Question 1

What is the main message of this passage?

Accepted Answer

This passage holds together two hard realities. First, God’s people remember how God once saved their fathers, drove out nations, and gave them the land purely by his power and love, not their own strength. Second, they now feel abandoned, shamed, scattered, and treated like sheep for slaughter, even though they say they have not left God or bowed to other gods. The main message is a prayerful struggle: honest complaint about deep suffering, joined with stubborn trust that God is still their King and can rise up to redeem them for his mercy’s sake.

Question 2

Why does the prayer start by remembering the fathers and God’s past works?

Accepted Answer

The prayer begins with “we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us” to show that faith is fed by stories of what God has already done. They recall how God drove out the nations and planted their ancestors, not by their sword but by his right hand and the light of his face. Bringing this up is not just history talk. It is their grounds for hope. If God helped their fathers when they were helpless, he can help them now. Remembering past mercy gives them courage to ask boldly in present trouble.

Question 3

What does it mean that they will not trust in their bow or sword?

Accepted Answer

When they say, “I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me,” they are admitting that human strength and weapons are not the real reason for safety or victory. Their fathers did not gain the land by their own arm, and they know they will not be saved that way either. This does not deny the use of armies, but it shifts the heart’s trust to God as King. Through him they hope to push down enemies and tread on those who rise against them, giving all the credit to God’s name, not to themselves.

Question 4

Why do they feel cast off if they have not forgotten God?

Accepted Answer

They describe terrible suffering: defeat in battle, being scattered among the nations, sold like cheap slaves, mocked and shamed by neighbours. Yet they insist, “we have not forgotten thee” and “our heart is not turned back.” That tension is the pain of the prayer. They are saying, in simple words, “We are hurting badly, and it is not because we have run after idols.” Their trouble is not a clear punishment for open betrayal. That is why they feel so confused and bold enough to ask God why he seems to hide his face while they suffer.

Question 5

What does “we are counted as sheep for the slaughter” mean here?

Accepted Answer

The words “we are counted as sheep for the slaughter” picture God’s people as helpless and disposable in the eyes of the world. They feel hunted and killed “all the day long” simply because they belong to God: “for thy sake are we killed.” Their faithfulness has not spared them from harm; in a way, it has painted a target on them. This line shows that suffering can come not from secret sin, but from being identified with God. Yet even in that place, they address their cry to God, believing he sees and will one day answer.

Question 6

How does this passage describe God’s character?

Accepted Answer

The prayer shows God as King, the one who commands deliverance and gives victories. It shows him as the one whose right hand, arm, and shining face once gave the land to their fathers. It also shows that God knows the secrets of the heart, so he can tell whether they have really turned to other gods or not. And though he seems to sleep and hide his face for a time, they still appeal to his mercy. By asking to be redeemed “for thy mercies’ sake,” they lean on his love and covenant kindness, not their own worth.

Question 7

Why does it sound like they accuse God of sleeping or hiding?

Accepted Answer

When they cry, “Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?” and “Wherefore hidest thou thy face?” they speak from deep pain. It feels to them as if God is inactive and not paying attention to their misery. They know God does not really sleep, but they describe how his silence looks and feels. This honest language is part of real faith, not unbelief. Instead of turning away, they bring their confusion straight to God. They ask him not to cast them off forever, but to rise, see their soul in the dust, and act in mercy.

Question 8

How can this passage guide my prayers when I suffer?

Accepted Answer

This passage gives a pattern for praying in hard times. You can remember how God has helped his people before and even how he has helped you in the past. You can admit your weakness and refuse to trust only in your own strength or tools. You can be honest about feeling shamed, confused, or forgotten, without pretending things are fine. You can also search your heart about hidden idols, knowing God sees the secrets within. Finally, you can ask God to arise and help, not because you deserve it, but because his mercy and covenant love are your only hope.

Psalm 44:1

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

Redeem Us, O God

For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

Redeem Us, O God

For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

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Psalm 44:1

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

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Redeem Us, O God

For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

Redeem Us, O God

For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

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