A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM LXXIV.
_The prophet complaineth of the desolation of the sanctuary.—He moveth God to help in consideration of his power, of his reproachful enemies, of his children, and of his covenant._ Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast _us_ off for ever? _why_ doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? Remember thy congregation, _which_ thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, _which_ thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; _even_ all _that_ the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns _for_ signs. _A man_ was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees. But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled _by casting down_ the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs: _there is_ no more any prophet: neither _is there_ among us any that knoweth how long. O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck _it_ out of thy bosom. For God _is_ my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, _and_ gavest him _to be_ meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers. The day _is_ thine, the night also _is_ thine; thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter. Remember this, _that_ the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and _that_ the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude _of the wicked_: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily. Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.
This is a prayer against the enemies who were then laying waste Jerusalem, the sanctuary, all the holy places of assembly and of the worship of God in the land, and even the national cities themselves; uttering at the same time blasphemies against God, as if he were not able to succour and defend his people. It seems also to be a prophecy of the future, and a prayer against that future devastation which was wrought by those cruel enemies, the Chaldeans, and by Antiochus Epiphanes; for it was on these two occasions only that the temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed, with such cruelty as is here depicted. We also use this Psalm against the Turk and Mahomet; and also against our Antiochus, the pope; who destroys daily the true church and the preaching of the word of God, daily despoils and scatters all sacred and divine things, and every where stirs up and diffuses abroad the poison of the devil and every abomination.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.