³For by their own sword they did not possess the land, and their own arm did not save them, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, for You favored them … ⁹Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, and do not go out with our armies … ²⁶Rise up, be our help, and redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.

This psalm addresses a struggle experienced across the centuries that is captured by the well-known question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” The book of Job takes us deep into this as an individual dilemma; here in this psalm, we read of the nation of Israel’s struggle with this question. Why has God abandoned them in their military defeats when they have not abandoned Him for idols?

This psalm is the third in a collection (Pss. 42-49) attributed to “the sons of Korah” (see verse 0, the inscription). Some scholars think this is simply a musical term added to the notation, “A Maskil of.” Others believe an individual wrote these within a musical guild made up of the descendants of Korah, who died during an insurrection against Moses and Aaron (Num. 26:9-11). If the latter is the case, this speaks to God’s grace in not passing the consequences of sin to succeeding generations (Deut. 24:16).

The psalm writer reasons in verses 1-3 that when the Israelites entered Palestine after the exodus from Egypt, their conquest of the land was not due primarily to the strength of military weaponry but to the power of God’s favor toward them. That was the testimony passed on to all the Israelites in every generation. The writer has adopted the same faith that victories for Israel depend upon God’s might and not his own or anyone else’s strength: “For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me” (vss. 4-8). His ultimate desire is to boast in the Lord, and he promises to be eternally grateful. [Note: the nation of Israel draws its identity from the patriarch Jacob, grandson of Abraham, to whom God gave an alternate name, Israel. Often the name Jacob is used in OT writings to refer to the nation of Israel, as we read in verse 4.]

The writer opines, in vss. 9-16, the continued present military failures have no rational interpretation other than God has rejected the nation! The description is grim: he speaks of dishonor and humiliation; of being scattered, a reproach to others, a laughingstock. The psalmist’s sense of disgrace is not just national; it is deeply personal: “All day long my dishonor is before me, and my humiliation has overwhelmed me…” (vs. 15). Things couldn’t possibly get worse!

Yet, the writer is at a loss for understanding why God would “crush” them (vs. 19), for the nation has not violated anything in the Law of God that would justify their treatment—they have not rejected God and turned to idols (vss. 17a, 20). Nor have they willfully contravened the covenant to live faithfully before the Lord. If any of this were the case, God would certainly know it; the writer seems to be saying to God, “You have the resources to check out my claim of innocence” (vss. 20-21). But the present suffering leaves him and the nation feeling helpless: “But for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” (vs. 22).

The apostle Paul quoted this verse in his encouragement to Christians that, though persecution may come, we have nothing to fear because:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. (Rom. 8:35–37)

Ultimately, God knows how we feel because His Son shared in that experience on the cross, as Isaiah prophesied of his suffering:

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. (Isa. 53:7)

So, in the end, this psalmist from the guild of Korah’s descendants calls out to God in faith that He would act toward Israel “for the sake of Your lovingkindness.” The term “lovingkindness” is a love for Israel based on His covenant commitment to them. God is always pleased when we appeal to Him based on His character and not our own.

Whether the people of Israel are innocent of wrongdoing that would deserve God’s withdrawal of blessing is not the issue of this psalm; what matters is what they believed, and the psalmist wrestles from that point of view of innocence, just as Job did. From a NT perspective, we understand that we are all sinners who deserve nothing from God. Blessings are not earned but graciously given. We recognize that our Lord Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18, see also Rom. 3:12b). But He was answering the question, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). This psalm does not deal with God’s favor in terms of gaining eternal life, but with helping the nation in their military conflicts. We can relate to the psalmist’s feelings when we go through difficulties that we can’t blame on any personal fault of which we are aware.

Lord, many times in my life, I don’t understand why You withhold a blessing for something I desire. But I trust that You have a reason consistent with Your character.