Psa 74:11 | KingComments | STEP | The God-fearing remnant, whose feelings Asaph expresses, no longer see their signs, by which they see that God is with them ( ). By this they mean that the temple has disappeared with the altar and the priestly service. There is also “no longer any prophet”, someone who can comfort and encourage them in their circumstances on behalf of God or make God’s will known to them about the way they should go. To the agonizing question of “how long” this situation is to last, no one can answer, for no one knows (cf. ). The Lord Jesus speaks of a sign that answers the question of ‘how long’: “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” ( ). The remnant also connects the question of “how long” with the reproach the adversary puts on God ( ). The question implies, besides a question about time, faith. There is faith that one day the defamation of God will come to an end. Surely it cannot be that the enemy will blaspheme God’s name “forever”? We know that God limits that time to three and a half years ( ; ). The time of the abominable performance of the king of the North is even shorter, for that performance takes place at the end of the great tribulation. The big question that continues to trouble the remnant is “why” God does withdraw His hand, even His right hand ( ). God’s hand represents God’s action. God’s right hand represents His acting in power. Why doesn’t He act forcefully against the defamation of His holy Name? Isn’t He omniscient and omnipotent? Because He has withdrawn His strong right hand from His people, He has given the enemy a free hand. This they do not understand. But they have the deep conviction that God is mighty and retains control over everything. Therefore, they call upon Him to bring out His hand from His bosom, where He has hidden it (cf. ). He must let His hand come forth and put an end to all slander and blasphemy. They ask: “Destroy [them]!” With this the believing remnant says to God that He has to destroy the enemy once and for all. This will indeed put an end to all slander and blasphemy. This corresponds to the prayer of the remnant: “Hallowed be Your name” ( ).

‏ Psalms 74:11

The Silence of God

The God-fearing remnant, whose feelings Asaph expresses, no longer see their signs, by which they see that God is with them (Psa 74:9). By this they mean that the temple has disappeared with the altar and the priestly service. There is also “no longer any prophet”, someone who can comfort and encourage them in their circumstances on behalf of God or make God’s will known to them about the way they should go. To the agonizing question of “how long” this situation is to last, no one can answer, for no one knows (cf. Acts 1:6-7).

The Lord Jesus speaks of a sign that answers the question of ‘how long’: “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” (Mt 24:30-31).

The remnant also connects the question of “how long” with the reproach the adversary puts on God (Psa 74:10). The question implies, besides a question about time, faith. There is faith that one day the defamation of God will come to an end. Surely it cannot be that the enemy will blaspheme God’s name “forever”? We know that God limits that time to three and a half years (Rev 13:5; Mt 24:22). The time of the abominable performance of the king of the North is even shorter, for that performance takes place at the end of the great tribulation.

The big question that continues to trouble the remnant is “why” God does withdraw His hand, even His right hand (Psa 74:11). God’s hand represents God’s action. God’s right hand represents His acting in power. Why doesn’t He act forcefully against the defamation of His holy Name? Isn’t He omniscient and omnipotent? Because He has withdrawn His strong right hand from His people, He has given the enemy a free hand. This they do not understand.

But they have the deep conviction that God is mighty and retains control over everything. Therefore, they call upon Him to bring out His hand from His bosom, where He has hidden it (cf. Exo 4:6). He must let His hand come forth and put an end to all slander and blasphemy. They ask: “Destroy [them]!” With this the believing remnant says to God that He has to destroy the enemy once and for all. This will indeed put an end to all slander and blasphemy. This corresponds to the prayer of the remnant: “Hallowed be Your name” (Mt 6:9b).