A Coalition of Enemies Psalm 83:1-18 - Bible Study...

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Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

A Coalition of Enemies

Psalm 83:1-18

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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A Coalition of Enemies

Commentary

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Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 83:1-18, 1. O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. 2. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. 3. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. 4. "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." 5. With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you- 6. the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, 7. Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. 8. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah 9. Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 10. who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground. 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." 13. Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. 14. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, 15. so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.




16. Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD. 17. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. 18. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. NIV Introduction: I. It is impossible to determine with certainty the historical background of this psalm.

A. Since Assyria is included as an enemy of Israel (Ps. 83:8) but Babylonia is not, the psalm must have been written after Assyria began her westward march in the eighth century B.C., and before Babylonia became a world power at the overthrow of Nineveh in 612 B.C.

1. Psalm 83:8, Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah NIV

B. In all likelihood, the psalm is meant to be a composite picture of Israel’s enemies, past and present, and the purpose is to bolster faith for dealing with present problems.

Commentary:

Israel’s Enemies Are God’s Enemies Psalm 83:1-8, O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you- the tents




of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah NIV Psalm 83:1, O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. NIV I. “Do not keep silent”, “be not quiet” and “be not still” are pleas meant to implore God not to be inactive in Israel’s time of distress. Psalm 83:2-4, See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." NIV I. They remind God that these are “your enemies” (2a).

A. The enemies “are astir”, that is, in a state of agitation. B. They are “cunning” (3a), “they conspire” (3a), and “plot against” (3b) Israel. C. They intend to “destroy” Israel so that her name will “be remembered no more” (4).

Psalm 83:6-8, the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah NIV I. “Edom”, “the Ishmaelites”, “Moab” (6), and “Ammon” (7a) were blood relatives of Israel (Gen. 25:19-30; 16:15; 11:31; 19:36-38), but they were also traditional enemies of Israel.




A. “Gebal” (7a) was situated north of Edom and south of the Dead Sea (Joshua 13:5).

1. Joshua 13:5, the area of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath. NIV

B. “Amalek” (7a) was the father of nomadic tribes who roamed from the Sinai peninsula to the territory east of the Gulf of Aqabah.

1. They were also hostile toward Israel (Exodus 17:8-16; Numbers 24:20) and were marked by God for destruction (1 Samuel 15:1-3).

a. Exodus 17:8-16, The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.




He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." NIV

b. Numbers 24:20, Then Balaam saw Amalek and uttered his oracle: "Amalek was first among the nations, but he will come to ruin at last." NIV

c. 1 Samuel 15:1-3, Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'" NIV

C. “Philistia” (7b), located southwest of Israel, was an inveterate foe.

D. “The people of Tyre” (7b), situated northwest of Israel, were generally conciliatory toward the Israelites, and sometimes made alliances with them (1 Kings 7:13-14).

1. 1 Kings 7:13, 14, King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled and experienced in all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him. NIV




2. At other times, however, they were hostile enemies (Amos 1:9-10; Joel 3:4-8).

a. Amos 1:9-10, This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses." NIV

b. Joel 3:4-8, "Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland. "See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away." The LORD has spoken. NIV

E. Genesis 25:19-30, This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. The LORD said to her,




"Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.) NIV

F. Genesis 16:15, So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. NIV

G. Genesis 11:31, Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. NIV

H. Genesis 19:36-38, So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. NIV

II. Lands of Israel’s neighbors:

A. “Edom”, “Moab”, and “Ammon” bordered Israel on the south and the east.




B. “The Ishmaelites” (61) were a semi-nomadic people who sometimes settled among various Arab tribes south and east of Israel.

C. “The Hagrites” (6b) were apparently descendants of Abraham by Hagar (Genesis 16:10).

1. Genesis 16:10, The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count." NIV

2. They dwelt east of the Jordan and east of Gilead (1 Chronicles 5:10, 18-20).

a. 1 Chronicles 5:10, 18-20, During Saul's reign they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead. The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. NIV

3. The prophets frequently announce the certain downfall of Tyre (Isaiah 23:1-17; Jeremiah 25:22; 47:4; Ezekiel 26-28; Zechariah 9:3-4).




a. Isaiah 23:1-17, An oracle concerning Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them. Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched. On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations. Be ashamed, O Sidon, and you, O fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: "I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters." When word comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report from Tyre. Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the island. Is this your city of revelry, the old, old city, whose feet have taken her to settle in far-off lands? Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth? The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring low the pride of all glory and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. Till your land as along the Nile, O Daughter of Tarshish, for you no longer have a harbor. The LORD has stretched out his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble. He has given an order concerning Phoenicia that her fortresses be destroyed. He said, "No more of your reveling, O Virgin Daughter of Sidon, now crushed! "Up, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest." Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no account! The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin. Wail, you ships of Tarshish; your fortress is




destroyed! At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king's life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: "Take up a harp, walk through the city, O prostitute forgotten; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered." At the end of seventy years, the LORD will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. NIV

b. Jeremiah 25:22, all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea; NIV

c. Jeremiah 47:4, For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines and to cut off all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon. The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor. NIV

d. Ezekiel 26:1-21, In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,' therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. She will become plunder for the nations, and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the




sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD. "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons. His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the war horses, wagons and chariots when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. The hoofs of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea. I will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard no more. I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. "This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands tremble at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan and the slaughter takes place in you? Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled at you. Then they will take up a lament concerning you and




say to you: "'How you are destroyed, O city of renown, peopled by men of the sea! You were a power on the seas, you and your citizens; you put your terror on all who lived there. Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; the islands in the sea are terrified at your collapse.' "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living. I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign LORD." NIV

e. Ezekiel 27:1-36, The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You say, O Tyre, "I am perfect in beauty." Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection. They made all your timbers of pine trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus they made your deck, inlaid with ivory. Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail and served as your banner; your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah. Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your skilled men, O




Tyre, were aboard as your seamen. Veteran craftsmen of Gebal were on board as shipwrights to caulk your seams. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade for your wares. "'Men of Persia, Lydia and Put served as soldiers in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, bringing you splendor. Men of Arvad and Helech manned your walls on every side; men of Gammad were in your towers. They hung their shields around your walls; they brought your beauty to perfection. "'Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise. "'Greece, Tubal and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged slaves and articles of bronze for your wares. "'Men of Beth Togarmah exchanged work horses, war horses and mules for your merchandise. "'The men of Rhodes traded with you, and many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony. "'Aram did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies for your merchandise. "'Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, honey, oil and balm for your wares. "'Damascus, because of your many products and great wealth of goods, did business with you in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar. "'Danites and Greeks from Uzal bought your merchandise; they exchanged wrought iron, cassia and calamus for your wares. "'Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you. "'Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats. "'The merchants of Sheba




and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and gold. "'Haran, Canneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad traded with you. In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments, blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted. "'The ships of Tarshish serve as carriers for your wares. You are filled with heavy cargo in the heart of the sea. Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. But the east wind will break you to pieces in the heart of the sea. Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, seamen and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck. The shorelands will quake when your seamen cry out. All who handle the oars will abandon their ships; the mariners and all the seamen will stand on the shore. They will raise their voice and cry bitterly over you; they will sprinkle dust on their heads and roll in ashes. They will shave their heads because of you and will put on sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and with bitter mourning. As they wail and mourn over you, they will take up a lament concerning you: "Who was ever silenced like Tyre, surrounded by the sea?" When your merchandise went out on the seas, you satisfied many nations; with your great wealth and your wares you enriched the kings of the earth. Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your wares and all your company have gone down with you. All who live in the coastlands are appalled at you; their kings shudder with horror and their faces are distorted




with fear. The merchants among the nations hiss at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'" NIV

f. Ezekiel 28:1-26, The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud. "'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'" The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald,




chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'" The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'I am against you, O Sidon, and I will gain glory within you. They will know that I am the LORD, when I inflict punishment on her and show myself holy within her. I will send a plague upon her and make blood flow in her streets. The slain will fall within her, with the sword against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the LORD. "'No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. "'This is what




the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.'" NIV

Note: “The descendants of Lot” (8b), Moab and Ammon, are the chief instigators of this coalition against Israel (Psalm 83:8b).

Destroy Our Enemies Psalm 83:9-12, 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 refuse on the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, "Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God." NIV Psalm 83:9, 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 refuse on the ground. NIV I. The psalmist here refers to the victory of Deborah and Barak over “Jabin” (9b), king of Hazor (Judges 4-5).

A. Judges 4:1-24, After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to




the LORD for help. Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.'" Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh, where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him. Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River. Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. At Barak's advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left. Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my Lord,




come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him. "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.'" But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead. On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him. NIV

B. Judges 5:1-31, On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the LORD! "Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing; I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel. "O LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel. "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. When they chose new gods, war came to the city gates, and not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the LORD! "You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider the




voice of the singers at the watering places. They recite the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous acts of his warriors in Israel. "Then the people of the LORD went down to the city gates. 'Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam.' "Then the men who were left came down to the nobles; the people of the LORD came to me with the mighty. Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander's staff. The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, rushing after him into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves. The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the heights of the field. "Kings came, they fought; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they carried off no silver, no plunder. From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong! Then thundered the horses' hoofs— galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds. 'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD. 'Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.' "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk. Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman's hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he




fell; where he sank, there he fell-dead. "Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?' The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck— all this as plunder?' "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." Then the land had peace forty years. NIV

II. No specific mention is made of “Endor” (10a) in Judges, but since it is near Mount Tabor, which figured prominently in the battle, it is likely that Endor was also involved. III. The Greek reads “in Harod”, that is “the spring of Herod” (cf. NEB), the place of a Midianite defeat. Psalm 83:11, Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, I. A second event referred to is the victory of Gideon over the Midianite nobles, “Oreb and Zeeb” (Judges 7:25; 8:3), and the princes, “Zebah and Zalmunna” (Judges 8:4-21).

A. Judges 7:25, They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan. NIV

B. Judges 8:3, God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided. NIV




C. Judges 8:4-21, Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. He said to the men of Succoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?" Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers." From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower." Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the unsuspecting army. Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army. Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town. Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?' " He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of




a prince." Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you." Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks. NIV

II. The psalmist is following a usual form employed in blessings and curses whereby one recites instances of past happiness or misery and prays that something similar may happen in the present. Psalm 83:12, who said, "Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God." NIV I. These foes boasted that they would “take possession of the pasturelands of God”, that is, dispossess the Israelites and take over their grazing grounds and all their possessions (cf. Psalm 83:4).

A. Psalm 83:4, "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." NIV

“Put Our Enemies to Shame”

Psalm 83:13-18, Make them like tumbleweed, O 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. Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. NIV




Psalm 83:13, Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. NIV I. “Tumblewood” may refer to a wild artichoke which, when dry in the summer, rolls in the wind like a tumbleweed.

A. The thought is that the “chaff”, because it has little substance is easily displaced by the wind.

1. So may Israel’s enemies be displaced.

Psalm 83:14, 15, As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. NIV

A. May God “terrify them” with his “storm” (15b). Psalm 83:16-18, Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. NIV I. May the enemy “ever be ashamed and dismayed” (17a) and “perish in disgrace” (17b).

A. It is difficult to reconcile these sentiments with the phrases “that men will seek your name” (16b) and “know that you alone are the Most High over all the earth” (18b). B. It would appear on the surface that the psalmist is interested in the conversion of the enemies, but that idea is hard to reconcile with a wish for their complete extermination.




C. Perhaps the psalmist feels that the massive destruction of the present generation of these mad warriors must take place in order for their children to see the truth about God. D. See the note on imprecations in the Psalms at the end of Psalm 79.

Application: I. It is proper for Christians to pray for deliverance from one’s own enemies if it is clear that they are also God’s enemies.

A. It should always be the prayer on our lips and in our hearts that these enemies would be converted and learn to serve God. B. Efforts toward the destruction of national irreconcilable enemies who would destroy our freedom to worship and serve God are also sometimes necessary. C. Let us in these circumstances pray for safety and peace.




Questions

Psalm 83:1-18

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. “O God, do _____________ ________________ _______________; be _______________ _______________, O God, be _______________ _______________.” 2. “See how your _________________ are _______________, how their _______________ _______________ their _______________. With _____________ they _______________ against your ______________; they ______________ _______________ those you _______________. ‘_________________,’ they say, ‘let us _______________ them as a _______________, that the _______________ of _______________ be _______________ _______________ _______________.’” 3. “With _______________ _______________ they _______________ _________________; they _________________ an ________________ against you – the _________________ of __________________ and the __________________, of _______________ and the _______________, __________________, _______________ and _______________, _________________, with the _______________ of _______________. Even _____________ has _______________ them to _______________ _______________ to the _______________ of _______________.” 4. “Do to them as you did to ____________________, as you did to __________________ and _______________ at the _______________ __________________, who _______________ at _______________ and became like _________________ on the ________________. Make their _______________ like _______________ and _______________, all their ____________ like _______________ and _______________, who said, ‘Let us take _________________ of the _________________ of _______________.’”




5. “Make them like _____________, O my God, like _______________ before the _______________. As _______________ _______________ the ______________ or a _______________ sets the _______________ ______________, so ______________ them with their ______________ and _____________ them with your _____________. ______________ their _____________ with _______________ so that _______________ will seek your _______________, O Lord.” 6.”May they _____________ be _____________ and ______________; may they _______________ in _______________. Let them know that you, whose __________________ is the _______________ - that you _______________ are the _______________ _______________ over all the _________________.” 7. What is the historical background of Psalm 83? _________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. “In all likelihood, the psalm (83) is meant to be a _______________ _____________ of _____________’s _____________, _____________ and _____________, and the _______________ is to _______________ ____________ for ____________ with ___________ _____________.” 9. “_________________ _________________ ___________________,” “___________________ _______________ ________________” and “___________________ _______________ ________________” are _______________ meant to _______________ _______________ not to be _______________ in ________________’s _______________ of _______________.




10. These are God’s enemies as well or Israel’s enemies. They were _______________; that is, in a state of _______________. They were _______________, they _________________ and _______________ _______________ Israel. They intended to _______________ Israel so that her _____________ would be _____________ no ______________. 11. Name, identify, locate their geographical boundaries and specify the historical interactions, relations of these enemies with Israel. _________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. “The _____________ of ______________” (8b), _______________ and _______________, are the _______________ _______________ of this _______________ against _______________. 13. Identify Jabin, Hazor, Endor, Mount Tabor, Harod, Oreb and Zeeb, Zebah and Zalmunna. ________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




14. The _______________ is following a usual form employed in _______________ and _______________ whereby one recites instances of _______________ or _______________ and _______________ that something similar may happen in the _______________. 15. These _______________ _______________ that they would “_________________ ________________ of the _______________ of _________________”, that is, _______________ the _______________ and take over their _______________ _______________ and all their _______________. 16. With enemies all around and with Canaan’s being located on a major north-south trade route, how could Israel expect to permanently live there in peace? _____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. The psalmist ask God to ______________________ Israel’s _______________ with his _____________ and asked that his enemies ever be _____________ and _______________ and _______________ in _______________. 18. How can the psalmist be interested in these people’s conversion and salvation while asking God to destroy them? ______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. What lessons have you learned from your study of Psalm 83? _____




__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. What happened to Tyre? ___________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



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A Coalition of Enemies Psalm 83:1-18 - Bible Study...

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