You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. You have made usThe phrase "You have made us" indicates a direct action attributed to God. In the Hebrew text, the verb used here is "שִׂים" (sim), which means to set, place, or appoint. This suggests a deliberate act by God, emphasizing His sovereignty and control over the circumstances of His people. From a conservative Christian perspective, this acknowledges God's ultimate authority and His purposes, even when they are beyond human understanding. a byword
refers to a term or phrase that becomes synonymous with a particular characteristic, often negative. In the Hebrew, the word is "מָשָׁל" (mashal), which can mean a proverb or a parable. Historically, Israel's defeats and sufferings often became proverbial among surrounding nations, serving as a cautionary tale. This reflects the consequences of disobedience and the importance of faithfulness to God’s covenant. among the nations
highlights the scope of Israel's humiliation. The Hebrew word for nations is "גּוֹיִם" (goyim), which refers to the Gentile nations surrounding Israel. This phrase underscores the public nature of Israel's disgrace, as their status and reputation were diminished in the eyes of those who did not know God. From a historical context, this can be seen during periods of exile and conquest, where Israel's plight was visible to all. For conservative Christians, this serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a witness to the world, as the actions and fate of God's people are observed by others. a laughingstock among the peoples
The term "a laughingstock" conveys the idea of ridicule and scorn. In Hebrew, the word is "לַעַג" (la'ag), which means to mock or deride. This indicates that Israel's suffering was not only a matter of shame but also of mockery by others. This reflects the deep humiliation experienced by the people, serving as a poignant reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. among the peoples
The word "peoples" in Hebrew is "עַמִּים" (amim), which is often used to describe various ethnic groups or tribes. This suggests that the ridicule and scorn were widespread, affecting Israel's reputation across different cultures and societies. For conservative Christians, this highlights the universal impact of sin and disobedience, as well as the need for repentance and restoration in order to reclaim a place of honor among the nations. Persons / Places / Events 1. IsraelThe nation of Israel is the primary subject of this Psalm. The psalmist speaks on behalf of the people, expressing their collective experience of disgrace and humiliation among other nations. 2. NationsRefers to the surrounding Gentile nations who observe Israel's plight and use it as a source of ridicule. 3. PsalmistTraditionally attributed to the sons of Korah, the psalmist is the voice of lament, expressing the nation's distress and seeking God's intervention. 4. GodThe psalmist addresses God directly, acknowledging His sovereignty even in times of national disgrace. 5. Historical ContextWhile the specific event is not detailed, the psalm reflects a time of national defeat or calamity, possibly during the period of the Judges or the Babylonian exile. Teaching Points Understanding National HumiliationRecognize that national or communal suffering can be a part of God's sovereign plan, even when it leads to disgrace among others. The Role of Lament in FaithLament is a valid and important expression of faith, allowing believers to bring their deepest pains and questions before God. Trusting God Amidst DisgraceEven when we become a "laughingstock," our trust should remain in God, who is ultimately in control and can redeem any situation. Reflecting on Obedience and ConsequencesConsider how disobedience to God can lead to negative consequences, both personally and communally, and strive for a life of obedience. Hope in God's RedemptionDespite current humiliation, believers can hold onto the hope of God's future redemption and restoration. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the experience of Israel in Psalm 44:14 reflect the consequences outlined in Deuteronomy 28 for disobedience? 2. In what ways can the practice of lament, as seen in Psalm 44, be beneficial in your personal spiritual life? 3. How can we maintain our faith and trust in God when we feel like a "laughingstock" in our own lives or communities? 4. What are some modern examples of communities or nations experiencing humiliation, and how can we pray for them? 5. How does the hope of redemption and restoration, as seen throughout Scripture, provide comfort in times of disgrace? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, including becoming a byword among nations, which connects to the themes of Psalm 44. Lamentations 2The book of Lamentations also deals with the theme of national disgrace and the mocking of Israel by other nations, similar to the lament in Psalm 44. 1 Peter 4:14This New Testament verse speaks to the idea of suffering for the sake of righteousness, offering a perspective on enduring disgrace for a greater purpose. People Jacob, Korah, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Byword, By-word, Hast, Heads, Heathen, Laughingstock, Makest, Nations, Peoples, Shake, Shaking, Shame, Sign, SimileDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 44:9-16 7520 dispersion, the Psalm 44:9-19 5836 disgrace Psalm 44:9-26 5243 byword
6115 blame Library Second Sunday after Easter
Text: First Peter 2, 20-25. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. IISermon at the Opening Services of the General Convention, October 2, 1889
"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work Thou didst their days, in the times of old."--PSALM xliv. I. Brethren: I shall take it for granted that there is a visible Church; that it was founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, and has His promise that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. We believe that ours is a pure branch of the apostolic Church; that it has a threefold ministry; that its two sacraments--Baptism and the Supper of the Lord--are of perpetual …
H.B. Whipple—Five Sermons The Story of God's Mighty Acts
Now, my dear friends, this morning I intend to recall to your minds some of the wondrous things which God has done in the olden time. My aim and object will be to excite your minds to seek after the like; that looking back upon what God has done, you may be induced to look forward with the eye of expectation, hoping that he will again stretch forth his potent hand and his holy arm, and repeat those mighty acts he performed in ancient days. First, I shall speak of the marvellous stories which our …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859 Name Date No.
NAME DATE No. A Abelard, Rev. Peter 1079-1142 544 Adams, Mrs. Sarah (Flower) 1805-1848 222 Addison, Joseph 1672-1719 237, 252, 317 Ainger, Arthur Campbell 1841-1919 483 Alexander, Mrs. Cecil Frances (Humphreys) 1823-1895 87, 138, 156, 159, 179, 268, 283, 349, 358, 525, 553 Alford, Dean Henry 1810-1871 270, 344, 421, 531, 541 Allen, Rev. James 1734-1804 157 Anonymous 37, 173, 197, 209, 257, 284, 347, 355, 356, 377, 398 Armstrong, Bishop John 1813-1856 454 Auber, Miss Harriet 1773-1862 199 cNAME DATE …
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA Letter xv. To Turribius, Bishop of Asturia , Upon the Errors of the Priscillianists.
To Turribius, Bishop of Asturia [137] , upon the errors of the Priscillianists. Leo, bishop, to Turribius, bishop, greeting. I. Introductory. Your laudable zeal for the truth of the catholic Faith, and the painstaking devotion you expend in the exercise of your pastoral office upon the Lord's flock is proved by your letter, brother, which your deacon has handed to us, in which you have taken care to bring to our knowledge the nature of the disease which has burst forth in your district from the …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Mystery
Of the Woman dwelling in the Wilderness. The woman delivered of a child, when the dragon was overcome, from thenceforth dwelt in the wilderness, by which is figured the state of the Church, liberated from Pagan tyranny, to the time of the seventh trumpet, and the second Advent of Christ, by the type, not of a latent, invisible, but, as it were, an intermediate condition, like that of the lsraelitish Church journeying in the wilderness, from its departure from Egypt, to its entrance into the land …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse Appendix iv. An Abstract of Jewish History from the Reign of Alexander the Great to the Accession of Herod
The political connection of the Grecian world, and, with it, the conflict with Hellenism, may be said to have connected with the victorious progress of Alexander the Great through the then known world (333 b.c.). [6326] It was not only that his destruction of the Persian empire put an end to the easy and peaceful allegiance which Judæa had owned to it for about two centuries, but that the establishment of such a vast Hellenic empire. as was the aim of Alexander, introduced a new element into …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Epistle Lxvii. To Quiricus, Bishop, &C.
To Quiricus, Bishop, &c. Gregory to Quiricus, Bishop, and the other catholic bishops in Hiberia [183] . Since to charity nothing is afar off, let those who are divided in place be joined by letter. The bearer of these presents, coming to the Church of the blessed Peter, Prince of the apostles, asserted that he had received letters for us from your Fraternity, and had lost them, with other things also, in the city of Jerusalem. In them, as he says, you were desirous of enquiring with regard to priests …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Under the Shepherd's Care.
A NEW YEAR'S ADDRESS. "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."--1 Peter ii. 25. "Ye were as sheep going astray." This is evidently addressed to believers. We were like sheep, blindly, willfully following an unwise leader. Not only were we following ourselves, but we in our turn have led others astray. This is true of all of us: "All we like sheep have gone astray;" all equally foolish, "we have turned every one to his own way." Our first …
J. Hudson Taylor—A Ribband of Blue Introduction. Chapter i. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple …
St. Hilary of Poitiers—The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers Triumph Over Death and the Grave
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin: and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. T he Christian soldier may with the greatest propriety, be said to war a good warfare (I Timothy 1:18) . He is engaged in a good cause. He fights under the eye of the Captain of his salvation. Though he be weak in himself, and though his enemies are many and mighty, he may do that which in other soldiers …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Calvin -- Enduring Persecution for Christ
John Calvin was born in 1509, at Noyon, France. He has been called the greatest of Protestant commentators and theologians, and the inspirer of the Puritan exodus. He often preached every day for weeks in succession. He possest two of the greatest elements in successful pulpit oratory, self-reliance and authority. It was said of him, as it was afterward said of Webster, that "every word weighed a pound." His style was simple, direct, and convincing. He made men think. His splendid contributions to …
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume I Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Psalm 44:14 NIVPsalm 44:14 NLTPsalm 44:14 ESVPsalm 44:14 NASBPsalm 44:14 KJV
Psalm 44:14 Commentaries
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