the foes

September 27, 2015

Israel has been defeated (Ps 44:9-44:12)

“Yet you have rejected us.

You have abased us.

You have not gone out with our armies.

You make us turn back from the foe.

Our enemies have gotten spoils.

You have made us like sheep for slaughter.

You have scattered us among the nations.

You have sold your people for a trifle.

You demanded no high price for them.”

This is one of the few times that the psalmist talks about a defeat. They have been rejected by God since God has not gone out with their armies. Thus they were defeated. They were not able to turn back their enemies. In fact, the foes have taken spoils from them. They were like sheep brought to slaughter. They were scattered among the nations, a clear allusion to the captivity. They were sold for a trifle, since there was no high price placed on them.

August 12, 2015

The magnificent creator (Ps 8:1-8:2)

“To the choirmaster leader, according to the Gittith, a psalm of David.

O Yahweh, our Sovereign!

How majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens!

Out of the mouths of babies and infants,

You have founded a bulwark.

Because of your foes,

You silence the enemy and the avenger.”

Once again this Psalm 8 has a remark about the leader choirmaster with this being a psalm of David in general. It is to be played on a Gittith, a stringed instrument like a harp, guitar or ukulele, something the Philistines might have used. Once again this is addressed to Yahweh, the king of all the earth. His glory was above the heavens. Then we have the famous phrase about “out of the mouths of babies,” who obviously could not talk, but that Jesus Christ will use in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2. Finally, there was the stinger against the foes, the enemies, and the avengers.