Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
The verse is a cry of distress asking why God seems to hide His face, withhold His favor, forget suffering, and leave affliction and oppression unattended and unanswered. It stands within a group of psalms characterized as encouraging songs of joy, cheer, and help. Its setting is linked with Sennacherib's invasion and the destruction of the Assyrian host in the reign of Hezekiah.
The psalm portrays Israel in a backslidden yet persecuted condition and gives voice to the distress of that state. It speaks to the experience of every soul. Its picture of Israel as sheep appointed for slaughter is taken up by Paul in Romans 8 to affirm that believers are more than conquerors through the love of Christ.
The verse is a cry of distress asking why God seems to hide His face, withhold His favor, forget suffering, and leave affliction and oppression unattended and unanswered. It stands within a group of psalms characterized as encouraging songs of joy, cheer, and help. Its setting is linked with Sennacherib's invasion and the destruction of the Assyrian host in the reign of Hezekiah.
The psalm portrays Israel in a backslidden yet persecuted condition and gives voice to the distress of that state. It speaks to the experience of every soul. Its picture of Israel as sheep appointed for slaughter is taken up by Paul in Romans 8 to affirm that believers are more than conquerors through the love of Christ.