Psalm 44
Psalm 44 Meaning
Psalm 44 is a bold communal lament. The people remember how God won victories for their ancestors, then protest that now they have been defeated and scattered, and it does not feel deserved.
They insist they have not forgotten God, and they cry out for Him to rouse Himself and redeem them for the sake of His steadfast love. It is faith arguing honestly with God in the dark.
Key verses from Psalm 44
“We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.”
Psalm 44:1
“For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.”
Psalm 44:3
“Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Psalm 44:22
“Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.”
Psalm 44:26
How Psalm 44 points to Jesus
Paul quotes this psalm's line about being counted as sheep to be slaughtered, then declares that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ, from whose love nothing can separate us.