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Psalms 79

Chapter Text

A Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem

Summary

Psalm 79 is a communal lament over the devastating destruction of Jerusalem by foreign invaders. The temple has been defiled, the holy city reduced to rubble, and the bodies of God's faithful servants lie unburied, left as food for birds and beasts.

The psalmist pours out grief and outrage, pleading with God to redirect His anger from His own people toward the nations who do not acknowledge Him. The psalm closes with a vow of perpetual praise if God will deliver and forgive.

Meaning

This psalm grapples with the agonizing theological question of why God would allow His own dwelling place and people to suffer such destruction. The appeal is grounded not in Israel's merit but in God's own honor and the glory of His name.

The prayer for divine vengeance reflects the Old Testament understanding that God's justice must be vindicated among the nations. Yet the psalm also humbly acknowledges Israel's sin, asking God not to remember former iniquities but to meet them with tender mercies.

It teaches that authentic lament includes both honest grief and unwavering trust in God's covenant faithfulness.

Background

Attributed to Asaph, this psalm is widely associated with the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, though some scholars link it to earlier invasions. Its imagery closely parallels the book of Lamentations.

The psalm was likely used in communal worship during times of national mourning and was later incorporated into liturgies commemorating the fall of the temple.

Chapter Outline

  1. vv. 1-4The desecration of Jerusalem
  2. vv. 5The cry of 'How long?'
  3. vv. 6-7Plea for justice on the nations
  4. vv. 8-9Confession and appeal for mercy
  5. vv. 10-12Vindication for God's name
  6. vv. 13Vow of perpetual praise

Key Verses

“O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.”— 79:1

This opening lament names the unthinkable: pagan armies have desecrated God's own dwelling. It frames the psalm as a national mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, likely the Babylonian conquest of 586 BC.

“O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.”— 79:8

A pivotal plea acknowledging generational sin while appealing to divine mercy. The phrase 'tender mercies' became a touchstone of biblical vocabulary for God's compassionate forgiveness.

“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.”— 79:9

The theological heart of the psalm: deliverance and atonement are sought not for Israel's worthiness but for God's own glory. This 'for thy name's sake' motif anchors much of biblical prayer and Christian intercession.

“So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.”— 79:13

The closing vow of perpetual praise echoes the shepherd imagery of Psalm 23 and 100, transforming lament into covenant trust that the community will endure to worship again.

People & Places

People

  • Asaph — Levitical music leader appointed by David; the psalm bears his name though it likely originates from his guild after Jerusalem's fall.
  • Jacob — Patriarchal name used poetically for the covenant people of Israel, whose dwelling has been devoured.

Places

  • Jerusalem — The holy city, here laid in ruinous heaps with its streets running with the blood of the slain.
  • The Temple — God's holy house in Jerusalem, defiled by foreign invaders—the central wound of the psalm.

Prophecy & Fulfillment

While primarily a lament rather than predictive prophecy, Psalm 79 is widely understood to mourn the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, fulfilling warnings given through Moses (Deuteronomy 28) and Jeremiah. Verses 2-3 are quoted in 1 Maccabees 7:17 concerning later desecrations, showing how the psalm became a template for every assault on God's people. The plea in verse 9 to 'purge away our sins, for thy name's sake' anticipates the gospel pattern of atonement grounded in God's own glory rather than human merit, fulfilled in Christ.

Devotional

Psalm 79 gives voice to grief that has no easy answer. When circumstances feel like ruins—a broken family, a lost job, a shaken faith—Asaph teaches us to bring the wreckage directly to God rather than tidy it up first.

Notice how the prayer moves. It begins with raw description, passes through honest questions ('How long, LORD?'), confesses sin, and ends in a vow of praise. Lament is not the opposite of faith; it is faith refusing to let go. Even from the ash heap, God's people can still call themselves 'sheep of thy pasture.'

Literary Style

A communal lament psalm in Hebrew poetry, marked by parallelism and vivid imagery of desecration. It follows the classic lament structure—complaint, petition, confession, and concluding vow of praise—and employs rhetorical questions and shepherd metaphor.