Chapter Summary
Core Passages from Psalms 79
Psalm 79:1O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
Psalm 79:9Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!
This is the heart of the psalm's plea, where the people ask for deliverance not because they deserve it, but so that God's name and reputation for salvation will be honored.Psalm 79:13But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
Despite the devastation, the psalm ends with a powerful statement of faith and identity, promising that God's people will give Him thanks and praise forever.
Historical & Cultural Context
A City in Ruins, A People in Despair
The scene opens on the smoldering ruins of Jerusalem. The psalmist, speaking for the entire community, paints a horrifying picture of the aftermath of a brutal invasion. The holy temple, God's dwelling place on earth, has been desecrated, and the city lies in heaps of rubble. The bodies of God's faithful people are left unburied, a sign of ultimate disgrace, serving as food for wild animals. This is a military defeat. It is also a theological crisis that strikes at the heart of Israel's identity and relationship with God.
The Taunts of Nations and a Cry to God
From the physical destruction, the focus shifts to the emotional and spiritual anguish of the survivors. They are surrounded by neighboring nations who mock them, interpreting their defeat as proof that their God is powerless. This public shame leads the psalmist to cry out to God directly, asking the painful question, 'How long, O Lord?' The people feel the burning of God's anger and are desperate for it to end, pleading for Him to turn His wrath upon the godless nations who caused this suffering.
A Breakdown of Psalm 79
Psalm 79 unfolds as a desperate prayer from a broken people standing amidst the ruins of their nation. It moves from a graphic description of their suffering to a heartfelt plea for God's intervention. The prayer progresses from lament to confession, and finally to a declaration of hope, showing a path from despair to renewed trust in God's covenant faithfulness.
The Complaint: Desecration and Disgrace (Psalm 79:1-4)
1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.
Commentary:
The psalmist describes the horrific destruction of Jerusalem and the deep shame his people now face.
The Question: How Long, O Lord? (Psalm 79:5-7)
5 How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name;
7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
Commentary:
The people cry out, asking how long God will be angry and pleading for Him to judge their enemies instead.
The Petition: For the Glory of Your Name (Psalm 79:8-10)
8 Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes.
Commentary:
Confessing their sins, the people ask God to save them to protect His own honor and reputation.
The Vow: We Will Give Thanks Forever (Psalm 79:11-13)
11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
12 Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13 But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
Commentary:
The prayer ends with a plea for justice and a promise of eternal praise once God restores His people.
Core Truths in a Time of Crisis
The Honor of God's Name
The central plea of the psalm is for God to act 'for your name's sake.' The people realize their survival is directly linked to God's public reputation. Their restoration would prove to a watching world that their God is real, powerful, and faithful to His promises.
Honest Lament in Prayer
Psalm 79 gives us permission to be brutally honest with God. It doesn't shy away from describing horrific details, questioning God's anger, or crying out for justice. This shows that true faith is not about hiding our pain but about bringing all of it, even the messy parts, into God's presence.
Hope Rooted in Identity
Even when everything is lost - the temple, the city, their freedom - the people cling to their identity as 'your people, the sheep of your pasture.' Their hope is not in their circumstances but in their covenant relationship with God, which they believe cannot be broken.
Corporate Responsibility
The psalm is prayed in the first-person plural ('we,' 'us,' 'our'). The community suffers together, confesses their 'former iniquities' together, and hopes for restoration together. It highlights the biblical concept of a people bound together in a covenant relationship with God.
Applying This Psalm to Your Life
Psalm 79 teaches you that it's okay to be completely honest with God when you're hurting. You can ask the hard questions like 'How long?' (v. 5) and lay out the full extent of your pain without fear. It shows that faith isn't about pretending everything is fine, but about trusting God with your unfiltered reality.
Praying 'for your name's sake' (v. 9) shifts your perspective from being solely about your own relief to being about God's reputation. It means asking that the outcome of your situation - whether it's healing, provision, or justice - would clearly point others to God's goodness and power. It makes your personal story part of God's larger story.
The psalmists found their hope by remembering their identity as 'your people, the sheep of your pasture' (v. 13). When your circumstances are bleak, you can anchor your hope in who God says you are. This relationship is the one thing that cannot be taken away, and it is the foundation for believing that praise and thanksgiving will one day return.
A Desperate Plea for God's Honor
Psalm 79 is the raw, unfiltered cry of a people whose world has been completely shattered. They bring their devastation, shame, and anger before God, holding nothing back in their prayer. Their ultimate appeal is not based on their own righteousness but on God's reputation, pleading for Him to act so the world will know He is their God. The message is that even in the darkest moments, the path to hope is found by appealing to the character and glory of God Himself.
What This Means for Us Today
Psalm 79 gives us permission to be brutally honest with God in our pain, modeling a faith that brings its grief directly into His presence. This psalm invites us to trust that God is big enough to handle our anger and doubt. It shows us how to find our ultimate hope not in changing circumstances, but in His unchanging character and His great name.
- What devastation in your life or in the world do you need to bring to God with the honesty of this psalm?
- How can you shift your prayers from being solely about your needs to being about God's glory?
- Even in a difficult season, how can you declare, 'I am one of your people,' and promise future praise?
Further Reading
Immediate Context
This preceding psalm recounts Israel's long history of sin and God's persistent faithfulness, providing a backdrop for the judgment described in Psalm 79.
The following psalm continues the theme of national lament, crying out to God as the Shepherd of Israel to 'shine forth' and restore His people.
Connections Across Scripture
This entire book is a collection of laments mourning the same event: the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon.
Provides the historical narrative of the events that likely prompted this psalm, detailing the Babylonian siege and destruction of the city and temple.
The cry of the martyred saints, 'How long, Sovereign Lord... until you judge... and avenge our blood?' echoes the plea for justice found in Psalm 79.
Thematic Connections
Nehemiah's prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem similarly blends confession of sin with an appeal to God's promises and His great name.
Discussion Questions
- The psalmist asks God to 'pour out your anger on the nations' (v. 6). How do we reconcile these kinds of prayers with the New Testament call to love and pray for our enemies?
- In verse 9, the people ask for deliverance 'for the glory of your name.' How does focusing on God's glory, instead of our own relief, change the way we pray during difficult times?
- Despite the immense suffering described, the psalm ends with a promise to praise God forever (v. 13). What does this teach us about the relationship between honest lament and hopeful worship?
Glossary
figures
theological concepts
Atonement
The act of making things right for sin, which restores the relationship between God and people.
God's Jealousy
Refers to God's passionate and protective commitment to His people and His own honor, not a petty human emotion.
Inheritance
In this context, it refers to the land and people of Israel, whom God chose as His special possession.