God’s Cause For Our World

God’s Cause for Our World

Psalm 74:22

Watch: https://studio.youtube.com/video/h-WkxN1Y4XU/edit?c=UCnsKqgXUXKLZ13J7FrnC6uQ

The other week I was forced to give careful consideration what the Psalmist is asking God to do, which in so many ways is or should be at the heart of our prayers to God.

“Arise, O God, plead Your own cause” (Psalm 74:22 NKJV)

Now this is something that is mostly foreign to us, that is, requesting that God plead His cause, because normally we ask God to plead our cause, and defeat those who come against us.

“Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.” (Psalm 35:1-2 NKJV)

“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! (Psalm 43:1 NKJV)

But not so in our passage, here God’s people, who probably asked God to plead their cause when these foreign invaders came against them and took them captive, are now asking God to plead His cause, because they know that God’s promises stand, and so, they are basically saying, “Hey Lord, keep Your promise,” or, “Plead Your cause.”

At the end of our time together, I will clarify what this looks like.

Now, Psalm 74 is pointing to the time that followed the destruction of the nation Israel, which would include the northern ten tribes of Israel, and the two southern tribes of Israel known as Judah.

Assyria conquered the northern kingdom in 722 B.C., and Babylon conquered the southern kingdom during the years 605-587 B.C. The people were taken captive into foreign lands and at the end of 587 B.C. the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed (2 Kings 25:8-12). Now, with the center of their religious life gone, the people feel cut off and separated from God. Worse than that, the years of captivity led them to doubt God’s faithfulness.

But the faithlessness was not on God’s part, but rather it was on the peoples’ part. They were the ones who disobeyed God’s law and continued to rebel against Him. But even so, God’s promise has been and will always be His cause no matter what we do.

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV)

Hence the Psalmist cry for God to arise and for Him to plead, that is, to defend His cause.

And this is the Psalmist prayer of Psalm 74.

· In verses 1-3 The people invited God to go and inspect the ruins of the city and the temple. Perhaps that would arouse Him to remember His covenant and bring them back to their homeland. And this is no different for us as we ask God to revive us, that is, the church once again, because as we so eagerly point out that evil is flourishing.

· In verses 4-9 the Psalmist describes the enemy’s defilement of the temple, as they set up banners to their gods and destroyed the temple, eradicating any hint of God, plus they removed all of God’s prophets.

· And then in verses 10-23 it is a call to act against these atrocities and silence those who dishonor His name. And he points out how powerful God is and that nothing can stop Him. Therefore, the plea for God to defend His cause and rescue His people.

And so, we get to our verse. “Arise, O God, plead Your own cause” (Psalm 74:22 NKJV)

Now, I’d first like to take a look at two words that are in this passage.

To Arise

To Arise is a call to battle

The Psalmist is calling on God to go to battle for them, that is, to go to battle for His people, which is, at its heart, God’s cause, as seen in this Psalm as he says in the first few verses, “the sheep of Your pasture,” “Your congregation,” and “tribe of Your inheritance.”

The reality is that the battle, while we join in, is really God’s battle and He calls for us to move forward and to take possession of what He has already gained.

To King Jehoshaphat concerning the upcoming battle against Moab and Ammon, whose army was so much greater than Judah’s, the Lord said, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.” (2 Chronicles 20:15b NKJV)

In the end, the enemy fought against themselves, and Israel just waltzed on in afterwards and pick up the loot, and it says that it took them three days to do so.

We see this same thing throughout the Scriptures, that is, the battle is ultimately God’s, for the enemy isn’t coming against us as much as he is coming against God.