I. (74:1–3) O God, Why Do You Cast Us Off? The psalm begins by describing what the circumstances feel like for the faithful: it is as if God has “cast us off,” and the faithful fear he will do so “forever” (v. 1). The language is evocative, and the situation indeed dire: “The enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!” Hence the cries to God to “remember” and “direct your steps.”

Verse 1 portrays God’s anger as “smoking” (cf. Deut. 29:20; Ps. 18:8). The Hebrew Bible commonly describes anger, human and divine, as “kindling” or “burning” (Gen. 30:2; 44:18; Ex. 4:14; 32:10–11; etc.), and this here is likely an extension of that imagery. Another common portrayal is of God’s people as his “sheep” (cf. Pss. 77:20; 79:13; 95:7; 100:3; cf. comment on 23:1). As the sheep of his pasture, the people would expect God to protect them from their enemies!

For God being to “remember” something is for him to attend to it in order to act (see comment on 25:5–6). The word comes into play in the exodus narrative (Ex. 2:24), and the idea recurs in this psalm (Ps. 74:18, 23). This background lends further significance to the terms “purchased” and “redeemed,” which are taken from Moses’ Song (Ex. 15:13, 16): Israel is God’s people, for whom he has done great deeds in the past, marking them out as his own. This makes the current disaster—in which “the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary,” laying it to “perpetual ruins”—all the more painful.

II. (74:4–8) They Have Destroyed the Sanctuary. The next section details how the Gentiles devastated the sanctuary: they chopped up the wood and set fire to the building.

Psalm 74:4 calls the temple “your meeting place” (the place God appointed as his dwelling place with his people), while verse 7 references “your sanctuary” (the holy place) and the “dwelling place of your name” (Deut. 12:11). Given the importance God himself placed upon the temple and the promises he had made to be present with his people, it is horrific that these Gentiles have “profaned” it (Ps. 74:7)—they have destroyed something holy, specially consecrated to God alone.

The Hebrew word translated “meeting place” (v. 4) also appears in the Pentateuch expression “tent of meeting,” as does the word rendered “dwelling place” (v. 7)—both of which are names for the tabernacle, the sacred tent at which God was to meet with his people and dwell with them.512 Verse 8 moves from this to “all the meeting places . . . in the land,” which would likely be the local places of assembly for Sabbath services, in support of the central sanctuary (cf. Lev. 23:3). Although the Pentateuch requires a central sanctuary, it also recognizes the local assemblies: agriculturalists could hardly travel to the central place every week!513 These too have been laid waste by the Lord’s “foes.” The people of God are, at their most basic level, a sacred community, called together to worship the living God and to live out that worship day to day—thus this wanton depredation has deeply wounded the very being of the people.

III. (74:9–11) And You Seem Silent! God’s purchase and redemption of his people make it puzzling that he gives no “signs” and has raised no “prophet” to guide his people in such dire distress or to tell them “how long” it will last (and perhaps to help them to identify whatever failings of theirs have brought about God’s anger; Ps. 74:1). Even more puzzling is the way in which God allows the enemy to continue to “scoff” and to “revile” God’s “name” (his revelation of his gracious purpose for Israel and the world)—how can he not strike them down? Again, the song speaks poetically: it feels as though God keeps his “hand” tucked in the “fold of your garment,” while the people need him to exert that hand in power (Deut. 26:8).

IV. (74:12–17) But You Have Done Wonders in the Past. With the next section the worshipers recall God’s mighty deeds from the past, in which he has worked “salvation” (cf. comment on 3:1–2) in the exodus from Egypt and the journey through the wilderness (74:12–15) and in his creation and governance of the whole world (vv. 16–17). The OT is constantly reminding its readers that the God who chose Israel to be his people is in fact the very same God who made everything there is (observe how Psalm 136 moves seamlessly from creation to redemption).514 This is the wonder of being Israel; the point of mentioning it here is to show how wrong it is for the Gentiles to disdain this God.

The Hebrew word in verse 13 rendered “sea monsters” (tannin) can also be the more neutral “great sea creatures” (ESV mg.; cf. Gen. 1:21), but here, coupled with “Leviathan” (Ps. 74:14) and in reference to Egypt, it would appear to be some kind of dragon-like beast (hence LXX: “the dragon”).515 In Ugaritic texts these terms are used for a dangerous, dragon-like monster, and OT passages use that idea for various purposes that do not involve endorsing mythical views (cf. Job 3:8; Isa. 27:1).516 The biblical authors are confident that the Lord triumphs over all powers, including the most feared; here this monster is used as a figure for Egypt, as if that nation were such a beast, with no hope of successfully opposing the maker of heaven and earth. Elsewhere the name is used for fearsome creatures, over which God has control (Job 41:1, possibly a crocodile depicted mythically; Ps. 104:26, probably a whale).

These verses also refer to the creation story of Genesis 1 (although the wording is not limited to that of Genesis 1; cf. Deut. 32:8; Ps. 136:7–9). In creation God showed his power and also his generosity toward Adam’s race.

V. (74:18–23) Have Regard for the Covenant and Deliver Us! Now the psalm finishes, pleading with God to “remember . . . how the enemy scoffs” (vv. 18, 22) and not to “forget the clamor of your foes” (v. 23). As throughout the psalm, the prayerful worshipers may feel as if God were tempted to do just that, and the psalm gives them words to pray in response.

It is unthinkable for God to “deliver the soul of your dove [a clean bird, an image for Israel] to the wild beasts [i.e., to foreign powers]” to be torn and devoured. The destructive invaders are a “foolish” people, as evidenced by the way in which they “scoff” (vv. 18, 22)—that is, they are not merely Gentiles but have done evil to Israel. The psalm makes no appeal to the people’s merit; rather, it appeals, “Have regard for the covenant” (i.e., to God’s promises to the patriarchs) and “Defend your cause.” (God chose the people for his purposes, to bring light to the Gentiles; how will they receive that light if these oppressing Gentiles suppress it by their mocking?) The Gentile oppression has also resulted in violence upon the downtrodden, the poor and needy (vv. 20–21)—presumably this is done by the invaders, but it is also conceivable that Israelites are unleashed by the situation and exploiting their fellows as a result (as happened far too often).517

Thus the closing prayer: “Arise, O God,” from what feels for the singer like God’s inactivity (7:6), in order to defeat those who “rise against you”!