Click here to read PSALM 44 in poetic form.
Background
This Psalm opens with three verses referring to God helping Moses and the children of Israel in times past, in accordance with Exodus theme. The next verse states that God is still King and a deliverer. Then the verse after that says that God will help in the future.
The Psalm includes a title “for the sons of Korah.” Regarding the sons of Korah, I Chronicles 9:19 says: “And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the Lord, were keepers of the entry.” They were responsible for service in the tabernacle and later the Temple.
The Psalm includes a postscript “Shoshannim.” This word means “lilies” can refer to springtime and the Passover Feast.
Structure
The Psalm is separated by the Hebrew term “Selah,” which means to pause. Some Bible teachers say this connected the truths that come before and after the term. Psalm 44 is structured as follows:
(Verses 1-8) God’s past help in times of trouble
(Pause)
(Verses 9-22) Need for God’s help in times of trouble
(Verses 23-26) Cry for God’s help in times of trouble
Key Scriptures
Verse 6—“For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.” David did not trust in his physical armaments. Neither did the son of David, Jesus Christ.
Verse 22—“Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” This verse lies between the statement that God “knoweth the secrets of the heart” and a request for God to “Awake” and “arise” and “redeem.” The ultimate answer to this request is seen where this verse is cited in Romans 8:36 and its immediate context: “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God rose up to help and redeemed mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
