Today, we read the last of Asaph's Psalms. These songs comfort us by giving us a dose of reality. They deal with real problems and offer real solutions.

James Boice, referring to Asaph, says: that he “… consistently seems troubled by the wicked, and he regularly calls on God to rise up and defeat their evil plans.”

He’s not pretending to be a happy, shining person with no problems. He looks at the world's problems and does what we should do; he turns to God in faith.

  • He deals with Israel's political upheaval the same way we should; he trusts God.
  • He deals with government corruption like we should; he trusts God.

Psalm is an imprecatory Psalm:

These psalms contain prayers that God brings judgment on his adversaries.

The theme of the Psalm is:

Believers should pray for God to glorify himself by defeating and saving his opponents.

A desperate plea:

Psalm 83:1 A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

Psalm 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

Psalm 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

Psalm 83:4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

Edmund Burke once said: “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

The Psalmist is not afraid to express what he feels to God:

  • From his perspective, God stays silent when He should come to the nation’s defense.
  • He feels as if God should act on their behalf.

We’re tempted to blush at this reaction. Who is he to respond to God like this? God is not afraid of our questions.

  • There is no situation in life where God does not invite us to Himself.

Notice the predicament:

Psalm 83:5  For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

Psalm 83:6  The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

Psalm 83:7  Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

Psalm 83:8  Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

 

Here, "consulted" means taking counsel, deliberately, or conspiring together:

The context of this verse specifically refers to the nations or groups listed in the psalm who have come together in a unified plan or agreement to act against Israel and, by extension, against God.

This implies:

  • Unity of Purpose: The enemies of Israel are not acting individually but have come to a consensus or agreement.
  • Strategic Planning: There's an element of scheming or plotting, suggesting that these groups have devised a plan after thinking through their actions, possibly in secret.
  • Conspiracy conveys a sense of conspiracy or collaboration with malicious intent aimed at destroying or harming the targeted party (Israel, in this case).

“…the nations are symbolic of the enemies of God’s people.[1]”

We could call this list of nations: “the usual suspects,” a list of:

  • Troublemakers, they were always trying to disrupt the people of God
  • Oppressors were the nations that were always trying to overthrow the people of God.

These ten nations were continually harassing God’s people:

In the context of Psalm 83, the phrase "one consent" appears in verse 5 where it says:

"For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You" (NKJV).

Here, "one consent" is translated from the Hebrew phrase, which literally means "one heart." This phrase is used metaphorically to convey:

  • Unity of Purpose: It signifies that the enemies of Israel have come together in complete agreement or unity of will. Their hearts are as one, meaning there's no division or disagreement among them regarding their intent against Israel.
  • Common Goal: The expression implies a unanimous decision to act together against God's people. This unity of heart or consent underscores their single-mindedness in plotting against Israel.

Psalm 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

In Psalm 83:3, the phrase "hidden ones" is translated from the Hebrew word meaning "to hide, store, or treasure up."

Here's what "hidden ones" signifies in this context:

  • speaks to divine protection,
  • and the value of the faithful, we are God’s treasure.
  • the contrast between human conspiracy and divine safeguarding.

Recap:

  • First, I pointed out a desperate plea: The Psalmist begs God to act on behalf of the nation.
  • Because God’s people are surrounded by enemies who have formed a confederacy against them.
  • So, they cry to God for help.

Here, from vs. 13-16 we see an imprecatory prayer:

An imprecatory prayer is a prayer that calls down a curse, destruction, or judgment onto their enemies.

Psalm 83:13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

Psalm 83:14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

Psalm 83:15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

This sounds harsh to our American ears, but remember, God’s people were surrounded on every side by people who wanted the wiped off the face of the earth.  

This prayer is a request for protection. Notice that the judgment and the destruction are left in the Lord’s hands.

Remember, The theme of the Psalm is:

Believers should pray for God to glorify himself by defeating and saving his opponents.

Psalm 83:16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

“Asaph understood what we often forget: people will often only seek the Lord if they are first laid low before His power. There is a sense in which God must defeat us before He will save us[2].”

Before someone can be saved, they must admit that they are defeated:

[1] VanGemeren, Willem A.. Psalms (The Expositor's Bible Commentary) (p. 627). Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.

[2] Guzik, David. Psalms 81-118 Commentary (p. 31).