Village Schools of the Bible

A Choir Director Looks at the Middle East
Thoughts from Psalm 83
by Max Frazier

From the May 2010 Philogian

According to its title, Psalm 83 was written by Asaph. I know you are scratching your head and trying to remember who he was. Asaph was a Levite who also happened to be a musician, gifted both as a singer and as a percussionist, in fact, he was an expert cymbalist (1 Chronicles 15:16-19). His first public performance was during the celebration of the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant into the city of Jerusalem during the days of King David, who later appointed Asaph to be the chief musician, leading worship before the Lord (1 Chronicles 16:4-5). We also read that Asaph was known as a seer, or one who had the prophetic gift (2 Chronicles 29:30). Asaph was responsible for the writing of Psalms 73-83, and many also ascribe Psalm 1 to his hand.

In order for us to have a proper understanding of this Psalm, we need to understand the background in which it was written. During the days of King David, the kingdom of Israel grew phenomenally. The Bible records great victories of David and the armies of Israel over the Philistines, the Moabites, the Arameans (Syrians) of Damascus, the Edomites, and the Amalekites. Of course, the war with the Ammonites was the setting behind David’s great sin with Bathsheba. (See 2 Samuel 8 for a listing of David’s victories). Finally, as David grew old, peace with his neighbors became a reality.

So, what is to keep Psalm 83 from being just a description of those victories of David and his armies? Verse five states: With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you. Nowhere in the ancient historical records, including those of Scripture, is there any account of a coalition of these nations – Moab, Edom, Ammon, Philistines, Syrians, etc. – ever uniting against Israel. There were coalitions involving one or two nations against Israel, but never the entire borderland rivals of Israel. What Asaph is describing can only be applied to an event that has not yet happened.

The Plans of the Nations: Psalm 83:1-4
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. “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.” (Psalm 83:1-4)

As you read did you notice that Asaph is directing the focus of his prayer to God? He is informing God that He has enemies: “your enemies,” “your foes.” And specifically Asaph relates that the target is God’s people: “your people,” “those you cherish.” Who are these people whom God cherishes? They can only be the people of Israel. This is a nation chosen by God. This is a people who bear the name of God.

And what exactly is the plan of these people who oppose God? Asaph is very specific when he states that their desire is to destroy Israel as a nation so that it will be remembered no more. “Come, let us drive Israel into the sea.” Do those words strike a cord with you? Let’s refresh our memories a little.

In May 1964, the Palestine National Charter was adopted by the first Palestinian Council meeting in Jerusalem. Let me make reference to a couple of the articles within that Charter:
Article 14 states: The liberation of Palestine from an Arab view point, is a national duty. Its responsibilities fall upon the entire Arab Nation, Governments and peoples, the Palestinian people being in the foreground. For this purpose the Arab Nation must mobilize its military, spiritual and material potentialities, specifically, it must give to the Palestinian Arab people all possible support and backing and place at its disposal all opportunities and means to enable them to perform their roles in liberating their homeland.

Article 18: The Balfour Declaration, the Mandate system and all that has been based upon them are considered fraud. The claims of historic and spiritual ties, ties between Jews and Palestine are not in agreement with the facts of history or with the true basis of sound statehood. Judaism because it is a divine religion is not a nationality with independent existence. Furthermore the Jews are not one people with an independent personality because they are citizens of the countries to which they belong.

According to the Charter, the land, known as Israel, really belongs to the Arab people living there and that it is the responsibility of all Arab nations to help those Arabs drive the Jews from the land.

The Enemies Identified: Psalm 83:5-8
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).

I know you are wondering what this collection of ancient names has to do with a modern map. Let’s see if we can make it clear by identifying an ancient name with a modern location.

1. Edom – This nation, named after Esau, was located southeast of the Dead Sea. One of its principal cities was Petra. It is located today in southern Jordan.

2. The Ishmaelites – This nomadic tribe, named after Abraham’s son by Hagar, wandered the deserts of the Saudi Arabian peninsula.

3. Moab – Named after one of Lot’s grandsons (Genesis 19:37), this nation lay just north of Edom around the shores of the Dead Sea. Today, ancient Moab is located in south-central Jordan.

4. Hagarenes or Hagrites – Uncertainty arises as to exactly who these people are. Some scholars point to Egypt since Hagar, the slave girl Abraham gave to Sarah, was an Egyptian. Others point to a tribe that lived in the area east of the land of Gilead in the wilderness of the Euphrates River (1 Chronicles 5:9-10). Today this would be located in northwestern part of Iraq.

5. Gebal – This is the area of ancient Syria known as Byblos.

6. Ammon – Named for another of Lot’s grandsons (Genesis 19:38), this nation was located just north of the Dead Sea on the eastern side of the Jordan River. The ancient capitol city of Ammon is now the capitol city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

7. Amalekites – These were nomadic people who wandered the areas of the Saudi Arabian and Sinai peninsulas.

8. Philistia – This is the region known today as the Gaza Strip.

9. Tyre – This ancient Phoenician seaport was located in southern Lebanon along the Mediterranean coast.

10. Assyria – This is a reference to the northern portions of the country of Iraq.

Now, let’s summarize this coalition: Gaza Strip (Hamas), Lebanon (Hezbollah), Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and portions of Iraq, with the possibilities of an Egyptian involvement as well. 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 (The War of Independence), in 1956 (The Suez Canal War), in 1967 (The Six-Day War), and in 1973 (The Yom Kippur War).

Let’s listen in to the threats Israel is receiving from its neighbors:
We will not rest until we destroy the Zionist entity – Hamas leader Fathi Hammad in Gaza on January 2, 2009

Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it - Imam Hassan al-Banna

There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors – Hamas Charter

There is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel – Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, in an interview with Andrew Markus on July 15, 2006. To help with that “disappearance of Israel,” it was reported by Israeli President Shimon Peres and by the Kuwaiti newspaper, Al Rai Al Aam, that the Syrians had been supplying Scud missiles to Hezbollah. With these missiles, now nearly every community in Israel can become a Hezbollah target.

Our relationship with Israel is at an all-bottom low. It hasn’t been as bad as it is today and as tense as it is today. … Jordan’s relationship with Syria is better than it has been in a long time; probably the best it’s ever been. … I think the long-term future of Israel is in jeopardy unless we solve our problems. Fifty-seven countries in the world, a third of the United Nations, do not recognize Israel. In a way, I think North Korea has better international relations than Israel – King Abdullah of Jordan, in a Wall Street Journal interview on April 5, 2010.

In an interview in the April 15, 2010, edition of the Chicago Tribune, King Abdullah of Jordan stated that at the last two Arab League summits, there were countries that spoke out against dialogue with Israel and suggested tabling the Arab peace initiative. “We managed to get an extension of the Arab peace proposal, which terminates in July,” Abdullah continued. “There will be a committee meeting of Arab countries in July, and for us as moderate countries, we’re going to be challenged by everyone else: ‘Nothing has happened; Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is not interested in peace, so why keep the Arab peace proposal on the table?’” In that same interview the Jordanian King warned that despite the good intentions of many, there was a “very good chance” that war could break out in the region in the coming months. “If we hit the summer and there’s no active process, there’s a very good chance for conflict – and nobody wins when it comes to that,” he said.

It is also interesting to note that on March 8, 2010, the leaders of Saudi Arabia deepened their bilateral relationships with the Syrian government.

The Outcome: Psalm 83:9-18
Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God” (Psalm 83:9-12)

Two events, recorded in the book of Judges, are cited here by the psalmist. The first is a reference to the victory of Deborah and Barak over the forces of the Canaanites under the leadership of King Jabin and General Sisera. You can read this story in Judges 4. It was a tremendous victory, actually leaving General Sisera dead on the ground “like refuse.” You will remember that he lay dead inside the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, with a tent peg driven through his skull.

The second event is found in Judges 7 and 8. Gideon and his army of three hundred are in hot pursuit of the fleeing Midianites. The Ephraimites, who soon joined the pursuit, captured two of the leaders of the Midianite army: Oreb and Zeeb. The text tells us that they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. As for Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of the Midianites, Gideon captured them and killed them, thus ending the threat of the Midianites. You see the Midianites had thought they would take possession of the Promised Land for themselves. They paid an awful price for their greed with 120,000 soldiers falling on the battlefield (Judges 8:10).

Asaph cites these two outstanding victories by Israel as examples of the totality of Israel’s victory in the upcoming war against her neighbors. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has awed us in the past with their military genius, but that will pale with the tremendous victory that is yet to be accomplished. And, although God’s presence will be known as this war progresses, it is nevertheless the IDF who will engage the enemy. This is unlike both the war against the northern coalition led by Gog (Ezekiel 38-39) and the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19) where God Himself will be directly involved in the destruction of the enemy.

Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm (Psalm 83:13-15).

Asaph compares these enemy combatants as tumbleweeds and chaff. Neither of these have any economic value whatsoever. Both are driven by the wind and soon disappear. Asaph also states that these nations will be totally destroyed, just as a fire consumes the forest. These are pictures of an all-encompassing devastation. Woe to those nations who conspire against Israel. Great will be their defeat!

Perhaps the greatest prize of this Psalm 83 War is the destruction of Damascus. The eighth-century BC prophet Isaiah wrote: See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins (Isaiah 17:1). In that same chapter Isaiah wrote that the cities of Syria will become desolate: In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and underbrush. And all will be desolate (Isaiah 17:9). Jeremiah, the sixth-century BC prophet, also foretold the destruction of Damascus: Concerning Damascus:…Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor. … Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day, declares the LORD Almighty. I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad (Jeremiah 49:23-27).

When God and the IDF get finished with Damascus, there will be nothing left except a pile of rubble. The longest-continually-inhabited city in the world will be no more!

The Consequences of this War: Psalm 83:16-18
Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD – that you alone are the Most High over all the earth (Psalm 83:16-18).

One of the great consequences of this war will be the expansion of the State of Israel. The nations of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Egypt will be added. Israel’s boundaries will extend from the Mediterranean Sea to the River Euphrates and from the border of Egypt to northern most mountains of Lebanon. I believe that, for the first time in its history, Israel will possess all the lands that were promised to Abraham (see Genesis 15:18-19).

A second consequence of this war will be a relaxation of Israel’s heightened military preparedness. They will no longer be plagued by their neighbors. So, naturally, they will begin to “let down their guard,” thus creating what Ezekiel describes as a land of peaceful and unsuspecting people, all of them living without walls and without gates and bars (Ezekiel 38:11). Israel will not be ready when the northern coalition invades their borders. God Himself will bring the victory in the Ezekiel 38-39 War.

A third consequence of this war is that men will know that God is sovereignly in control. Some eyes will be opened; most, however, will not, of if they are, it will only be temporary. Sort of like the acclamation of the people of Israel following the fire coming from heaven upon Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18).

When Will This War Occur?
The Bible provides no clues as to when this war will occur. Might it happen before the rapture of the Church? I believe it is quite possible. War clouds grow more ominous over the Middle East. As Iran gets closer to development of a nuclear weapon, the Israeli government will be forced to act in a military act; sanctions against Iran have proven ineffective and entirely too late. I believe it is entirely possible that Iran, to get the bulls-eye off itself, will enlist the support of its puppet regimes in Lebanon (Hezbollah) and in the Gaza Strip (Hamas) and its ally in Damascus to attack Israel, perhaps even before 2010 comes to a close. As cited above, the Jordanians are already beginning to back away from their agreements with the Israelis and becoming more aligned with the Syrians. The same can be said for the Saudis.

Israeli chief of staff, General Gabi Ashkenazi, has rebuilt the Israeli armed forces into one of the strongest forces in the world. Yet his term will soon expire. Who knows how his successor will relate to the impending threats.

Let me close with this thought: I am glad that God is in control. And I am glad that He has chosen to reveal His plans to us. We just need to stay focused upon Him. We just need to stay in the Word. We just need to have a firm resolve to trust Him. Then we can proclaim that God is the Most High over all the earth.

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