A maskil of Asaph.
This is one of eleven psalms "of Asaph" in Book III of the Psalms. It is a psalm of supplication and thanksgiving, a request for help followed by praise for the help that arrives. The plea appears to come as a result of walking through the ruins of the temple.
Psalm 74: 1-2, Purchased of old
Why have you rejected us forever, O God?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
Remember the people you purchased of old,
the tribe of your inheritance,
whom you redeemed--
Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
The psalmist begs that YHWH remember his people, the people (Israel) whom He purchased long ago. He asks if the current rejection and attendind destruction is "forever", a question of despair.
Psalm 74: 3-8, Everlasting ruins
Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards as signs.
They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.
They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.
They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
They said in their hearts,
"We will crush them completely!"
They burned every place
where God was worshiped in the land.
Walking among the ruins of the temple, the psalmist recalls the violent destruction, an army of people who, with axes smashed the walls and paneling and burned the temple to the ground. The violent vandalism described here most likely occurred in the sacking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. If so, the author is a descendant of the Asaph of David's day and is one of the exiles returning with Ezra or Nehemiah.
Psalm 74: 9-11, No prophets left
We are given no miraculous signs;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
How long will the enemy mock you, O God?
Will the foe revile your name forever?
Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
There are no longer miraculous signs or powerful prophets. God is silent -- and this silence is especially painful. The enemies of Israel mock God, says the psalmist, and God seems to do nothing!
The root word translated "signs" in verse 9 is oth. Both Kidner and Alter point out that this is the same word as appears in verse 4, where the complaint is that the enemy has planted their standards "as signs." The psalmist laments that the only oth they see anymore are not God's prophetic signs but the flags of the invader.
This cry of despair (says Kidner) is similar to that of Jeremiah in Lamentations 2: 5-9, where Jeremiah also laments the destruction of Jerusalem and the silence of God.
Psalm 74: 12-17, Eternal king
But you, O God, are my king from of old;
you bring salvation upon the earth.
It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.
It was you who opened up springs and streams;
you dried up the ever flowing rivers.
The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.
The mood of the psalm changesd. Despite all the destruction, God is still in charge. He created the universe and He brings salvation. He displays His power over the chaotic sea, indeed crushing the heads (plural!) of the sea monster and the headds of Leviathan. Indeed, God can crush Leviathan and deliver this monster as food to desert creatures. He can open up springs in the desert while drying up rivers. The eternal Creator determines time, the days and seasons.
For a similar statement on the sea monster and Leviathan, see Isaiah 27: 1. The Bible Project has a nice study on leviathan and similar creature here.
Psalm 74: 18-21, Protect your dove
Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD,
how foolish people have reviled your name.
Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
Have regard for your covenant,
because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy praise your name.
Israel is as vulnerable as a dove. The psalmist pleads that this fragile dove not be handed over to beasts who will destroy it. (Years ago on a spring day we had pigeons cooing in our backyard. Suddenly there was a squawk and I turned to see a cloud of feathers, all that remained from a hawk's quick grab of one of the pigeons. This image, only feathers floating down, is the fear of the psalmist for his people.)
Psalm 74: 22-23, Rise up!
Rise up, O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools mock you all day long.
Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,
the uproar of your enemies,
which rises continually.
The song returns to the question about "forever", concerned that the adversary clamors "continually." It ends with a strong call for God to soon "Rise up!" and defend Israel.
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