2 Corinthians 12
Psalm 74
Psalm 74. This psalm is a lament from God’s people, as they describe the destruction of God’s Temple, His chosen dwelling place among His people. It describes how the enemies of God have desecrated and destroyed it, reviling His Name. We see here in this psalm how God’s people cry out, ‘how long O God…(take action and)…destroy them’ (verses 10-11).
How often have we felt this way when confronted with rampant evil, complete disdain of people for the almighty God and Creator?
Unlike Psalm 73, this lament does not resolve itself and ends with the same call it started with: ‘Rise up, O God, and defend your cause’ (verse 22). In one sense, it is right for God’s people to be angered when their God is reviled by evil men. We see the cry of this psalm is for God to act, not on their behalf, but because of His promises, His covenant. They call on him to remember these and to defend His cause.
The hope in this Psalm is not found at the end but in the middle, verses 12-17. Here the psalm remembers God’s deeds of old, the salvation He brought about in the Exodus. He is the God of creation who owns the day and the night (verse 16). Because He is the God who has acted in the past and has so faithfully remembered and fulfilled His promises, we can know that He will answer the cries of this psalm. We have the privilege of sitting on the other side of the Cross, to read this psalm in light of God’s ultimate salvation performed on the Cross, where Jesus decidedly defeated evil and death, once and for all. While we sit, here and now, waiting for His return, we may be tempted to lament the evil around us as this world rejects and reviles the God who created it. But we can rest in the knowledge that our God has remembered His promises and is defending His cause. He no longer needs a dwelling place on earth amongst His people, but now dwells in the hearts of His people. In the midst of the evil in our world, He is working all things for our good and His glory.