O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
Psalm 74 is a post-Davidic psalm presumably attributed to Asaph, belonging to a group associated with the Babylonian captivity and written during or after the captivity of Israel. It reflects the time when Jerusalem had been brought low and its people scattered, voicing the captives' sorrow and desolation, their longing, and their prayers for deliverance.
The verse assumes that God dwelt in the sanctuary built within the border of Canaan, with the land and the sanctuary distinct from each other as a lot is distinct from the house built on it. The sanctuary it concerns, first connected with the tabernacle and afterward with the temple on Mount Moriah built by Israel, was destroyed by fire and burned to the ground.
The verse is the appeal of God's distressed people, pictured as the sheep of his pasture, asking why he has cast them off and why his anger smokes and continues against them. It thus provides an example of humble, earnest prayer that argues with God and asks him to reconsider his treatment of his people.
The verse was later sung as a lament by the Vaudois exiles as they entered Genoa after persecution had emptied their valleys and scattered them, expressing grief over the apparent ruin of their church and the sense of being cast off.
Psalm 74 is a post-Davidic psalm presumably attributed to Asaph, belonging to a group associated with the Babylonian captivity and written during or after the captivity of Israel. It reflects the time when Jerusalem had been brought low and its people scattered, voicing the captives' sorrow and desolation, their longing, and their prayers for deliverance.
The verse assumes that God dwelt in the sanctuary built within the border of Canaan, with the land and the sanctuary distinct from each other as a lot is distinct from the house built on it. The sanctuary it concerns, first connected with the tabernacle and afterward with the temple on Mount Moriah built by Israel, was destroyed by fire and burned to the ground.
The verse is the appeal of God's distressed people, pictured as the sheep of his pasture, asking why he has cast them off and why his anger smokes and continues against them. It thus provides an example of humble, earnest prayer that argues with God and asks him to reconsider his treatment of his people.
The verse was later sung as a lament by the Vaudois exiles as they entered Genoa after persecution had emptied their valleys and scattered them, expressing grief over the apparent ruin of their church and the sense of being cast off.