Psalm 44:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face

NIV: I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame

NASB: All day long my dishonor is before me And I am covered with my humiliation,

CSB: My disgrace is before me all day long, and shame has covered my face,

NLT: We can’t escape the constant humiliation; shame is written across our faces.

KJV: My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

NKJV: My dishonor is continually before me, And the shame of my face has covered me,

The psalmist felt completely embarrassed by what had happened to Israel. No exact event is mentioned, but it seems to be a military defeat (Psalm 44:9–14). Scholars think this might be tied to an incident with Edom while Israel's army was engaged elsewhere (Psalm 60; Amos 1:6; 2 Samuel 8:13). Whatever had happened, the writer finds personal shame in the loss. Israel's defeat at the hands of her enemies demoralized him. At this point, he cannot see a reason for this hardship (Psalm 44:17).

Of course, in the moment, defeat and discouragement are painful. They tempt us to look only at the current crisis, and not the greater context of God's will. Christians should strive to be far-sighted. Their faith should enable them to look beyond disappointing circumstances and see that "all things," even disappointing circumstances, "work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28; cf. Romans 5:3–5; James 1:2–4; 1 Peter 1:3–9:). The apostle Paul suffered for the gospel, but said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Every believer should abide in Christ (1 John 2:28).

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.