at the voice of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy, bent on revenge. at the voiceThe phrase "at the voice" suggests an immediate and visceral reaction to something heard. In the Hebrew text, the word for "voice" is "קוֹל" (qol), which can mean sound, voice, or noise. This term is often used in the Old Testament to denote the voice of God, a prophet, or an enemy. The emphasis here is on the power and impact of what is heard, indicating that the voice carries authority or causes distress. Historically, the Israelites were often surrounded by hostile nations, and the "voice" could symbolize the taunts or threats from these adversaries. In a spiritual sense, it reminds believers of the importance of discerning the voices they listen to, ensuring they align with God's truth. of him who taunts
The word "taunts" comes from the Hebrew "חֵרֵף" (cheref), which means to reproach or defy. This term is used in the context of verbal abuse or scorn, often directed at God's people by their enemies. In the historical context of Israel, taunting was a common tactic used by surrounding nations to demoralize and intimidate. Spiritually, this phrase can be seen as a reminder of the spiritual warfare believers face, where the enemy seeks to undermine faith through doubt and ridicule. It calls Christians to stand firm in their identity in Christ, despite the world's scorn. and reviles
The word "reviles" is translated from the Hebrew "גִּדּוּף" (gidduf), which means to blaspheme or insult. This term is often associated with speaking against God or His people in a contemptuous manner. In the biblical narrative, reviling was not just an attack on individuals but an affront to God Himself, as His people were His representatives on earth. For contemporary believers, this highlights the reality of facing opposition for their faith and the importance of responding with grace and truth, following the example of Christ who was also reviled. the enemy
The term "enemy" in Hebrew is "אוֹיֵב" (oyev), which refers to a foe or adversary. Throughout the Psalms, the "enemy" is often a literal nation or person opposing Israel, but it also represents spiritual adversaries. In the broader biblical context, the enemy can be seen as any force that opposes God's will and His people. For Christians, this includes not only physical adversaries but also spiritual ones, such as sin and Satan. This phrase serves as a reminder of the ongoing spiritual battle and the need for reliance on God's strength and protection. Persons / Places / Events 1. The PsalmistThe author of Psalm 44, traditionally attributed to the sons of Korah, who expresses a communal lament over Israel's suffering and defeat despite their faithfulness to God. 2. The Scorner and RevilerThese are individuals or groups who mock and insult the people of God, representing external opposition and persecution. 3. The EnemyThis refers to adversaries of Israel who are intent on revenge, possibly indicating surrounding nations or specific historical enemies who have caused distress to the Israelites. 4. IsraelThe nation of God's chosen people, who are experiencing hardship and seeking understanding and deliverance from God. 5. GodThe central figure to whom the Psalmist directs their lament, seeking intervention and justice. Teaching Points Understanding PersecutionRecognize that being scorned and reviled is a common experience for God's people throughout history. It is important to remain steadfast in faith despite external pressures. Responding to EnemiesInstead of seeking personal revenge, believers are called to trust in God's justice and timing. This requires patience and faith in God's ultimate plan. Communal LamentThe psalm reflects a collective cry for help, reminding us of the importance of community in times of distress. We should support one another in prayer and encouragement. God's SovereigntyEven when circumstances seem dire, God remains in control. Believers are encouraged to hold onto the truth of God's sovereignty and faithfulness. Hope in God's DeliveranceThe psalmist's cry for help is rooted in hope that God will act. This teaches us to maintain hope and trust in God's deliverance, even when it seems delayed. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the experience of being scorned and reviled in Psalm 44:16 relate to the experiences of Christians today? Can you think of specific examples? 2. In what ways can we support each other as a community of believers when facing external opposition, as seen in Psalm 44? 3. How does the theme of trusting in God's justice, rather than seeking personal revenge, challenge or encourage you in your current circumstances? 4. Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by "enemies" or difficult situations. How did you see God's sovereignty at work in that situation? 5. How can the assurance of God's love and ultimate victory, as discussed in Romans 8, provide comfort and strength when facing scorn and revilement? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 79Another communal lament where the psalmist cries out to God for deliverance from enemies and for the restoration of Israel. Job 16:20Job speaks of being scorned by his friends, similar to the scorn faced by the psalmist, highlighting the theme of enduring unjust criticism. Romans 8:31-39Paul speaks of the assurance of God's love and victory over adversaries, offering hope and encouragement in the face of persecution. People Jacob, Korah, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Abuses, Avenger, Bent, Bitter, Blasphemeth, Enemy, Hater, Instrument, Presence, Punishment, Reason, Reproach, Reproacher, Reproaches, Reproacheth, Revenge, Revengeful, Revile, Reviler, Revilers, Reviles, Says, Self-avenger, Sharp, Sight, Taunt, Taunters, Taunteth, Verbally, VoiceDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 44:16 5893 insults 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 44:16 NIVPsalm 44:16 NLTPsalm 44:16 ESVPsalm 44:16 NASBPsalm 44:16 KJV
Psalm 44:16 Commentaries
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