741 O God, why hast thou cast [us] off for ever? Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? 2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast gotten of old, Which thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of thine inheritance; [And] mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. 3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual ruins, All the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary. 4 Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of thine assembly; They have set up their ensigns for signs. 5 They seemed as men that lifted up Axes upon a thicket of trees. 6 And now all the carved work thereof They break down with hatchet and hammers. 7 They have set thy sanctuary on fire; They have profaned the dwelling-place of thy name [by casting it] to the ground. 8 They said in their heart, Let us make havoc of them altogether: They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. 9 We see not our signs: There is no more any prophet; Neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. 10 How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 74:1-10
Commentary on Psalm 74:1-11
(Read Psalm 74:1-11)
This psalm appears to describe the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Chaldeans. The deplorable case of the people of God, at the time, is spread before the Lord, and left with him. They plead the great things God had done for them. If the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt was encouragement to hope that he would not cast them off, much more reason have we to believe, that God will not cast off any whom Christ has redeemed with his own blood. Infidels and persecutors may silence faithful ministers, and shut up places of worship, and say they will destroy the people of God and their religion together. For a long time they may prosper in these attempts, and God's oppressed servants may see no prospect of deliverance; but there is a remnant of believers, the seed of a future harvest, and the despised church has survived those who once triumphed over her. When the power of enemies is most threatening, it is comfortable to flee to the power of God by earnest prayer.