9 Do to them as you did to the Midianites
and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 They were destroyed at Endor,
and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil.
11 Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did.
Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 for they said, “Let us seize for our own use
these pasturelands of God!”
13 O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind!
14 As a fire burns a forest
and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
15 chase them with your fierce storm;
terrify them with your tempest.
16 Utterly disgrace them
until they submit to your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.
Let them die in disgrace.
18 Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord,
that you alone are the Most High,
supreme over all the earth. NLT
How does knowing what God has done through history strengthen the writer’s resolve in verses 9-12.
Describe the graphic nature of verse 10.
::::: DIGGING DEEPER :::::
If you have time, familiarize yourself with the background of verses 9-11 for a deeper understanding of the conviction of Psalm 83:
- Verses 9-10 reference the infamous tent peg killing of Sisera from Judges 4.
- Verse 11-12 reference Gideon’s victories over tribal enemies.
Look at verses 13-17. Going verse by verse, what does the writer of this psalm pray?
Verse 18 culminates the heart of this psalm. In one sentence, how would you state the point of the writer’s prayer?
::::: EQUIPPING CHALLENGE :::::
How do you reconcile Jesus’ command to “Love your enemies” with this psalm? How can the two pieces of Scripture be in the Bible?