July 19, 2011 Since I am a seminary graduate I will from time to time write on biblical and theological topics. This is one of them. Apparently along the way of my Christian walk I was not aware of the significance of Psalm 83. Yes, it is in the Bible, nearly smack dab in the middle of the Bible, thus being a part of God's Holy Writ. But its significance has more to do, at least in some people's minds, with events in the Middle East involving Israel and a whole host of other nations rather than someone named Asaph praying amidst a military crisis. Five years ago this month a 1,000-year old manuscript containing the Psalms was unearthed in an Ireland bog. ("I'll warrant there's a nasty bog nearby. Can you smell it?") Since there was little, if any, oxygen in the bog the text was very well preserved. A quote from a story in National Geographic that reported the discovery at the time stated, "It testifies to the incredible richness of the Early Christian civilization of this island and to the greatness of ancient Ireland." My sentiments exactly. This is a really cool discovery. There was other commentary at the time, not to do with Ireland, an ancient manuscript, or Irish-Christian history from 1,000 years ago, but on Psalm 83 itself. According to the website Rapture Ready, the Psalm is believed to be a prophecy that "alludes to an Arab confederacy that seeks to destroy the modern day Jewish State of Israel." My primary reason for writing this blog was an article written by Reinhold Buxbaum in my hometown newspaper, the News-Sun. The article says basically the same thing as Rapture Ready, that a war in the Middle East involving Israel and other neayby nations is imminent. Such a war is predicted in Psalm 83, and it mentions the names of the countries. Lebanon (with Hezbollah), Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Gaza (with Hamas) and other Arab nations. What is their cry? "Come, they say, let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more. With one mind they plot together, they form an alliance against you" ( Psalm 83:4-5 NIV). The newspaper tells us that the lineup is in progress. The Bible shows us how this conflict will end. Whether this war was imminent in 2006 is not known. Most likely the belief was that it was immient. That seems to be the belief now, just five years later. But that is the problem when reading this Psalm as a prophecy. Rather than the biblical text having a central meaning that is applicable throughout time to the people who read it, thus determining how to view the world through God's eyes, it is what is reported in the news that determines the meaning. Unfortunately that puts the Psalm's meaning on the shifting sands of world events, therefore changing every few years or so. My response to Pastor Buxbaum, who I know personally, can be found underneath his article in the News-Sun link. I will post a few paragraphs from my response that do address Psalm 83: Was the purpose of the prayer/psalm strictly vengeance? While vengeance is left in the hands of God, the purpose of judgment according to the text--the reason the Psalmist prayed that God “Cover their faces with shame”--is “so that they will seek your name” (v. 16). The prayer culminates in a great proclamation: “Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth” (v. 18). Since these nations’ plot was against God himself they fully deserved the full force of God’s judgment against them. Yet, as God was merciful to Israel, even in rebellion, so he wants the judgment to result in repentance and acknowledgement that he is the “Most High over all the earth.” Though some present-day nations may occupy similar territory as the nations mentioned in Psalm 83, these are totally different nations with different leaders, beliefs, and cultures. Daniel 2:21 says God “changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.” Paul states in Acts 17:26 to the Athenians, “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” Iran, Syria, and Jordan, like the United States, Canada, England, or Russia exist because the great God of the universe has said (to paraphrase Paul’s thought), “This is when you will come to be, these will be your boundaries, and I will determine when you cease to be.” Oh, and about that discovery in Ireland? Turns out the exposed text was Psalm 83, but was a copy of the Latin Vulgate, which has different numbers assigned than what would be found in the King James or another translation. So the actual text is from Psalm 84, the exposed words reading, "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well" (KJV).
CommentsBerrdesJune 28, 2021 1:41 AM
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