Psalm 83 War: Who and Why?

During the past year I have been spending some time focusing upon the teachings of Asaph, one of the musical directors within the court of King David, especially as those teachings related to the end times. My focus has been upon Psalm 83. For the next couple of weeks I would like to have us turn our attention to that Psalm. Let's see what God is revealing to us through this 10th century BC music director.

First, I immediately notice that the psalmist is inviting God to become involved in a matter...and that matter is concerned with the enemies of God's people, thus they are enemies of God Himself. The psalmist writes: O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people, they plot against those you cherish (Psalm 83:1-3). Notice how Asaph makes the strong assertion that those who oppose God's people were also opposed to God. Now who were God's people at the time Asaph was writing this particular hymn? Of course they were the people of Israel. Throughout the Old Testament God continuously refers to them as "my people." Therefore, Asaph lets us know that this psalm concerns a time when God's people are being threatened...therefore, God Himself is threatened.

But let us continue: "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." (Psalm 83:4). This is the battle cry of Israel's enemies. They do not want merely a battlefield victory over the Jews; but will be content with nothing less than the complete and total destruction of the Jewish State and the Jewish race itself. Theirs is the cry of Haman, the archenemy of the Jews in the story of Esther. Theirs is the cry of Adolf Hitler and his "final solution." Theirs is the cry of the radical Iranian President Ahmadinejad who declared that "Israel will be wiped off the map." Theirs is the cry of Hamas and Hizbollah and the Palestinian Organization (today's Palestinian Authority) as expressed in the 1964 Palestinian Charter: The partitioning of Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of Israel are fundamentally null and void (Article 19). Theirs is the cry of Nasser, the Egyptian dictator who led Egypt into the 1967 War: The Arabs' aspiration is the full restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people. In other words, we aim at the destruction of the State of Israel. The immediate aim: perfection of Arab military might. The national aim: the eradication of Israel. The cry of the nations mentioned in Psalm 83 is echoed by the cry of the nations today. This is the heartbeat of the Middle East Conflict.

Finally, the psalmist identifies those members of this focused coalition: With one mind they plot together, they form an alliance against you - the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the descendants of Hagar, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot (Psalm 83:5-8). Now let us see if we can make some modern day equivalents to these ancient people groups:
1. Tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites - many Bible scholars believe this is a reference to the Palestinian people today.
2. Moab - this represents the southern portions of the Kingdom of Jordan
3. Descendants of Hagar - Hagar was an Egyptian
4. Gebal - this is the ancient area of northern Syria known today as Byblos
5. Ammon - this represents the central portions of the Kingdom of Jordan
6. Amalek - these were nomadic people who wandered the areas of the Saudi Arabian peninsula and the Sinai peninsula
7. Philistia - this is the region of today's Gaza Strip
8. Tyre - the southern region of Lebanon
9. Assyria - this is a reference to the northern portions of Iraq

Now, let's summarize this coalition: Egypt, Hamas (Gaza Strip), Hizbollah (Lebanon), Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. If you look at a map of the Middle East, you will find that this coalition represents those people who are immediately contiguous to the nation of Israel. In other words, the Psalm 83 war is a battle between Israel and her neighbors. This will not be the first time such a conflict has been incurred. We witnessed it in 1948-49 (The War of Independence), in 1956 (the Suez Canal Crisis), in 1967 (The Six-Day War), and in 1973 (The Yom-Kippur War).

As one listens carefully to the dialogue coming from the Middle East, especially from the lips of those leaders from the above mentioned nations, it is easily discerned that the antagonism against Israel is increasing. What will Israel do? What will God do on their behalf and for the sake of His Name? We will continue that discussion next week. Until then, keep looking up for our Redemption comes soon!