שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף׃   83:1

Psal. 83:1   A psalm of Asaph's, a song:

Scholars seem to have agreed that there is no period in history that matches the description given below.  No such force has been united as the one described herein.  What modern scholars fail to notice, it seems to me, is its similarity to present-day circumstances.  I believe this psalm, the last of Asaph’s, to be prophetic and relates to our own era in history.

אֱלֹהִים אַל־דֳּמִי־לָךְ אַל־תֶּחֱרַשׁ וְאַל־תִּשְׁקֹט אֵל׃   83:2

Psal. 83:2   O God, silence is not for You.

                               May You not stay quiet and remain undisturbed, O God.

כִּי־הִנֵּה אוֹיְבֶיךָ יֶהֱמָיוּן וּמְשַׂנְאֶיךָ נָשְׂאוּ רֹאשׁ׃   83:3

Psal. 83:3   For behold, Your enemies must be in tumult,

                               and those who hate You raise up the head.

עַל־עַמְּךָ יַעֲרִימוּ סוֹד וְיִתְיָעֲצוּ עַל־צְפוּנֶיךָ׃   83:4

Psal. 83:4   They would take crafty counsel against Your people,

                                and conspire against Your treasured ones.

אָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַכְחִידֵם מִגּוֹי וְלֹא־יִזָּכֵר שֵׁם־יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹד׃   83:5

Psal. 83:5   They say, “Come, and let us erase them from being a nation,

                                that the name of Israel would not be remembered anymore.”

כִּי נוֹעֲצוּ לֵב יַחְדָּו עָלֶיךָ בְּרִית יִכְרֹתוּ׃   83:6

Psal. 83:6   For they consult together of a mind so united,

                                they could make a covenant against You.

אָהֳלֵי אֱדוֹם וְיִשְׁמְעֵאלִים מוֹאָב וְהַגְרִים׃   83:7

Psal. 83:7   The tents of Edom, and the Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Hagrites,

גְּבָל וְעַמּוֹן וַעֲמָלֵק פְּלֶשֶׁת עִם־יֹשְׁבֵי צוֹר׃   83:8

Psal. 83:8   Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre!

גַּם־אַשּׁוּר נִלְוָה עִמָּם הָיוּ זְרוֹעַ לִבְנֵי־לוֹט סֶלָה׃   83:9

Psal. 83:9   Even Assyria is joined with them;

                                they have become an arm for the children of Lot.            Selah.

I ask you, is this (vss. 3 to 9) not an eerily accurate description of the situation in the middle east today?  This is a situation that has never existed before.  To remind yourself of Lot’s connection, see Gene.19:36 to 19:38.

עֲשֵׂה־לָהֶם כְּמִדְיָן כְּסִיסְרָא כְיָבִין בְּנַחַל קִישׁוֹן׃   83:10

Psal. 83:10   Do to them as Midian, as Sisera, as Jabin, at the brook Kishon.

נִשְׁמְדוּ בְעֵין־דֹּאר הָיוּ דֹּמֶן לָאֲדָמָה׃   83:11

Psal. 83:11   They were destroyed at En-dor;

                                  they became dung for the earth.

שִׁיתֵמוֹ נְדִיבֵמוֹ כְּעֹרֵב וְכִזְאֵב וּכְזֶבַח וּכְצַלְמֻנָּע כָּל־נְסִיכֵמוֹ׃   83:12

Psal. 83:12   Make them, their nobles, like Oreb and like Zeeb

                                  and like Zebah and like Zalmunna, all their princes

These were ancient middle east rulers.

אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ נִירֲשָׁה לָּנוּ אֵת נְאוֹת אֱלֹהִים׃   83:13

Psal. 83:13   who have said, “Let us seize for ourselves the habitations of God.”

אֱלֹהַי שִׁיתֵמוֹ כַגַּלְגַּל כְּקַשׁ לִפְנֵי־רוּחַ׃   83:14

Psal. 83:14   My God, make them as whirling dust,

                                   as chaff before the wind.

כְּאֵשׁ תִּבְעַר־יָעַר וּכְלֶהָבָה תְּלַהֵט הָרִים׃   83:15

Psal. 83:15   As fire would consume a forest,

                                   and as a flame would scorch mountains,

כֵּן תִּרְדְּפֵם בְּסַעֲרֶךָ וּבְסוּפָתְךָ תְבַהֲלֵם׃   83:16

Psal. 83:16   so may You pursue them with Your tempest,

                                   and terrify them with Your storm.

מַלֵּא פְנֵיהֶם קָלוֹן וִיבַקְשׁוּ שִׁמְךָ יְהוָה׃   83:17

Psal. 83:17   Make their faces full of shame,

                                   so they may seek Your name, O Lord.

יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִבָּהֲלוּ עֲדֵי־עַד וְיַחְפְּרוּ וְיֹאבֵדוּ׃   83:18

Psal. 83:18   May they be ashamed and anxious forever,

                                   and abashed and lost.

וְיֵדְעוּ כִּי־אַתָּה שִׁמְךָ יְהוָה לְבַדֶּךָ עֶלְיוֹן עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ׃   83:19

Psal. 83:19   And may they know that it is You,

                                   the Lord, Your name alone,

                         the Most High over all the earth.

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