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Commentary on Psalms 79 verses 1–5
We have here a sad complaint exhibited in the court of heaven. The world is full of complaints, and so is the church too, for it suffers, not only with it, but from it, as a lily among thorns. God is complained to; whither should children go with their grievances, but to their father, to such a father as is able and willing to help? The heathen are complained of, who, being themselves aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, were sworn enemies to it. Though they knew not God, nor owned him, yet, God having them in chain, the church very fitly appeals to him against them; for he is King of nations, to overrule them, to judge among the heathen, and King of saints, to favour and protect them.
I. They complain here of the anger of their enemies and the outrageous fury of the oppressor, exerted,
1.Against places, Psa 79:1. They did all the mischief they could, (1.) To the holy land; they invaded that, and made inroads into it: "The heathen have come into thy inheritance, to plunder that, and lay it waste." Canaan was dearer to the pious Israelites as it was God's inheritance than as it was their own, as it was the land in which God was known and his name was great rather than as it was the land in which they were bred and born and which they and their ancestors had been long in possession of. note, Injuries done to religion should grieve us more than even those done to common right, nay, to our own right. We should better bear to see our own inheritance wasted than God's inheritance. This psalmist had mentioned it in the foregoing psalm as an instance of God's great favour to Israel that he had cast out the heathen before them, Psa 78:55. But see what a change sin made; now the heathen are suffered to pour in upon them. (2.) To the holy city: They have laid Jerusalem on heaps, heaps of rubbish, such heaps as are raised over graves, so some. The inhabitants were buried in the ruins of their own houses, and their dwelling places became their sepulchres, their long homes. (3.) To the holy house. That sanctuary which God had built like high palaces, and which was thought to be established as the earth, was now laid level with the ground: They holy temple have they defiled, by entering into it and laying it waste. God's own people had defiled it by their sins, and therefore God suffered their enemies to defile it by their insolence.
2.Against persons, against the bodies of God's people; and further their malice could not reach. (1.) They were prodigal of their blood, and killed them without mercy; their eye did not spare, nor did they give any quarter (Psa 79:3): Their blood have they shed like water, wherever they met with them, round about Jerusalem, in all the avenues to the city; whoever went out or came in was waited for of the sword. Abundance of human blood was shed, so that the channels of water ran with blood. And they shed it with no more reluctancy or regret than if they had spilt so much water, little thinking that every drop of it will be reckoned for in the day when God shall make inquisition for blood. (2.) They were abusive to their dead bodies. When they had killed them they would let none bury them. Nay, those that were buried, even the dead bodies of God's servants, the flesh of his saints, whose names and memories they had a particular spite at, they dug up again, and gave them to be meat to the fowls of the heaven and to the beasts of the earth; or, at least, they left those so exposed whom they slew; they hung them in chains, which was in a particular manner grievous to the Jews to see, because God had given them an express law against this, as a barbarous thing, Deu 21:23. This inhuman usage of Christ's witnesses is foretold (Rev 11:9), and thus even the dead bodies were witnesses against their persecutors. This is mentioned (says Austin, De Civitate Dei, lib. 1 cap. 12) not as an instance of the misery of the persecuted (for the bodies of the saints shall rise in glory, however they became meat to the birds and the fowls), but of the malice of the persecutors.
3.Against their names (Psa 79:4): "We that survive have become a reproach to our neighbours; they all study to abuse us and load us with contempt, and represent us as ridiculous, or odious, or both, upbraiding us with our sins and with our sufferings, or giving the lie to our relation to God and expectations from him; so that we have become a scorn and derision to those that are round about us." If God's professing people degenerate from what themselves and their fathers were, they must expect to be told of it; and it is well if a just reproach will help to bring us to a true repentance. But it has been the lot of the gospel-Israel to be made unjustly a reproach and derision; the apostles themselves were counted as the offscouring of all things.
II. They wonder more at God's anger, Psa 79:5. This they discern in the anger of their neighbours, and this they complain most of: How long, Lord, wilt thou be angry? Shall it be for ever? This intimates that they desired no more than that God would be reconciled to them, that his anger might be turned away, and then the remainder of men's wrath would be restrained. Note, Those who desire God's favour as better than life cannot but dread and deprecate his wrath as worse than death.
If you shut the heavens, who will open them? And if you let loose your torrents, who will restrain them? It is an easy thing in your eyes to make some people poor and others rich, to make some alive and to kill others, to strike some with illness and to heal others. Whatever you do according to your will is perfect. You are angry, and we have sinned, someone said long ago, in making confession. Now it is time for me to say the opposite, “We have sinned, and you are angry”; therefore “we have become a reproach to our neighbors.” You turned your face from us, and we were filled with dishonor. But stay, Lord; cease, Lord; forgive, Lord; deliver us not up forever because of our iniquities, and let not our chastisements be a warning for others, when we might learn wisdom from the trials of others.
Further still, we are reminded that in such a carnage as then occurred, the bodies could not even be buried. But godly confidence is not appalled by so ill-omened a circumstance; for the faithful bear in mind that assurance has been given that not a hair of their head shall perish, and that, therefore, though they even be devoured by beasts, their blessed resurrection will not hereby be hindered. The Truth would nowise have said, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul,” if anything whatever that an enemy could do to the body of the slain could be detrimental to the future life. Or will some one perhaps take so absurd a position as to contend that those who kill the body are not to be feared before death, and lest they kill the body, but after death, lest they deprive it of burial? If this be so, then that is false which Christ says, “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do;” for it seems they can do great injury to the dead body. Far be it from us to suppose that the Truth can be thus false. They who kill the body are said “to do something,” because the deathblow is felt, the body still having sensation; but after that, they have no more that they can do, for in the slain body there is no sensation.And so there are indeed many bodies of Christians lying unburied; but no one has separated them from heaven, nor from that earth which is all filled with the presence of him who knows whence he will raise again what he created. It is said, indeed, in the Psalm: “The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.” But this was said rather to exhibit the cruelty of those who did these things, than the misery of those who suffered them. To the eyes of men this appears a harsh and doleful lot, yet “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
Wherefore all these last offices and ceremonies that concern the dead, the careful funeral arrangements, and the equipment of the tomb, and the pomp of obsequies, are rather the solace of the living than the comfort of the dead. If a costly burial does any good to a wicked man, a squalid burial, or none at all, may harm the godly. His crowd of domestics furnished the purple-clad Dives with a funeral gorgeous in the eye of man; but in the sight of God that was a more sumptuous funeral which the ulcerous pauper received at the hands of the angels, who did not carry him out to a marble tomb, but bore him aloft to Abraham’s bosom.
"We have become," he says, "a reproach to our neighbours" [Psalm 79:4]. Therefore precious not in the sight of men, from whom this reproach was, but "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." "A scoffing and derision:" or, as some have interpreted it, "a mockery to them that are in our circuit." It is a repetition of the former sentence. For that which above has been called, "a reproach," the same has been repeated in, "a scoffing and derision:" and that which above has been said in, "to our neighbours," the same has been repeated in, "to them that are in our circuit." Moreover, in reference to the earthly Jerusalem, the neighbours, and those in the circuit of that nation, are certainly understood to be other nations. But in reference to the free Jerusalem our mother, [Galatians 4:26] there are neighbours even in the circuit of her, among whom, being her enemies, the Church dwells in the circuit of the round world.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 79:4 articulates a profound lament from the people of Israel, expressing their deep national humiliation and disgrace in the aftermath of devastating invasion and destruction. It vividly portrays a nation once proud and uniquely chosen by God, now reduced to an object of public ridicule, scorn, and derision by its surrounding adversaries. This verse captures the collective anguish of a people whose identity and perceived divine favor have been shattered, leaving them exposed to the contempt of those who mock their God and their plight.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 79:4 employs several potent literary devices to convey the depth of Israel's suffering. Parallelism is evident in the two clauses, where "reproach to our neighbours" is mirrored and intensified by "scorn and derision to them that are round about us." This synonymous parallelism reinforces the central idea of public humiliation, using different but related terms to deepen the impact and create a sense of overwhelming contempt. The use of strong, evocative nouns like "reproach," "scorn," and "derision" constitutes emphatic diction, painting a vivid and distressing picture of Israel's plight and the emotional weight of their experience. There is also an element of hyperbole in the collective "we are become," suggesting a complete and utter transformation into an object of contempt, emphasizing the extreme and pervasive nature of their fallen state. The verse also functions as a powerful lament, giving voice to the collective anguish and shame of the people, setting the stage for their desperate appeal to God for vindication.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 79:4 is not merely a historical observation of national defeat but a profound theological statement about the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness and the implications for God's honor. The humiliation of Israel, God's chosen people, directly reflects upon the God they serve. Their suffering becomes a public spectacle, inviting the pagan nations to question the power, faithfulness, or even existence of Yahweh. This challenges the very foundation of Israel's identity as a people set apart by God, and it compels the psalmist to appeal to God's character and His concern for His own name. The psalm implicitly acknowledges that while Israel's sin led to this judgment, God's ultimate glory demands their vindication and restoration, lest His name be further profaned among the nations.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 79:4 offers a stark reminder of the devastating impact of sin and judgment, not only on individuals but on communities and nations. For believers today, it underscores the profound responsibility we bear as representatives of Christ. When the church, or individual believers, live in ways that contradict the Gospel, it can bring "reproach" upon the name of God and become a "scorn and derision" to those outside the faith. Our actions and witness directly impact how the world perceives the God we claim to serve. This verse calls us to a life of integrity, holiness, and faithfulness, recognizing that our conduct has far-reaching implications for the glory of God. Furthermore, it validates the experience of lament, providing a model for expressing deep pain, shame, and confusion to God, even when the circumstances seem to mock His power. It reminds us that God hears the cries of His people and is ultimately concerned with the vindication of His own name, which often involves the restoration and purification of His people, demonstrating His power and faithfulness to a watching world.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the primary historical event referenced in Psalm 79:4?
Answer: The primary historical event most widely referenced in Psalm 79:4 and the psalm as a whole is the devastating destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC, which led to the Babylonian Exile. The psalmist laments the aftermath of this catastrophe, where the city lies in ruins and the people are subjected to the scorn of surrounding nations. This event is a central point of national humiliation for Israel, as described in texts like 2 Kings 25 and the book of Lamentations.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Psalm 79:4 expresses the profound corporate humiliation of Israel, it also foreshadows a deeper, ultimate humiliation endured by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Israel's suffering was a consequence of their sin and covenant unfaithfulness, yet their reproach served to highlight the problem of human sin and the need for divine intervention. In the New Testament, Jesus, the perfect and sinless Lamb of God, willingly became a "reproach," "scorn," and "derision" not for His own sin, but for the sins of humanity. He was mocked, spat upon, and ridiculed by His own people and the Roman soldiers, fulfilling prophecies of a suffering servant who would be despised and rejected by men (as seen in Isaiah 53:3). On the cross, He bore the ultimate shame, becoming a curse for us (as explained in Galatians 3:13). This unparalleled humiliation, however, was not a sign of God's weakness, but the very means by which God's power and justice were perfectly displayed, leading to His ultimate vindication through resurrection and exaltation (Philippians 2:8-11). Thus, the lament of Psalm 79:4 finds its ultimate answer and reversal in the redemptive suffering of Christ, who transformed the deepest reproach into the greatest glory for God and salvation for humanity.