Psalms 79: How Long, O Lord?
A communal lament over a ruined Jerusalem that pleads for God to forgive his people, avenge his servants, and act for his own name's sake.
Psalms 79 (WEB)
1 God, the nations have come into your inheritance. They have defiled your holy temple. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
2 They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth.
3 Their blood they have shed like water around Jerusalem. There was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and derision to those who are around us.
5 How long, Yahweh? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you; on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name;
7 For they have devoured Jacob, and destroyed his homeland.
8 Don’t hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us. Let your tender mercies speedily meet us, for we are in desperate need.
9 Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out.
11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you. According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death.
12 Pay back to our neighbors seven times into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord.
13 So we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will give you thanks forever. We will praise you forever, to all generations.
Psalms 79 (KJV)
1 O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.
4 We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.
5 How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.
8 O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.
9 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.
10 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.
11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;
12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
Psalms 79 (ASV)
1 O God, the nations are come into thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be food unto the birds of the heavens, The flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; And there was none to bury them.
4 We are become a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and derision to them that are round about us.
5 How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou be angry for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his habitation.
8 Remember not against us the iniquities of our forefathers: Let thy tender mercies speedily meet us; For we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name; And deliver us, and forgive our sins, for thy name’s sake.
10 Wherefore should the nations say, Where is their God? Let the avenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed Be known among the nations in our sight.
11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee: According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death;
12 And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture Will give thee thanks for ever: We will show forth thy praise to all generations.
Summary
This psalm of Asaph is a communal lament voiced over the smoking ruins of Jerusalem. The nations have invaded God's inheritance, defiled his holy temple, left the city in heaps, and given the bodies of God's servants to the birds and beasts; their blood has been poured out like water with no one to bury them. The people have become a reproach and a mockery to their neighbors. Out of this devastation the psalm cries the ancient question of grief: "How long, Yahweh? Will you be angry forever?" Yet the prayer does more than complain. It confesses sin, asking God not to hold the iniquities of their forefathers against them, and it pleads for tender mercies to meet them quickly in their desperate need. Strikingly, the central appeal is not to the people's worthiness but to God's own honor: "Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake." The psalm ends in hope, promising that the sheep of God's pasture will give him thanks forever. For the believer, this is the prayer of all who suffer the wreckage of a fallen world and stake everything on God's character and the salvation found in his name.
Voices
- The grieving people of God — The community of Israel mourning the desecration of Jerusalem and the temple, confessing sin and pleading for mercy.
- Yahweh, the God of salvation — The God whose inheritance has been invaded, who is asked to forgive, deliver, and vindicate his people for his name's sake.
- The invading nations — The hostile peoples who defiled the temple, slaughtered God's servants, and mocked, "Where is their God?"
Key Verse
Psalm 79:9 (WEB)
Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
Lessons Learned
- It is right to bring our grief and our questions to God when life lies in ruins.
- True lament joins honest complaint with humble confession of sin.
- The surest ground of prayer is not our deserving but God's own name and glory.
- Even from the rubble, God's people can promise him thanks and praise to all generations.
- Grief can be prayed. "How long, Yahweh? Will you be angry forever?" (Psalm 79:5, WEB). Lament brings raw sorrow into the presence of God rather than turning away from him.
- Mercy is the only hope of sinners. "Don’t hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us. Let your tender mercies speedily meet us" (Psalm 79:8, WEB). The people ask not for fairness but for compassion.
- God acts for his own name. "Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name" (Psalm 79:9, WEB). The deepest plea anchors our rescue in God's honor, not our worth.
- Worship outlasts ruin. "So we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will give you thanks forever" (Psalm 79:13, WEB). Hope vows future praise even amid present loss.
- What has happened to Jerusalem and the people, as described in verses 1-4?
- How does the psalm hold together complaint, confession, and petition?
- Why does the psalmist appeal to God's "name" and "glory" rather than to Israel's goodness?
- What does it mean for the people to call themselves "sheep of your pasture" even in disaster (79:13)?
- When you face devastating loss, how might this psalm shape the way you pray?
- The nations have invaded God's inheritance, defiled the temple, reduced Jerusalem to heaps, slaughtered God's servants, and left them unburied (79:1-3). The people have become an object of mockery to their neighbors (79:4). It is total devastation, physical and spiritual.
- The psalm complains honestly about God's anger, confesses the iniquities of the people, and petitions for mercy and deliverance (79:5-9). Genuine lament does not choose between honesty and humility; it weeps, repents, and asks all at once.
- Because the people have no merit to plead, their only secure ground is God's reputation and faithfulness to his own character (79:9-10). When our worthiness fails, God's name remains a sure foundation for prayer—fulfilled in the name of Jesus, in which we are saved.
- It expresses trust that they still belong to God as his flock, even when scattered and wounded (79:13). Identity in God endures through disaster, and from that belonging flows a vow of unending thanks.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Encourage members to bring real grief to God without tidying it up, while also confessing sin and resting on God's character. As leader, reassure them that lament is a faithful, biblical language of prayer.