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Psalm 44:11 "You have given us up..."

Day 27 – Psalm 44

“You have given us up…” Psalm 44:11

FEELINGS OF DESPAIR

The heaviness of heart was well evidenced in this segment of Psalm 44. The psalmist found himself struggling with wave after wave of feelings of despair. The thought that God had given up on Israel was hard to bear.

“You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
And have scattered us among the nations.”
Psalm 44:11

1. Powerful imagery of sheep meant for slaughter employed

a) Sheep intended for food.

b) There seemed no way of escape from this fate.

c) The sheep had resigned themselves to being killed because they were defenseless.

2. Why had God allowed this to happen?

a) The pronoun “You” was spoken almost with an accusing tone.

b) Why had God allowed this state of affairs to occur?

c) Worse, why had God caused Israel to suffer in this manner?

3. Two striking verbs employed to accentuate the desperate situation Israel was in

a) “Given up”

i) Had God given Israel up?

ii) Why had God given up on His people?

b) “Scattered us among the nations”

i) To be scattered among the nations was an especially painful experience (diaspora)

ii) To be forced to leave one’s homeland brought special sorrow to the heart.

iii) The saddest worry would be whether the diaspora could ever return home.