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Day 356

Psalm 89:41a "All who pass by the way plunder him..."

Day 356 – Psalm 89

“All who pass by the way plunder him…” Psalm 89:41a

A SORRY PLIGHT

Ethan the Ezrahite must have been aggrieved and appalled by what he observed. What would happen if the strongholds and hedges were broken down?

“All who pass by the way plunder him;
He is a reproach to his neighbours.”
Psalm 89:41

Judah, bereft of God’s protection and the man-made strongholds, was left defenseless and vulnerable. The nation not only suffered defeat in war by the mighty Babylonians, neighbouring countries attacked them at will. Ethan noted the following conditions.

1. “All who pass by”

a) These could be a reference to bandits.
b) There were always roving, marauding tribes who would take advantage of weak nations.

2. “His neighbours”

a) There were a number of neighbors who were traditional enemies.
b) Edom, Moab, Syria were among these enemies.
c) They seized the opportunity to attack Judah in its weakness.

3. “Plunder him”

a) To plunder is simply “to loot”.
b) This is a reference to neighbouring nations who impoverished Judah further through plunder.

4. “A reproach”

a) This was essentially adding insult to injury.
b) Insults were hurled at the nation for being so weak.

PROPHETS WHO FELT THE SAME DISTRESS

Ethan the Ezrahite was not alone in feeling this distress. Prophets like Habakkuk also felt the stress of suffering such ignominy. In his short book, Habakkuk raised the sorry plight of Judah to the Lord in prayer.

Jeremiah was a prophet who witnessed the fall of Jerusalem. He was known as “the weeping prophet” because he saw such sorrow befalling his country. Lamentations was a book he wrote to express how he dealt with his sorrow and pain. He exercised hope in God amidst deep sorrow.