Pastor YC "Psalm 83: 四面楚歌"

10 nations out to destroy Israel.

PS 83:4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more."
PS 83:5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you--
PS 83:6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
PS 83:7 Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
PS 83:8 Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.

And true enough they did. In AD70, Jerusalem was destroyed. "四面楚歌" would be such an apt description of how they must have felt. Ten on one.
:(


And yet in 1947, an amazing thing happened, God gathered the nation back together again and today, we have the nation of Israel back where it started. The borders are not the same, but surely it speaks about God's hand on this nation.

They are still surrounded by nations that oppose them. They are in a constant state of readiness for war. Imagine staying in a neighbourhood where everyone is hostile towards you.

No wonder the psalmist has such strong words for them (v9-17).

Yet through all of these, one thing shines through. From the ancient times to today's wars, to both allies and enemies alike, there is no denying the miracle of Israel, and the glory of the God who protects them.

"PS 83:18 Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD--that you alone are the Most High over all the earth."

Praise God!