SundaySermon - Prince - Psalm 83
Psalm 83
Verse1: O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.
There is a push against the truth in the world today. This scheme is planned with the coming together of different groups. This Psalm is a prayer against the violence that is planned. The prayer is made with fervor to push back against the violence.
Verse4: “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
The devil wants to kill that fighting spirit in you. We need keep this alive in us. It is not time for us to give up or get tired. We need to resilience.
How did Asaph (the writer of this Psalm) keep his spirit up
- Remember the Works of the Lord
- Violent Faith
- Divine, Majestic Power of God
Remember the Works of the Lord
Verse9&10: Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
The Story of Jabin of oppression. The Israelites were oppressed for 20 years. And their deliverance came through the most unlikely place - Deborah
Verse: Judges 4:3
3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.
4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading[a] Israel at that time.
Violent Faith
Verse: Psalm 83:11,12
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”
Gideon was a man who was timid and would shy away from people. His self confidence was at the lowest point. But God chose Gideon who was again most unqualified. But Gideon and his men stood their ground
Verse: Judges 7:21
21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.
How do we stand our ground? We don't buckle under pressure from our society to confirm to a community standard. The standard of the community is now normalizing immoral behavior (gay marriage, abortions). We need to stand against them in prayer.
Verse: Matthew 11:12
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,[a] and violent people have been raiding it.
Divine, Majestic Power of God
Verse13,14,15: Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.
Let us meditate on the power of God. This will give us the strength to move forward.
Verse: Psalm 18:6-12
6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook, they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.