So this is our second time seeing a Psalm written by the Sons of Korah. A little bit of insight:
This is the same lineage that includes Samuel and his son Joel (you can get the whole story in 1 Chronicles 6). The important (ish) thing to note here is that a bunch of these guys actually fought with David, and that gives some context to what y’all are gonna read. Now that you have the context here’s what I have to say.
First things first. As seen in Psalm 45:4 you can really get the sense that these are military dudes who (in Psalm 45) are writing to praise the Lord for the success. My translation says “prosper! – rise!” Another says “ride forth victoriously.” Definitely military dudes. You really feel the joy of their victory in Psalm 45.
Psalm 44 shows almost the opposite. I resonate with this one a lot. Honesty moment–I’m going through a season in my life right now where I’m usually mad at God. I’m not happy with myself about it but it’s where I am, and apparently other people are here too, like the Sons of Korah. All of verses 9 through 16 is the authors saying, God we trust in you, and yet you have done nothing to help us and possibly even made us lose. It’s very relatable for me and I feel like it may be applicable for some of y’all. Despite all of this they still end with a statement of asking God to help them.
“Arise, a help to us, And ransom us for thy kindness’ sake.”
It’s powerful because in a very real-life way they’re still showing their faith in God by saying we’re mad, we feel a little forgotten, but we still know you’re here for us. It’s food for thought if you’re mad at God or you’re in a season where God is distant and times are bad.