If you remain standing, if you would, for the reading of God's Word. We will listen together as Christ speaks to us from Psalm 44 but I want to say something about the opening of the service while it is true that Pastor Dan read a psalm that was not printed in the bulletin, it is not true that he read the wrong Psalm, it is the psalm that the Holy Spirit would have us to hear today. And as you listen to Psalm 44 I think you will see how fitting that early call to worship is almost precisely the theme that we will address in the sermon. So Dan, thanks for that mistake. And you may think it's a mistake, but I think that the Lord has prepared us now to listen to what you might think is a difficult Psalm, and it is a difficult Psalm, but it is a psalm that is set in the context of all of God's revelation. And so we will set our hearts on Jesus, who is taught in this psalm, 44 so let's give attention to it, to the choir.
Master, a masculine of the sons of Korah. Oh God. We have heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old, you, with your own hand, drove out the nations. But them, you planted. You afflicted the peoples. But them, you set free.
For not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arms save them, but your right hand and your arm and the light of your face for you delighted in them. You are my King. Oh God, ordain salvation for Jacob. Through you. We push down our foes. Through your name, we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me, but you have saved us from our foes, and have put to shame those who hate us in God. We have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies. You have made us turn back from the foe and those who hate us have gotten spoiled. You have made us like sheep for the slaughter and have scattered us among the nations. You have sold your people for a trifle demanding no high price for them. You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughing stock among the peoples. All day long, my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face at the sound of the Taunter and reviler, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger, all this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you and we have not been false to your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way.
Yet you have broken us in the place of jackals and COVID us with the shadow of death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. Yet, for your sake, we are killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake.
Why are you sleeping? Lord, rouse yourself. Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression. For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our belly clings to the ground. Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love. May God add his blessing to the reading of this his word, please be seated.
Let's take a moment and ask God to give us understanding. Shall we do that? Lord? We thank you for revealing your will to us in the Bible. We cherish your word.
Amen, and we rejoice that we can hear it from Psalm 44 today.
Give us understanding and make us willing to live happily under the truth we are about to receive. We pray in Jesus name, amen. Psalm 44 begins with a rehearsal of what God did in Israel's history. Then at verse nine, there begins this lengthy challenge of God's doings that finally leads to a difficult question that is named in verse 24 here's the question, Why do you hide your face? And then the psalm ends with a cry for redemption, which we all know God answered by sending His Son to save us from our sins. I want us all to rejoice in God's powerful acts. We can see them there. We can identify with Israel's difficult question. I think it is a question that we have all asked in some form, and then we will gaze upon our Savior, the one who suffered for us and calls us to suffer for him. So that's the outline.
First, God's powerful acts. You can see those in verses one through eight, and then from the rest of the Psalm, we will consider Israel's difficult question and the suffering of Christ and His people. We do not know who wrote Psalm 44 we don't know when it was written. We don't know the context in which it was written. We know that it was written for the Sons of Korah, who were musicians during the time of David and beyond the time of David. We know that it is a masculine it says that at the beginning meant to give us understanding, and that's all we know. The psalm begins with a declaration of the mighty acts of God. And if you know something about the history of God's ancient people, you know that God was with them and performed many wonders for them.
And when you think about Old Testament history, what displays of power first come to your mind? The parting of the Red Sea, perhaps the plagues of Egypt that came before the life sustaining miracles in the wilderness, water emerging from Iraq, manna descending down from heaven, we do not lack examples of God displaying his power for the good of his people. As the psalmist thought about the power of God, it is Joshua and the conquest of the land that came to his mind, the fall of Jericho, the defeat and dispossession of those living in Canaan and the planting of God's people in the land that God promised to their fathers. The story was well known, passed down through the generations. It was written down and it was sung the conquest was God's, and it was not a result of human strength. Look at Verse three again, for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm and the light of your face for you delighted in them. There are two great truths here. God did it.
That's one great truth. The victories were through God's name. Verse five, they were not by bow and sword. Verse six, God is the one who deserves and receives the thanks of his people for the mighty deeds he performed for them. That's there in verse eight, the power of God. The second lesson from verse three is that God did this because he delighted in his people. He loved them. It was His pleasure to do these things for his treasured children.
So you think about these two great truths, the power of God on display in the miraculous preservation of his people in history, and then the love of God, of course, proven in time through the work of God's Son, Jesus, Christ. You fix these two amazing realities upon your hearts, and you really have something if you get a hold of both things, God's delight in you and his strength for you, and if these truths get a hold of you, you will grow. Go in your faith in God and your walk with God, don't you think so?
Well, it has not always been the case that thoughts of God's love and power LED to growing faith.
In fact, Psalm 44 presents a completely different response what God's people heard with their ears. Verse one reports of the deeds that God performed led those who received the reports to ask a very difficult, challenging question. The words that follow the stanzas of praise are near shocking.
Reading them makes us feel very uncomfortable. They deliver a confession of deep disappointment in God. The people are saying, here we are.
We know the history. We've been told of all the mighty acts that you, O Lord, perform for our ancestors. You delighted in them. You came to them. You worked for them, you kept your promise, you gave them the land.
You favored them above all other nations. But we do not feel your favor. In fact, we feel like your enemies, the very ones whom you conquered on behalf of your people. The language is severe.
Look at it, beginning with verse nine, you have rejected us. You have disgraced us. Our armies go out and where are you? Why don't you help us like you helped our fathers? We are defeated. We feel like sheep slaughtered and scattered. Look at verse 12. You sold us and you got very little in return. Are we not valuable to you? Could you not even have made a small profit in the sale?
Our neighbors mock us. We are a byword, a laughing stock. We are famous for our failures, losers, every one of us, hard words. But not so surprising, in a way, at least not at this point in the Psalm. How many times did Israel suffer because of their sins, lying prophets, the worship of false gods, failure to keep the Sabbath, oppression of the alien in their midst and the poor among them, countless violations of God's commandments.
Eventually, they were removed from the land that was given to them, and they were sent into exile for a time. But there is a surprising feature to this psalm that refines the question that God's people were asking, and you can see that beginning of verse 17, all this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way. I think you see the problem.
They're saying we've been faithful. We have not gone after other gods. We have not forgotten your name. We love your law. We are faithful to your covenant. What gives Why are you treating us as if we mean nothing to you? Do you think that you mean nothing to us? Verse 21 if we were doing wrong, would you not know it?
There are no secrets with you.
You know everything. You must know that we are devoted to you.
We have not forsaken you. Why have you forsaken us? The Psalmist even goes so far as to accuse God of sleeping. Can you believe that verse 23 awake, rouse yourself and change your waves. Can you imagine saying that and writing it down for song, strong language? It's it's difficult to read, isn't it?
Some of you know that my family lived in Uganda for a time as your missionaries, this was some years ago. I. And we lived in a region of Uganda called Karamoja, and that is a place where people lived in constant fear of the unseen world, and they offered sacrifices to the spirits to appease them and make things go better. They don't all know why they do it, but they do it. They do speak of God, but their conception of God, let's just say, does not align with God's own description of himself in the Bible. Now, I asked the Karaman John pastor once, why do people sacrifice animals to God?
It is, of course, an ancient practice, and there are many reasons, some of them coming close, actually, to the biblical idea of atonement. But the first thing he said was this so interesting, they sacrificed animals to get God's attention because they believe that he sleeps. That's what he said to me, the prophet Elijah may come to mind, and his suggestion that the false god Bell was sleeping, you can read about that in First Kings 18, I am so glad for Psalm 121, aren't you? I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Praise him.
Where is God when his people are faithful, He seems absent. I think you see the problem. You may have had similar feelings yourself. You probably don't write songs about it, and you may not even express it audibly, but it may come to mind, where did I go wrong? What did I do to deserve this? I'm trying. I believe in Jesus. I live for Jesus, and still, sickness comes. Friendships, bruise and break money doesn't reach loved ones die and it hurts. It hurts so much. And where is God? Or Where is God when the church is mocked, or when I personally suffer the contempt of those who do not believe Where is God when his people are harmed and imprisoned and killed while being faithful to Him? Pardon my throat. The people described in Psalm 44 were not perfect. Let's be clear about that. They were not sinless. They were faithful.
At least they claimed to be faithful. The question they asked has been asked by many since that time, and while the the language of the Psalm is accusatory, and we mustn't accuse God of things that's that's not good, but the question itself is not altogether bad. In fact, we might regard the question as an expression of faith, not unbelief. It is God's people calling upon God to be himself, do what you did for others and what we know you can do for us right now, God's people must face the hard reality that living for the Lord does not guarantee material, reputational or military success. God promises many things in the Gospel, comfortable, pain free, living is not among them. Now let's move to the third point, God's powerful Acts there in verses one through eight.
Israel's difficult question.
You've heard it. Perhaps some of you have asked it, and now we turn our attention to Jesus, the suffering of Christ and of His people.
Has there ever been a truly innocent person? Thank you. Of course, there's relative innocence, isn't there? We all know people who have been harmed and who have suffered undeservedly. Let's never make light of the victims of abuse or trafficking, unjust death sentences, murder, genocide, natural disasters. Uh, on our minds these days, history is filled with examples of innocent victims, and innocent victims are in the Bible too. Job was blameless, right? He was not sinless, but he was faithful.
His friends tried to link his suffering to particular sins, but they failed, and they were rebuked for their destructive counsel. Did Joseph, the son of Jacob, deserve to be sold and then enslaved and then imprisoned? No, he did not. Do?
You remember the question that the disciples asked Jesus before He that is Jesus healed this man who was born blind. You remember it who sinned, the man or his parents. So in their mind, there must be a connection between particular sins and in this case, blindness. What answer did Jesus give? Do? Remember, it was not this man who sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in Him.
God has purposes. He always has purposes. Sometimes they are known to us. Mostly they are not. The man in John nine did nothing to deserve the blindness he was born that way, or to put it differently, blindness was not God's judgment on his conduct. It's so good that we have these stories to help orient our hearts as we read the complaints of Psalm 44 they speak of God's purposes, which are mostly secret, but they also speak of Christ. Whenever you read about an innocent sufferer in the Bible, like Job, for instance, you can know that God's intention is that you consider the only truly, fully innocent person who ever lived, the sinless Son of God, our Savior, Jesus, Christ. This can be said of Israel in as much as she suffered innocently, like what is expressed in Psalm 44 she pictured the innocent one who was to come. Jesus came from Israel. He was typified by Israel, represented right by Israel. It's right to say that he is the true Israel, and we who are united to him by faith, are the Israel of God. That's how Paul put it in Galatians six. What Israel received from her enemies? Jesus received from his he was rejected. He was like a sheep led to the slaughter. He was a byword. He was a laughing stock. God came into the world and people laughed at him. It's hard, isn't it, to read the passion accounts how they flogged him almost to death and then mocked him by placing a crown of thorns on his head and dressing him in a purple robe.
We read these texts so casually.
Sometimes Jesus was a laughing stock. They put the king on the cross, and they told him to prove himself by stepping down.
He saved others, they said, but he cannot save himself. Jesus was crucified in weakness.
That's what the Bible says second, Corinthians, 13, four, but it was a voluntary weakness.
He had authority to lay down his life. Little bit of a paradox there. John 1018, he had all authority, and yet he gave his very life. So his death was really a display of His Lordship. He was powerful, but he did not use his power to destroy his enemies or to escape their evil judgments. He submitted to the humiliation of it all, the false accusations, the shame and unspeakable pain of the cross. And what's more, we might say, what's most, we should say, what's most He took upon himself the wrath of God for the sins of His people. It is God's way to achieve victory through weakness, through innocent suffering and through what appears to be defeat.
That's his way. Sin was conquered through the look of defeat. The devil was crushed under the weight of the blood of Jesus Christ. The Gates of Hell closed forever to those for whom Jesus died. God loved Israel and showed his love by his mighty acts and brothers and sisters.
God loves you, and he showed his love by a different kind of might, a different kind of wonder, one that mirrored the innocent suffering of those who came before, but unlike what came before, the suffering of Jesus completely and finally purchased you for God. Rejoice, dear people of God, that the story of Jesus did not end in the grave. The Lamb of God crucified in weakness, he rose in power. He conquered death for you, and he promised that you too will rise. That's a real key to coping with life when things go wrong, set your hearts on what is coming. Jesus will return. He will make all things right and new. And when you see him, first, John 32 when you see him, you will be like Him.
Hallelujah. I want to read to you. What I say with confidence is the very best commentary on Psalm 44 written by the very best author. I don't usually read commentaries in the pulpit, but this one, I think you'll enjoy, and you will agree. Maybe you've never read a commentary on Psalm 44 you will still agree with me that this is the very best one. The author is the Holy Spirit, and he delivered his commentary through the words of the Apostle Paul. The text is Romans eight, and we begin at verse 35 let me read this to you. I hope you enjoy these words. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword? It's a good question. It's rhetorical. I think you know that no one can separate us from the love of Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. It doesn't always feel that way, but it is absolutely true by the very word that God has given we, who belong to Christ, are forever secure in his love. And you can read the rest of Romans eight and discover more about that.
But now let's take the next verse, verse 36 and you tell me, if it sounds familiar, as it is written, for your sake, we are being killed all the day long.
We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered at Psalm 4422 we are suffering. We are persecuted all day long. We are be being killed for your sake, Lord Jesus, for your sake. That's the key. For your sake. Key phrase, maybe you know Philippians, 129 for it has been granted to you as a gift.
It's been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer. And here it is again, for his sake, that's the teaching. The Bible is a very realistic book, isn't it? It doesn't say come to Jesus and life will be comfortable. Come to Jesus and everyone will love you. Everybody loves you now, and Billy Joel says that, but the Holy Spirit does not say that, come to Jesus and he will pay your mortgage. Come to Jesus and all of your problems will vanish.
These ideas are nowhere in the Bible, and you're not to listen to anyone who tells you they are. The Bible says, Come to Jesus for deliverance from sin, for spiritual rest, for a guaranteed home in glory. Come to Jesus and be reconciled to God. Come to Jesus for peace and joy that will never end. Come to Jesus and follow Him to heaven.
Come to Jesus and receive everything you need to live for Him, to glorify him. Come to Jesus for wisdom and love and power and a growing appetite for worship and holy living. And the list goes on and on and on, but it does not and never will include a problem free life.
Jesus didn't have one. He. And you will not have one. But if you trust in Jesus, while you will feel the pains of your union with Him, you will also receive strength from him in the day of trouble, you will, you will rejoice in him when you encounter trials of various kinds. James, one two, your faith will be tested, and you'll remain faithful and lack nothing. Let's look at the rest of not the rest of the chapter, but the next verse in Romans, eight, verse, 37 No, in all these things. What things? Well, you just heard those things, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and sword. You know, all the hard stuff in all these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. They kill us all day long.
That's verse 36 Psalm 44 but we are more than conquerors through Him, and because of his love, we all have questions. We want to know what God is up to when things go wrong. We may even ask the psalm 44 questions, where are you Lord? Why have you forsaken us? God's answer is always the same, and I want us all to hear it. He has not forsaken us. He forsook his son so that he would receive and save and keep all of those he gave to his son. Glory to Jesus, what an amazing Savior we have.
I hope you're amazed by him.
Let's pray. Thank you, Father for demonstrating your love to us by sending your son into the world to save us from our sins.
Thank you, Jesus for giving your life for us. Help us. We pray to remain faithful in the day of trouble and to always remember your power and your love. We pray in the name of Christ, our Lord, amen.