507_Longing for the glory of His temple

Psalm 74 O God, why do you cast us off forever?
Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,
which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!
Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.
3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;
the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

4 Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;
they set up their own signs for signs.
5 They were like those who swing axes
in a forest of trees.
6 And all its carved wood
they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they profaned the dwelling place of your name,
bringing it down to the ground.
8 They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

Vs. 12-17 Yet God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by your might;
you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You split open springs and brooks;
you dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
17 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made summer and winter.

Vs. 22-23 Arise, O God, defend your cause;
remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

There was a priceless painting that hung in a cathedral in Europe. The artwork had been admired for centuries, not merely because of its beauty but because it represented deep faith and devotion. During an act of vandalism, someone walked in and slashed the canvas with a knife. In a matter of seconds, what had taken the artist months to paint and what generations had cherished was marred almost beyond recognition. When people saw the damage, they were heartbroken—not just because of the financial value lost, but because something sacred, something that represented their shared heritage, had been violated. The good news was that skilled restorers later worked painstakingly to repair it. But in that moment of destruction, the grief was overwhelming.

That kind of anguish is what Israel felt when the sanctuary of God was destroyed. Psalm 74 captures this raw lament. It is a psalm attributed to Asaph, though commentators are divided on the exact historical setting. Some suggest it was written when the Babylonians tore down the temple in Jerusalem; others believe it might go back to the loss of the tabernacle at Shiloh in 1 Samuel 4. Whichever event it refers to, the heart of the psalm is clear—it is a desperate cry for God to look upon the ruins of His sanctuary and act.

The psalm begins with piercing questions: “O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?” (v.1). The psalmist knows that no enemy can touch God’s sanctuary unless God permits it. This devastation was a sign of divine displeasure. Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness had brought about God’s anger, and the consequences were tragic. The psalmist pleads with God to remember His congregation, to remember His sanctuary, and to act on behalf of His people.

From verses 4 to 11, the psalmist describes the horrific destruction in detail. The enemy stormed God’s house, erected their own symbols, hacked down the carved works, and set the holy place ablaze. What had once stood as a visible reminder of God’s glory and presence now lay in smoldering ruins. The enemies scoffed, boasting that they would subdue everything. Israel was left humiliated, not only stripped of their temple but also bereft of prophetic guidance. “We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long” (v.9). Their despair seemed endless.

But then the psalmist takes a turn in verse 12. He lifts his gaze from the ashes of the sanctuary to the eternal throne of God: “Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” Though the temple was destroyed, God remained sovereign. His power was not diminished by the ruin of stones and wood. The psalmist recalls God’s mighty acts—how He divided the sea, crushed sea monsters, and shattered the heads of Leviathan. Job 41 describes Leviathan as a terrifying, untamable creature, the king over all who are proud. Yet even this fearsome beast was nothing before the Creator. God crushed it and gave it as food to the creatures of the wilderness.

Verses 16 and 17 affirm God’s rule over creation: “Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.” In other words, God is still in control—of time, of seasons, of the world itself. Remembering this restores hope.

Yet the psalmist does not stop there. He appeals to God’s honor: “Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name” (v.18). This was not just an attack on Israel; it was an insult to the name of God Himself. He pleads with God not to hand over His people, whom he describes tenderly as “the soul of your dove,” to wild beasts. He asks God to remember His covenant and to act on behalf of the poor and needy, that they might once again lift their voices in praise.

The psalm ends with urgency: “Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!” (v.22). The psalmist longs for God to break His silence and show His power, to vindicate His name against the clamors of His enemies.

So, what does this psalm mean for us today? The New Testament gives us a remarkable shift in perspective. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

God no longer dwells in buildings of stone, but in His people. Each believer, and collectively the Church, is now His sanctuary. This is both a staggering privilege and a serious responsibility. If His Spirit lives in us, then our lives must reflect His holiness. If they do not, then we, like Israel of old, dishonor His name and leave His sanctuary in ruins.

When we look around the Church today, we cannot ignore the cracks in the walls of God’s temple. Compromise, division, and worldliness have dimmed the light of Christ. Instead of radiating God’s glory, the Church often mirrors the brokenness of the world. The name of God is mocked because of the failures of those who claim to follow Him. Like the psalmist, we must weep over the state of God’s sanctuary and cry out for Him to act.

And yet, we must never forget what the psalmist remembered: God is still King. His power has not waned. He is the one who set the boundaries of the earth, who rules over night and day, summer and winter. He can restore His sanctuary. But He often begins that restoration in us. The rebuilding of God’s temple today is not about bricks and mortar; it is about transformed lives. It is about repentance, holiness, love, and unity. It is about exhorting, correcting, and encouraging one another so that the beauty of Christ may be seen again in His people.

C. H. Spurgeon said, “If the Church of God is to be glorious, it must be through the presence of the Holy Spirit. And if that presence be withdrawn, then her glory has departed.” That is the heart of Psalm 74. Without the presence of God, the sanctuary is just ruins, no matter how beautiful the structure. Without the Spirit, the Church has no power, no witness, no light.

So let us pray as the psalmist prayed: “Arise, O God, defend your cause.” Let us be zealous for His sanctuary—not a building of stone, but our very lives and the life of His Church. Let us mourn where holiness has been lost, let us plead for God’s Spirit to fill us afresh, and let us take up the work of rebuilding—encouraging one another, exhorting one another, and pointing the world to the glory of our great God.

May the zeal for His sanctuary consume us, until His people once again shine with His splendor, and a dying world sees through us the excellencies of the God who reigns forever. God bless.