Psalm 44:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You have made us turn back from the foe, and those who hate us have gotten spoil.

NIV: You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.

NASB: You cause us to turn back from the enemy; And those who hate us have taken spoils for themselves.

CSB: You make us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have taken plunder for themselves.

NLT: You make us retreat from our enemies and allow those who hate us to plunder our land.

KJV: Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

NKJV: You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.

In earlier verses, the psalmist credited God with giving Israel victory in battle (Psalm 44:1–8). Here, however, he equally credits—or even "blames"—God for Israel's recent defeat. This is part of an extended complaint (Psalm 44:11–16) and claims suggesting the defeat is not justified (Psalm 44:17–22). Scripture presents human perspectives with brutal honesty. Other passages include bitter, frustrated comments from those grappling with hardship (Habakkuk 1:2–4; Psalm 73:2–3).

And yet, those pained voices eventually resolve to trust in God (Habakkuk 1:5–11; Psalm 73:15–19). Our limited perspective tempts us to interpret all trouble as a sign of God's unfairness. But believers should not praise the Lord only when conditions are favorable. First Thessalonians 5:18 instructs believers to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." That does not mean we thank God "for" hardship, but that we can always find reasons to thank God, even "in" hardship (Romans 5:3–5; 1 Peter 1:3–9). God is good all the time. Even when conditions seem bleak, it is important to see that God is using those conditions as part of the "all things" that "work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). James says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2–4).

Psalm 44:9–16 marks a drastic change in tone. The previous section contained praise for God's miraculous intervention on Israel's behalf. The psalmist made clear his intent to serve and praise the Lord. Here, however, the writer's words overflow with complaining and questioning. Suffering an especially humiliating defeat leads the people to ask, "why?" Has God abandoned them, or is there another explanation? This resembles other passages expressing natural human anguish when God doesn't act as we'd expect (Psalm 73:2–3; Habakkuk 1:2–4).

Israel passed down stories of God's miraculous power and the victories the Lord granted. However, this psalm comes after the nation has suffered some humiliating defeat. The psalmist struggles to understand why, as he sees no evidence of national sin in Israel to justify punishment. The writer expresses raw emotion, frustrated and anguished, yet prays for rescue out of faith in God's lovingkindness.

This psalm seems to follow a major defeat in battle. No explicit context is given, though the psalmist claims it was not God's punishment for national idolatry. Some commentators see connection to a conflict with Edom, who surprised Israel when the nation was engaged in other battles (Psalm 60; 85; Amos 1:6; 2 Samuel 8:13) as a possible explanation. This is another example of biblical writers expressing raw human emotions as they struggle to understand God's will. Psalms 69 and 73 include related themes. Habakkuk chapter 1 expresses similar ideas.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.