741 O God , why have You rejected us forever ? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture ? 2 Remember Your congregation , which You have purchased of old , Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance ; And this Mount Zion , where You have dwelt . 3 Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins ; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary . 4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place ; They have set up their own standards for signs . 5 It seems as if one had lifted up His axe in a forest of trees . 6 And now all its carved work They smash with hatchet and hammers . 7 They have burned e Your sanctuary to the ground ; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name . 8 They said in their heart , "Let us completely subdue them." They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land . 9 We do not see our signs ; There is no longer any prophet , Nor is there any among us who knows how long . 10 How long e , O God , will the adversary revile , And the enemy spurn Your name forever ? 11 Why do You withdraw Your hand , even Your right hand ? From within Your bosom , destroy them!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 74:1-11
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.