There is no consensus among commentators as to the occasion of the writing of Psalm 44. It is clear that it was penned at a time of great national hardship in spite of the fact that the Jewish people were faithfully serving God.
Throughout the 26 verses contained therein, the psalmist presented his case as to why the Lord should intervene in their current calamity. This could be summed up under four primary lines of reasoning: 1.) The Lord has helped the nation of Israel many times in the past, therefore they could expect Him to do so again; 2.) Israel’s trust was not in their own ability to defeat their enemies but rested upon the Lord; 3.) the Jewish people had done nothing to deserve the harsh treatment they were currently facing; and 4.) that outsiders would come to see the merciful character of God if He would save His downtrodden people.
Consider what they were facing: their enemy was defeating and plundering them (vv. 9-10); they were being sold into slavery in the surrounding pagan nations (vv. 11-12); heathens were constantly ridiculing them and blaspheming their God (vv. 13-16); their country was being desolated to the point that “the shadow of death” was prevailing over it (v. 19); and finally, they were being given over to slaughter as if they were mere livestock (v.22).
The psalmist would have understood this treatment had his people been guilty of apostasy, but just the opposite was true. This was apparently occurring during a time when the nation was spiritually healthy. He could not wrap his mind around what seemed to him to be an incongruity. “Why won’t You intervene, Lord?”
Yesterday we saw the same dynamic occurring in Brenda’s situation, where she was hated for no other reason than that she was a believer. She too has asked God why He is allowing her to be treated so poorly.
And yet, Church history is replete with the stories of the persecution of God’s people. The story of Betsy and Corrie Ten Boom is one such story. As they languished in Ravensbruck concentration camp, Corrie was astounded by the way her sister responded to the brutality of the guards there. While she struggled with bitterness and even rage at times, Betsy seemed only to have love for her captors. Corrie would eventually gain the victory in this battle, but their lives show the two ways believers will respond to persecution. One is to question God and turn angry toward one’s antagonists; the other is to meekly accept God’s sovereign dealings and to respond to hateful people with humility and love.