Psalm 77 - A Song of Faith in a Time of National Calamity
1)I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me. 2)In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying ; my soul refuses to be comforted. 3)I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah. 4) You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5) I consider the days of old and remember the years of long ago. 6) I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit: 7) “Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? 8) Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time? 9) Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” 10) And I say, “It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” 11) I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old. 12)I will meditate on all your work and muse on your mighty deeds. 13) Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God? 14) You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples. 15) With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah 16) When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled. 17) The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side. 18) The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightenings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19) Your way was through the sea, your path through the mighty waters, yet your footprints were unseen. 20) You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Background: The book of Psalms is the prayer book and hymnal of the Bible. In it the authors share every raw human emotion possible. The words can take us from feelings of fierce vengeance, to euphoric praise, to stately thanksgiving, to abject despair, to quaking fear and lament, to calm delight, to steadfast hope and trust, sometimes in the space of a comma. We are reminded in the psalms that all of human life is lived in the presence of and in awareness of God. The psalmists assume and assure us that all of human life is attended to by God and that all of human life is the appropriate subject of prayer. God does not want from us, in the intimacy of prayer, just the parts of life that feel good, or look good, or feel faithful or look faithful. Every breath is a breath of the Spirit, and no circumstance is too petty to bring before God. No feeling, even about God, no doubt, no anger, no disappointment with God, is off limits when life is lived in God’s presence. What a comfort it is to know that we do not have to censor our prayers, as if we could if we wanted to.
The book of Psalms is a compilation of several collections of psalms; many used liturgically in worship. Perhaps some were written for private devotion and, because they express themes that are universal, later became a part of the worship language of God’s people. Traditionally it was thought that all of the psalms were written by King David. Many probably were, but we now know that others had hands in these beautiful poem/prayer/songs. Whoever the writer/composer may have been, in these texts we are given permission to be real, before God and with each other. The psalms as poetry and song, have many layers of meaning which unfold within us in our daily experience.
Psalm 77: This psalm is in the genre of lament. There is a twist here, however. The author is writing about his personal pain during a time of national calamity. Some scholars think it is a song written by a national leader or king in time of trouble. Most scholars, however, see this as a personal lament, but not just for the psalmists purely personal problems. Rather, he is torn apart and feels deeply involved in the national calamity that has overtaken his people. As he shares this song, suddenly, an important faith strengthening strategy emerges. He realizes that to survive a calamitous present, he needs only to remember God’s faithful actions in the past to strengthen his own wavering heart. Notice from verse eleven onward, the many and beautiful allusions to the Exodus story.
Word Study
Vs. 1 - Aloud, aloud – the repetition of this phrase is used to emphasize the emotional intensity of the psalmist’s feelings.
Hear – This word means to turn, to lend an ear, to harken, to answer.
Vs. 2 – day – This word usually refers to a number of days, a space in time. Like we might say to a grandchild ‘in my day.’
Lord – adonay – This title is used of one who has power over people.
Night – This is an interesting word. It’s root is ‘twisting.’ It refers to the time when light folds back and darkness signs in. It is often used with an ominous tone.
Stretched out – This refers to the stance of prayer.
Wearying – lit. growing numb.
Soul – nephesh – The totality of one’s being, what makes one a unique being.
Refuses – To be unwilling to accept comfort.
Vs. 3 – think – zakar – To pierce, to impress on the memory, to remember.
Moan – An anguished cry
Meditate – To ponder, to converse aloud even to one’s self.
Spirit – ruach – This is the same word used for Holy Spirit. It also means breath or wind. I think what the psalmists in saying is that in his circumstance he is breathless, bereft of strength and of the experience of the Spirit such that he thinks he will faint from the grief.
Vs. 4 – you keep my eyelids – This interesting phrase indicates that he feels, even still, that God is at work. In this case, supporting his restless pondering.
Cannot speak – The word for speak here, dabar, refers to both mental and oral communication. What he is saying is that he is unable to describe his distress. He is at a loss for words.
Vs. 5 – consider – To count, to esteem, to make a judgment about something, to weave things together.
Long ago – That which is hidden or concealed, antiquity.
Vs. 6 – heart – The center or middle of something, the totality of a person’s inner nature.
Vs 7. – forever – This word can mean glory, a goal, splendor, power, perpetually, completeness, or sincerity. With all of those nuances of meaning is always, unceasingly, constantly, eternally.
Be favorable – ratsah – To be pleased with, to pay off a debt
V. 8 – steadfast love – hesed – Unconditional devotion, unshakeable covenant loyalty.
Promises – Speech, utterances, a word.
An end – To cease, disappear, vanish.
Vs 9 – anger – lit. nostrils, to flare the nostrils.
Compassion – From the word ‘womb or bowels.’ These inward places were thought to be the spring from which mercy, sympathy and tenderness flowed.
Vs. 10 – It is my grief – lit. This is my piercing. It refers to the cause of the psalmist’s deepest destress: thinking that God’s power and goodness change.
Vs. 11 – wonders – pele – A miracle, a wonderful thing, an experience that points to the extraordinary aspects of how God has dealt with God’s people, something beyond comprehension.
Vs. 12 – meditate – A different word here from the one used earlier. This means to murmur, growl, to coo, to ponder, to muse.
Vs. 13 – way – derek – Vitally important word for understanding biblical faith. It refers to one’s walk of life, one’s journey, one’s path taken.
Holy – quodesh – The most holy thing.
Vs. 14 – displayed – yada – To perceive, understand, supply knowledge.
Peoples – A nation, a tribe, and community.
Vs. 15 – strong arm – A phrase denoting power.
Redeemed – Ransom, release, deliver, to fulfill the duties of a relationship, to release from bondage.
Vs. 16 – waters – The psalmist may have in mind the waters of the Red Sea or the primordial chaotic waters that had to be separated for creation to arise.
Saw – To see intellectually, to regard, to inspect, to understand.
Afraid – Anguished debilitating fear.
Vs. 17 – skies – Sometimes thunder storm are used as images of God’s power and glory.
Arrows – The word refers to actual arrows and is sometimes used to refer to enemies.
Vs. 18 – whirlwind – This word can refer to a waterwheel, a chariots wheels, a whirlwind or a dust storm.
World – This is not the word for ‘the earth.’ This would be more like the universe.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- Can you recall a time when a national crisis affected you personally and emotionally?
- What do you think the hallmarks are of a national calamity? What feels most threatened in those times?
- Are there times when you are so upset by something happening in the community, or even with friends or neighbors that you wonder where God is in it all?
- Take a moment to think of God’s wonders in history and in your own life. How does reflecting on God’s steady commitment to you help you to cope?