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Psalms 82 and 83.
The 82nd psalm continues the general theme of the 81St psalm; Israel had broken down utterly, departing from the ways of God, and their judges (called gods in verse 1) judged unrighteously; they had His word to guide them, and authority to act for Him, but made light of it. He, however, judged among them, and though “gods” as representing Him, they should die like men. The call is therefore to God to arise to judge the earth for it is His, and He must soon take it in hand to set things right.
In Psalm 83 we have another glance at the history of Israel at the close. It is the last gathering of the nations around the land of Canaan, a last effort of Satan’s to cut off Israel from being a nation (verse 4).
Then we have a list of the nations that will make an alliance to attack Palestine. Edom, Moab, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia and Asshur, we might suppose to have died out as nations, but it is clear from Scripture that they are only waiting for the coming day to be known by their old names again, meanwhile they cannot be known among the nations.
Turn to Isaiah 11:1414But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. (Isaiah 11:14) and 63:1; Jeremiah 2:4-154Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: 5Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? 6Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? 7And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. 8The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. 9Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with your children's children will I plead. 10For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. 11Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. 12Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. 13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 14Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled? 15The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant. (Jeremiah 2:4‑15); Obadiah; Ezekiel 25; Zephaniah 2:4-154For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. 5Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 6And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. 8I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. 9Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. 10This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts. 11The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen. 12Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. 13And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. 15This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. (Zephaniah 2:4‑15); all of which await for fulfilment, the day of the Lord, and in these scriptures see the punishment God has in store for them.
The 83rd psalm is the last which precedes the Lord’s appearing to establish His kingdom, and set up His throne as Israel’s rightful King.
ML 04/12/1931