Sin, tragedy, and God’s compassion
Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13. March 6, 2023 - Monday, 2nd Week of Lent
There was a conviction in ancient Israel that Jerusalem was inviolable and indestructible. In their view, the Lord would never allow his temple and his city to be destroyed. When the Assyrians invaded Judah and surrounded Jerusalem around 701 BC, the Lord spoke through Isaiah: “I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (Is 37:35). And so it happened. The Assyrians aborted the siege of the city and left home defeated by God. But when the Babylonians came in 586 BC, the Lord did not defend Jerusalem to save it. They defiled the temple and left Jerusalem in ruins (see Ps 79:1).
Psalm 79 is a psalm of lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. The psalmist expresses his pain and grief over the tragedy that befell the beloved city and its temple. And he has difficulties comprehending how the Lord could allow this to happen. In view of the psalmist, the tragedy affected not just the people but also the Lord. The Babylonians boasted that their gods were more powerful than the Lord and scornfully asked the Israelites: where is your God (see Ps 79:10)?
There is a book titled “The Lost History of Christianity” by Philip Jenkins. The subtitle is revealing: “The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia - and How it Died”. Psalm 79 could be applied to that tragic story of the Church. What seemed inviolable and flourishing, was destroyed over the years. Millions of Christians were killed, more were forced to convert to Islam, and those who remained faithful were treated with contempt by their masters.
The psalmist sees behind that tragedy God’s anger caused by the transgressions of His people. But, he appeals to God’s mercy. He prays: “Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake”. God’s reputation is at stake here. The cry of those who were carried to Babylon should come before the Lord and move Him to action. Fifty years later, the Babylonian empire disappeared and the people were allowed to return and rebuild the city and the temple. How about the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia?
Philip Jenkins is also the author of a book titled “The Next Christendom” with the subtitle “the coming of Global Christianity”. In that book, he documents the surprising growth of Christianity that took place in the last century, particularly in Africa and Asia. The twentieth century which witnessed the greatest suffering and persecution of the Church in history also witnessed one of the fastest growth of the Church. And for this miracle of God’s mercy, the people of God across the globe give thanks to our Lord.