Table of Contents
Background and Context
Psalm 74 is a raw and heart-wrenching national lament, written in the aftermath of a devastating military defeat and, most shockingly, the complete destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a “Maskil of Asaph,” indicating it is a psalm of instruction from the Asaphite school of temple musicians. The scene it describes—the sanctuary burned with fire, its intricate carvings destroyed with axes, and the enemy’s banners flying in the holy place—points unmistakably to the destruction of Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonian army in 586 B.C. (as recorded in 2 Kings 25).
The psalm is the cry of a bewildered and traumatized community. They are struggling to understand how God could have allowed His own dwelling place, the center of their national and spiritual life, to be so utterly desecrated. It is a prayer that confronts God with the painful reality of His apparent absence and silence in the face of catastrophe. The psalmist argues with God, reminding Him of His past deeds of creation and redemption as a basis for pleading with Him to act once again for the sake of His people and His own honor.
Theological Themes
This psalm grapples with some of the most difficult questions of faith that arise from profound suffering and apparent divine abandonment.
The Anguish of God’s Silence: The central crisis of the psalm is not just the physical destruction, but the spiritual silence. The psalmist cries, “Why have you rejected us forever, O God?” (verse 1). This is compounded by the loss of spiritual guidance: “We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be” (verse 9). The lament is over a God who seems to have withdrawn His presence, His power, and His word.
The Honor of God’s Name: The psalmist understands that the destruction of the Temple is not just a tragedy for Israel; it is an affront to God Himself. The enemy has defiled “the dwelling place of your Name” (verse 7) and mocks God all day long (verse 22). Therefore, the plea for intervention is ultimately an appeal for God to defend His own reputation. “Rise up, O God, and defend your cause” (verse 22).
Remembering God’s Past Acts as a Basis for Present Hope: In the face of present desolation, the psalmist’s primary strategy in prayer is to look back. He makes a powerful shift from lamenting what the enemy has done to declaring what God has done. He recalls God’s eternal kingship and His supreme power as Creator, the one who crushed Leviathan (the symbol of chaos) and established the order of the cosmos. This act of remembering is meant to stir God to act in a way that is consistent with His powerful and faithful character.
Appealing to the Covenant: The psalmist explicitly asks God to “have regard for your covenant” (verse 20). He holds God to His own promises. He is reminding God that He has a special, chosen people (“the tribe of your inheritance,” verse 2) and that His covenant promises are the basis for their hope of restoration.
Literary Structure and Genre
Psalm 74 is a community lament. Its structure is an impassioned and argumentative prayer, moving between descriptions of the present crisis and reminders of God’s past power.
- Part 1: The Complaint of Destruction and Silence (verses 1-11): An agonizing description of the enemy’s brutal destruction of the sanctuary and a direct question to God about His inaction.
- Part 2: The Confession of God’s Creative Power (verses 12-17): A powerful declaration of faith in God as the eternal King and sovereign Creator who defeated chaos at the beginning of time.
- Part 3: The Concluding Appeal for Intervention (verses 18-23): A final, urgent plea for God to remember His covenant, His people, and His own honor, and to rise up against His enemies.
Verse by Verse Commentary on Psalm 74
Verses 1-11: Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
“Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?… Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs… They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. They said in their hearts, ‘We will crush them completely!’… How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?”
The psalm opens with the agonizing question, “Why?” The destruction is so complete that it feels like a permanent rejection. The psalmist appeals to God to remember His people, whom He redeemed long ago, and Mount Zion, His chosen dwelling place.
The description of the destruction is graphic and horrifying. The enemy has roared like wild beasts in the sacred space. They have set up their own military standards where God’s presence was once symbolized. They smashed the beautiful woodwork with axes and hammers and then burned the sanctuary to the ground. Their goal was total annihilation.
This physical destruction is matched by a spiritual crisis. There are no prophetic signs, no word from the Lord. This silence leads the psalmist to challenge God directly: “How long will this go on? Why do you hold back your powerful right hand?” It is a cry of utter desperation.
Verses 12-17: But You Are My King from of Old
“But you, God, are my King from of old; you bring salvation on the earth. It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert… It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.”
In a dramatic shift, the psalmist turns from the painful present to the powerful past. The word “But” is the hinge. He declares his faith: “you, God, are my King from of old.“
He then recites God’s acts of creative power using powerful mythological language. He recalls God splitting the sea, a reference to both the creation story and the Red Sea crossing. He describes God crushing the heads of Leviathan, a great sea monster from ancient Near Eastern mythology that represented the forces of chaos and evil. By defeating Leviathan, God established order in the universe.
The psalmist also credits God with providing water from the rock and drying up the Jordan River (“you dried up the ever-flowing streams”). He is the one who established the very rhythm of life on earth: day and night, sun and moon, summer and winter. The point of this recital is clear: If God had the power to defeat the ultimate forces of chaos to create the world, surely He has the power to defeat the Babylonians now.
Verses 18-23: Rise Up, O God, and Defend Your Cause
“Remember how the enemy has mocked you, LORD… Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land… Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.”
The psalm concludes by bringing the two previous sections together. The psalmist asks God, the mighty Creator-King, to remember the current situation. He asks God not to hand over His “dove” (a tender symbol for Israel) to the wild beasts.
He appeals to the covenant, the binding promise God made to His people. The land is filled with violence, and the oppressed are ashamed. The psalmist pleads for God to act based on His covenant faithfulness.
The final plea is the most powerful. He asks God to rise up and act, not just for Israel’s sake, but for His own. “Defend your cause.” The issue is no longer just the suffering of Israel, but the honor of God’s name, which is being mocked by arrogant fools. The psalm ends not with an answer, but with the roar of the enemy still rising, leaving the plea hanging in the air before a silent God.
Practical Lessons for Today
It Is Okay to Ask God “Why?”: This psalm gives us permission to be brutally honest with God in our suffering. When life feels like a smoking ruin, it is not a sign of weak faith to cry out in confusion and ask God where He is and why He is not acting.
Remember God’s Power When You Feel Powerless: The psalmist’s strategy in the face of overwhelming disaster was to remember and declare who God is. When your world is falling apart, anchor your soul by recalling God’s eternal power, His victory over chaos, and His faithfulness in the past.
Our Suffering Affects God’s Reputation: When God’s people suffer, it can cause the world to mock God. Our prayers for deliverance can and should include a plea for God to act for the sake of His own name and His glory in the world.
Hold On to the Covenant: In the darkest times, when there are no signs and no clear answers, we can hold on to God’s promises. The psalmist appealed to the covenant. We can appeal to the new covenant, sealed in the blood of Jesus, trusting that God’s promises to us are unbreakable, even when we cannot see how they will be fulfilled.
Cross References
Lamentations 2:7: “The Lord has rejected his altar and abandoned his sanctuary. He has given the walls of her palaces into the hands of the enemy; they have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed fest1ival.” The book of Lamentations is an entire book dedicated to the themes of Psalm 74, mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
2 Kings 25:9: “He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.” This is the historical account of the event that Psalm 74 is lamenting.
Isaiah 51:9-10: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD… Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep…?” The prophet Isaiah uses a similar strategy as the psalmist, appealing to God to act now as He did in the past when He defeated the mythical monster of chaos (called Rahab here, another name for Leviathan).
Job 26:12-13: “By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent.” This passage from Job also reflects the common Old Testament understanding of God as the Creator who brought order out of primordial chaos, symbolized by a great sea monster.