Psalm 83: The Lord's People and God's Children

verse 3: They conspire against your people and plot against those you cherish,

Nations have united against Israel. As if facing a single nation wasn't challenging enough, Israel has to confront a coalition. The situation intensifies, and the poet prays for Israel's deliverance from crisis. In truth, Israel is no better than the allied forces opposing them. Israel has many sins as well. Nevertheless, Israel demands that God not remain silent.

There are two main reasons for this. One is the ancient understanding that wars were battles between gods. Although the conflict is between Israel and neighboring nations, the war is a fight between the god of Israel and the gods of the neighboring nations. Therefore, Israel asks God not to remain silent. The other reason is more fundamental. When Israel is mocked, it is as if God is being insulted. The Bible recognizes Israel as the chosen people of God. God and Israel are one body. Israel's happiness is God's joy, and Israel's wounds are God's pain. Although Israel often strays from God's embrace, God does not abandon them. This is the strength and foundation for the poet's prayer.

The recognition of being the Lord's people, Israel, has changed to the concept of being God's children today. A child's faithfulness or unfaithfulness, right or wrong, cannot damage their status as a child. To understand this in human terms, parents and children are genetically connected. At least for now, there is no genetic manipulation that can sever the relationship between parents and children. Apostle Paul understood the strength of the connection between God and humans in this way: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39). The highest expression of this relationship in human language is 'God's love'.