Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 44:24

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 44:24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face — Show us the cause why thou withdrawest from us the testimony of thy approbation.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 44:0 Has God forgotten his people?

Some national disaster has overtaken Israel and the people ask if God has deserted them. The tone of the psalm is not one of humility, but one of outspoken boldness in questioning God’s purposes. It shows some lack of faith and submission before God (cf. Romans 8:28,Romans 8:31-39). But God may yet be gracious and answer such a prayer.

Through the words of the psalmist the people recall how God enabled their ancestors to conquer and inhabit Canaan (1-3). They remind God that he alone gave Israel victory, and the people praised him accordingly (4-8). Why, then, has he now deserted them? He has allowed them to be conquered, plundered, scattered and enslaved (9-12). They feel disgraced because of the insults that neighbouring nations throw at them (13-16).
What makes the insults hard to bear is that the people can see no reason why God has allowed this calamity to befall them. They do not feel as if they have forgotten God or been unfaithful to him (17-19). If they had worshipped foreign gods they could understand such severe divine punishment, but they can see nothing at all of which they have been guilty (20-22). They call upon God to wake from his sleep and do something to help them. They ask him to remember his covenant love for them and rescue them from their enemies (23-26).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THEIR RESPONSE

"Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off forever. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, And forgettest our afflictions and oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body cleaveth unto the earth. Rise up for our help, And redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake."

This is a precious response, limited though it is. In the dark and tragic hours of undeserved suffering, they did not turn away from the Lord, but simply laid their sorrows upon his infinite bosom. They knew, of course, that, "He that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalms 121:4); but they still used the old anthropomorphic metaphor of "God's being asleep" to express their distress.

During the times of the Maccabees, there was a group of singers who had as their theme song, "Awake, Why Sleepest thou, O Lord?" These singers were called "The Wakers," indicating their purpose of waking up God. Such things as this, no doubt, influenced Calvin in accepting the times of the Maccabees as the date of this psalm.

"Rise up for our help… Redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake" Yes, they did exactly what every distressed soul should do; they brought the problem to God, pleading neither their innocence nor their merit, but basing their appeal upon the stedfast love and lovingkindness of God. In this particular, not even the blessed children of the Father "in Jesus Christ" today can do anything better.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Wherefore hidest thou thy face? - See the notes at Psalms 13:1. Why dost thou turn away from us, and refuse to aid us, and leave us to these unpitied sufferings?

And forgettest our affliction and our oppression - Our trials, and the wrongs that are committed against us. These are earnest appeals. They are the pleadings of the oppressed and the wronged. The language is such as man would use in addressing his fellow-men; and, when applied to God, it must be understood as such language. As used in the Psalms, it denotes earnestness, but not irreverence; it is solemn petition, not dictation; it is affectionate pleading, not complaint. It indicates depth of suffering and distress, and is the strongest language which could be employed to denote entire helplessness and dependence. At the same time, it is language which implies that the cause for which they suffered was the cause of God, and that they might properly call on him to interfere in behalf of his own friends.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 44:1-26

Psalms 44:1-26 :

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work you did in their days, in times of old. How you did drive out the heathen with thy hand, and you planted them; and how you did afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thy arm, and the light of thy countenance, because you had favor unto them. Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob. Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me ( Psalms 44:1-6 ).

Now, this psalm begins in a very powerful kind of an affirmation of God and a dependency upon God and, "Lord, we have heard, our fathers have told us, how that in times past You were with them, You helped them, You delivered their enemies into their hands. How that they came into this land and You gave this land over to them. You drove out the enemies. It wasn't their strength or their power, but God, it was Your hand upon them that brought them into the land then gave them victory here. Lord, we have known all about it. We've heard about it. And You are our God. We acknowledge You as our King. But what is wrong?"

Now we get into the complaint of the psalmist. Up until now we were in good shape. "We know Your power. We know what You have done, and You are our God. But something has gone wrong here."

But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and thou hast put them to shame that hated us. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever and ever ( Psalms 44:7-8 ).

And then the Selah brings the end of that part of the psalm. That is it. "God, we're trusting in You. You are it. You've done it." Now, here begins the complaint with verse Psalms 44:9 . The Selah ends the first thing of confidence in God.

But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and you go not forth with our armies. You make us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves. You have given us like sheep appointed for meat; and you have scattered us among the heathen. You sell your people for nothing, and you do not increase your wealth by their price. You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. You make us a byword among the heathen, the shaking of the head among the people. My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face has covered me, for the voice of him that reproached and blasphemed; by reason of the enemy and the avenger. All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way; Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; Shall not God search this out? for he knows the secrets of the heart. Yea, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaves unto the earth. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake ( Psalms 44:9-26 ).

Now it is an interesting psalm because there is vivid contrast. Again, the beginning with God, "We have heard of what You have done in the past. We know of Your power. Our fathers have told us what You have done. You are our God." And yet, the difficulty of trying to understand our present circumstances which are so adverse. "If it is true that You take care of Your people, if it is true that You deliver Your people, then why are we in this present dilemma? For we have served You. We have kept Your covenant. Why, God, are we having these problems?"

Again, let me emphasize that God nowhere has promised that He would keep us from problems. He has promised to be with us in every trial. "But beloved count it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing has happened to you" ( 1 Peter 4:12 ). And yet, when we see a friend going through a deep trial we say, "Boy, this is weird. Wonder why God is allowing this, you know." Or if I am going through a heavy trial I am always thinking of it as some strange thing that has happened to me. Why should I have to go through this trial? I guess it is almost instinctive for us to shun suffering. We don't want to suffer. We don't like to suffer. We would like to have an easy path through life. We would like to have everything come up roses. But life isn't that way. Life has many pitfalls. Life has many sorrows. Life is filled with trials. But as a child of God I have the confidence and the assurance that God will be with me through any experience that I might have to pass. More than that, He has already gone before me.

"There is no temptation that has taken you but what is common with all man. But God, with that temptation, will provide for you the way of escape" ( 1 Corinthians 10:13 ). For He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your capacity to bear it, to endure it. But the trial of your faith is more precious than gold, though it perisheth, because that trial of your faith is producing, really, the enduring qualities.

Now fire is an interesting substance. And one of the ways by which God is defined is, "Our God," it says, "is a consuming fire." Now God is love, God is light, God is good. But then also our God is a consuming fire. What does He consume? He consumes the dross, the chaff, the sin, the evil. You see, fire is interesting because it has the capacity of destroying or of transmitting into permanency. It all depends on the material that is in it. Now if you have got a bag of sticks, then fire will consume it. But that same fire that consumes the sticks can forge the steel into permanency. In order for steel to be hardened, forged, you've got to put it through severe fire, tremendous heat. But it is tempered, transmitted into permanency. Now God is a figure of fire. We are all dwelling in God, in the fire. But what is the fire doing to you? It all depends on what you are. If you are a child of God, that fire is burning the dross. If you are not a child of God, that same fire is destroying you.

Now, we do have experiences in life that we do not understand. It is interesting that this particular psalm does not come out with any glowing happy ever after at the end. It ends with a cry, "O help me, God, for Your mercies' sake." But it isn't one of the, "And lived happily ever after," kind of things. It just ends with the cry, "O God, I need help." But because the cry is unto God, the end is assumed. God will take care of it. God is watching over me. God does know the trial and the path that I take. And God will bring me through. Someday I am going to come out on top, victorious through Him. God will see that I do. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 44

The writer spoke for the nation of Israel in this psalm. He lamented a national disaster, namely, defeat by enemies, and he called on the Lord to deliver. Evidently he could not identify sin in the nation as the cause of this defeat. He attributed it instead to it being "for Your sake" (Psalms 44:22). Israel was apparently suffering because she had remained loyal to God in a world hostile to Him. The basis of the psalmist’s request was God’s faithfulness to the patriarchs and the people’s present trust in Him. [Note: On the meaning of Maskil in the title, see my note on Psalms 32.]

"Perhaps the Psalter’s boldest appeal to God’s faithfulness is found in Psalms 44, a communal lament psalm offered to God during an unidentified national catastrophe." [Note: Chisholm, "A Theology . . .," p. 300. ]

Other communal or community lament psalms are 60, 74, 77, 79-80, 83, 85, 90, 94, 123, 126, and 137.

"Perhaps this psalm was used at a national ’day of prayer’ with a worship leader speaking the ’I/my’ verses and the people the ’we/our’ verses." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 177.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

4. A prayer requesting divine intervention 44:23-26

The psalmist cried out to God to act for His people. He pictured God as asleep and in need of arousing (cf. Mark 4:38). Yahweh could not be angry because His people had not sinned by turning to another god (Psalms 44:18; Psalms 44:20). Israel had come to the end of her rope and was almost dead. Since Yahweh had pledged to protect His people, the writer concluded with an appeal to His loyal love.

Sometimes believers suffer through no apparent fault of their own. In such situations we should maintain our trust and obedience, and we should call on God to deliver us as He has promised to do. Even if He allows us to perish in this life, we should still remain faithful to Him (cf. Job 13:15).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Wherefore hidest thou thy face?.... See Psalms 10:1;

[and] forgettest our affliction and our oppression. Not that the Lord does really forget either the persons of his people, which he cannot, since they are engraven on the palms of his hands, and a book of remembrance is written for them: nor the afflictions of his people; he knows their souls in adversity; he chooses them in the furnace of affliction; he makes all afflictions work together for good, and delivers out of them. But because deliverance is not immediately wrought, and they sometimes continue long under their afflictions and oppressions, they seem to be forgotten by him, as during the ten persecutions and the long reign of antichrist.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      17 All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.   18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;   19 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.   20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;   21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.   22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.   23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.   24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?   25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.   26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

      The people of God, being greatly afflicted and oppressed, here apply to him; whither else should they go?

      I. By way of appeal, concerning their integrity, which he only is an infallible judge of, and which he will certainly be the rewarder of. Two things they call God to witness to:--

      1. That, though they suffered these hard things, yet they kept close to God and to their duty (Psalms 44:17; Psalms 44:17): "All this has come upon us, and it is as bad perhaps as bad can be, yet have we not forgotten thee, neither cast off the thoughts of thee nor deserted the worship of thee; for, though we cannot deny but that we have dealt foolishly, yet we have not dealt falsely in thy covenant, so as to cast thee off and take to other gods. Though idolaters were our conquerors, we did not therefore entertain any more favourable thoughts of their idols and idolatries; though thou hast seemed to forsake us and withdraw from us, yet we have not therefore forsaken thee." The trouble they had been long in was very great: "We have been sorely broken in the place of dragons, among men as fierce, and furious, and cruel, as dragons. We have been covered with the shadow of death, that is, we have been under deep melancholy and apprehensive of nothing short of death. We have been wrapped up in obscurity, and buried alive; and thou hast thus broken us, thou hast thus covered us (Psalms 44:19; Psalms 44:19), yet we have not harboured any hard thoughts of thee, nor meditated a retreat from thy service. Though thou hast slain us, we have continued to trust in thee: Our heart has not turned back; we have not secretly withdrawn our affections from thee, neither have our steps, either in our religious worship or in our conversation, declined from they way (Psalms 44:18; Psalms 44:18), the way which thou hast appointed us to walk in." When the heart turns back the steps will soon decline; for it is the evil heart of unbelief that inclines to depart from God. Note, We may the better bear our troubles, how pressing soever, if in them we still hold fast our integrity. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God we should not suffer them to drive us from our comfort in God; for he will not leave us if we do not leave him. For the proof of their integrity they take God's omniscience to witness, which is as much the comfort of the upright in heart as it is the terror of hypocrites (Psalms 44:20; Psalms 44:21): "If we have forgotten the name of our God, under pretence that he had forgotten us, or in our distress have stretched out our hands to a strange god, as more likely to help us, shall not God search this out? Shall he not know it more fully and distinctly than we know that which we have with the greatest care and diligence searched out? Shall he not judge it, and call us to an account for it?" Forgetting God was a heart-sin, and stretching our the hand to a strange god was often a secret sin, Ezekiel 8:12. But heart-sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for; for he knows the secrets of the heart, and therefore is a infallible judge of the words and actions.

      2. That they suffered these hard things because they kept close to God and to their duty (Psalms 44:22; Psalms 44:22): "It is for thy sake that we are killed all the day long, because we stand related to thee, are called by thy name, call upon thy name, and will not worship other gods." In this the Spirit of prophecy had reference to those who suffered even unto death for the testimony of Christ, to whom it is applied, Romans 8:36. So many were killed, and put to such lingering deaths, that they were in the killing all the day long; so universally was this practised that when a man became a Christian he reckoned himself as a sheep appointed for the slaughter.

      II. By way of petition, with reference to their present distress, that God would, in his own due time, work deliverance for them. 1. Their request is very importunate: Awake, arise,Psalms 44:23; Psalms 44:23. Arise for our help; redeem us (Psalms 44:26; Psalms 44:26); come speedily and powerfully to our relief, Psalms 80:2. Stir up thy strength, and come and save us. They had complained (Psalms 44:12; Psalms 44:12) that God had sold them; here they pray (Psalms 44:26; Psalms 44:26) that God would redeem them; for there is no appealing from God, but by appealing to him. If he sell us, it is not any one else that can redeem us; the same hand that tears must heal, that smites must bind up, Hosea 6:1. They had complained (Psalms 44:9; Psalms 44:9), Thou hast cast us off; but here they pray (Psalms 44:23; Psalms 44:23), "Cast us not off forever; let us not be finally forsaken of God." 2. The expostulations are very moving: Why sleepest thou?Psalms 44:23; Psalms 44:23. He that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps; but, when he does not immediately appear for the deliverance of his people, they are tempted to think he sleeps. The expression is figurative (as Psalms 78:65, Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep); but it was applicable to Christ in the letter (Matthew 8:24); he was asleep when his disciples were in a storm, and they awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. "Wherefore hidest thou thy face, that we may not see thee and the light of thy countenance?" Or, "that thou mayest not see us and our distresses? Thou forgettest our affliction and our oppression, for it still continues, and we see no way open for our deliverance." And, 3. The pleas are very proper, not their own merit and righteousness, though they had the testimony of their consciences concerning their integrity, but they plead the poor sinner's pleas. (1.) Their own misery, which made them the proper objects of the divine compassion (Psalms 44:25; Psalms 44:25): "Our soul is bowed down to the dust under prevailing grief and fear. We have become as creeping things, the most despicable animals: Our belly cleaves unto the earth; we cannot lift up ourselves, neither revive our own drooping spirits nor recover ourselves out of our low and sad condition, and we lie exposed to be trodden on by every insulting foe." 2. God's mercy: "O redeem us for they mercies' sake; we depend upon the goodness of thy nature, which is the glory of thy name (Exodus 34:6), and upon those sure mercies of David which are conveyed by the covenant to all his spiritual seed."