So Far Away

Psalm 74:1-11

A psalm of Asaph.

1O God, why have you rejected us forever?

Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?

2Remember that we are the people you chose in ancient times,

the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!

And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.

3Walk through the awful ruins of the city;

see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.

4There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries;

there they set up their battle standards.

5They chopped down the entrance

like woodcutters in a forest.

6With axes and picks,

they smashed the carved paneling.

7They set the sanctuary on fire, burning it to the ground.

They utterly defiled the place that bears your holy name.

8Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!”

So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.

9We see no miraculous signs

as evidence that you will save us.

All the prophets are gone;

no one can tell us when it will end.

10How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to mock you?

Will you let them dishonor your name forever?

11Why do you hold back your strong right hand?

Unleash your powerful fist and deliver a deathblow.

The fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. was the end of a long, humiliating defeat. Several years earlier the Babylonians had forced Judah to submit to their rule and pay massive tribute. Then they set up a puppet king in Judah and carted off most of Jerusalem’s nobles into exile. Finally the people rebelled again, so the Babylonian army plundered the city and carried off many more of the people.

Jeremiah watched it all, knowing that God was judging his people. They had mocked this “weeping prophet” and called him a traitor for foretelling of Jerusalem’s destruction. The book of Lamentations details Jeremiah’s sorrow. “Why do you continue to forget us?” he prays. “Why have you forsaken us for so long?” (Lamentations 5:20).

Psalm 74 is credited to Asaph, but it expresses the sorrow of Jeremiah. Many of us can relate to these feelings. Sometimes things go horribly wrong in our life and we wonder what God is doing. Is he even there? Why does he seem so angry with us?

You may feel guilty for having these feelings, but you shouldn’t. Both Psalm 74 and Lamentations show us that these feelings are understandable and acceptable. But also notice that Asaph and Jeremiah kept calling out to God when he seemed so far away. Like Jeremiah and Asaph, let your hard times lead you closer to God, not farther away.

From the depths of nature’s blindness,

From the hardening power of sin,

From all malice and unkindness,

From the pride that lurks within;

By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord.

JOHN JAMES CUMMINS

Psalm at a Glance

In effect, the prayer of Asaph here is, “Lord, please take your hands out of your pockets and do something.”

Bible Networking

Read 2 Kings 25:13-17 to see up close a picture of what happened to the Temple when it was destroyed in 586 B.C.