a result (13-16).
What reasons for your circumstances are you currently coming up with? Are they consistent with God’s character or are they the result of a sinfully distorted view of reality?
Prayer
Ask God to show you his character through this Psalm and show you what is not true.
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