What is happening in this passage about Jerusalem and the temple?

This passage is a cry to God after a terrible invasion. Foreign nations have come into God’s land, ruined Jerusalem, and defiled the holy temple. Many of God’s servants have been killed, their bodies left in the open as food for birds and wild animals, with no one brave enough to bury them. The people are shamed and mocked by the nations around them. In this desperate state, they turn to God, admitting their sins and asking Him to forgive, act, and restore them.

Why do the people ask, "How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever?"

The people feel like God’s anger has gone on without end. They know their suffering is tied to their own sins and their fathers’ sins, so they see this disaster as His discipline. At the same time, the pain is so deep that it seems endless. Their question is not unbelief but honest struggle. They are saying, in simple terms, “Lord, is this going to last forever, or will You show mercy again?” It is a cry of faith that still dares to talk to God.

What does “remember not against us former iniquities” mean here?

When they say, “remember not against us former iniquities,” they are owning the fact that their troubles are connected to past sins, both their own and their ancestors’. They are not claiming innocence. Instead, they are asking God not to keep those old sins on the record against them. They plead for His “tender mercies” to come quickly because they are “brought very low.” It is a simple prayer for a clean slate, based on God’s kindness, not their worthiness.

Why does this passage ask God to pour out His wrath on the heathen?

The prayer for God to pour out His wrath on the nations comes from deep pain. These nations have invaded God’s inheritance, ruined His temple, shed the blood of His servants “like water,” and mocked God by asking, “Where is their God?” The people are not just seeking personal revenge. They want God to show that He cares about justice and His own name. They ask Him to judge those who “have not known thee” and “have not called upon thy name,” and to answer the cruelty done to His people.

What does this passage teach about God’s mercy and forgiveness?

This passage shows that even in heavy judgment, God’s people still look to His mercy. They call Him “the God of our salvation” and ask Him to help them “for the glory of thy name.” They ask Him to “deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.” That means they know they need both rescue from enemies and cleansing from guilt. Their hope rests on who God is, not on their performance. Mercy, in this prayer, is God forgiving sin and lifting His people when they are crushed.

Why do the people connect God’s glory with their deliverance?

They ask for help “for the glory of thy name” and say, “Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?” Their thinking is simple: if God’s people are wiped out and mocked, others will think God is weak or uncaring. So they pray that God will act in a way that shows the nations who He is. Their deliverance is not just about their comfort. It is about God being known as faithful, just, and powerful. When He saves and forgives them, His name is honored before the watching world.

What does it mean that God’s people are called "sheep of thy pasture" here?

Calling themselves “thy people and sheep of thy pasture” is a humble way of saying they belong to God and depend on Him. Sheep need a shepherd to protect, guide, and feed them. By using this picture at the end of such a dark prayer, they are saying, “We are still Yours. You have not lost us, even in this ruin.” They promise that if He restores them, they will give Him thanks forever and tell future generations about His praise, just like a flock that has been rescued by its shepherd.

How can someone today pray this passage in their own suffering?

Someone today can use this passage when they feel crushed, ashamed, or surrounded by trouble. It shows that you can be honest with God about pain and confusion, even asking “How long?” You can admit your sins and the sins of those before you, and ask God not to hold them against you. You can call Him “God of our salvation” and ask for help for the sake of His name. And you can end, like this prayer does, with a promise to thank Him and praise Him when He brings you through.

Ps.79.1

Psalm 79:1

KJV

O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

A Prayer for Deliverance

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

4 We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

5 How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.

8 O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.

9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.

10 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.

11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.