See the commentary made by James Smith in The Wisdom Literature and Psalms.
Commentary by James Smith:
The author was one of the Levitical sons of Korah. The psalm was written after an occasion of great national deliverance. The reference may be to the deliverance from the Assyrian attack against Judah in the days of good King Hezekiah. This is one of thirteen psalms called “maskil,” which probably means a psalm intended to teach a lesson. The psalm has five main parts which can be summarized: (1) praise (vv. 1–3); (2) hope (vv. 4–8); (3) disappointment (vv. 9–16); (4) innocence (vv. 17–22); and (5) prayer (vv. 23–26).
44:1–2. Canaan was not captured through Israel’s heroics, but through God’s help. The “fathers” had passed down the reports of what God had done for his people “in the times of old,” i.e., the days of the conquest under Joshua. By God’s hand (power) the Canaanites were “cast out” and the Israelites were “planted” in the land. God made them “spread abroad” (NASB) in that land like a great tree which struck root and spread its branches in all directions.
44:3. The thought of the two previous verses is emphasized. It was not Israel’s sword hand, but God’s right hand which gave the victory. The “light” of God’s countenance is his manifestation in human affairs. This God did for Israel as a favor, not as a reward for their national merit.
44:4. The recollection of the past gives fresh confidence in the present. God is Israel’s king. It is his duty to defend his people. He has but to “command” and “Jacob” (the nation) would experience “deliverances,” i.e., a full and complete deliverance.
44:5–8. Relying upon all that God had revealed about himself (“his name”), Israel would trample enemies as an ox might trample grain under its feet. Israel repudiates reliance upon deliverance by military prowess. Past experience justifies this confidence in the Lord. God has been the object of their praises in the past, and to him they are resolved to give thanks continually. “Selah” indicates a musical interlude which gives time for reflection.
44:9–11. Present circumstances seem to contradict the expressions of faith based on past experience. God had cast them off. He no longer went before the armies of Israel. (In ancient times the ark was carried into battle as the symbol of Yahweh’s presence with the troops.) As a result, Israel had fled from the enemies, who had plundered the land at their will. Some of God’s people had been butchered like sheep; others had been captured and sold as slaves.
44:12–14. God “sells” (delivers over) his people as though they were worthless. By so doing, God had gained nothing for himself. He had made his people an object of ridicule to neighboring nations. They shake their heads at Israel in derision. Among the heathen, Israel had become a “byword,” i.e., they pointed to Israel’s fate as a proverbial instance of a people abandoned by its God.
44:15–16. Disgrace stares the psalmist in the face all day long. Shame covers his face like a garment, inasmuch as the sense of shame betrays itself in one’s countenance. The enemy “reproaches” Israel’s impotence and “blasphemes” Yahweh by suggesting that he too is impotent. These two words are found in combination only in reference to Sennacherib’s attitude during the Assyrian attack of 701 b.c. (cf. 2 Kgs 19:6, 22). The enemy is called “the avenger” because he is acting arrogantly in taking a role which belongs only to God (cf. Deut 32:35).
44:17–18. The calamity is unmerited. Israel had not “forgotten” Yahweh as their fathers often had done. They had not been unfaithful to God’s covenant made at Sinai. They had not turned back from the Lord, neither inwardly nor outwardly (their “steps”).
44:19. A “place of jackals” is a proverbial expression for a scene of ruin and desolation. The thought may be that God has reduced their land to a desert. God had covered them with “the shadow of death,” i.e., the deep gloom which surrounds the time of death.
44:20–21. No apostasy could be concealed from the God who searches hearts. To “stretch out the hands” was a gesture of prayer in which the open palms symbolized the reception of blessing from the deity.
44:22. The claim here is that Israel was actually suffering as martyrs for the sake of their faith in Yahweh. Paul quoted this verse in Rom 8:36 to fortify Christians against the possibility that they too might have to face death for their faith.
44:23–24. God seemed to be asleep, though the psalmists knew that Yahweh never got weary as men do (121:3f.). He is urged to awake, i.e., to get involved in their plight, and not to leave them in a state of being “cast off.”
44:25–26. To “hide the face” is the opposite of showing the light of his countenance. One might hide his face in anger or indifference. The psalmist asks that God no longer ignore the plight of his people since they lie crushed to the earth and helpless. The grounds of appeal is Yahweh’s lovingkindness. The psalmist entreats God to be true to this central attribute of his character.[1]
Meditation:
What do we do when God does not seem to care? The psalmist shows us that we first check ourselves to ensure that we are faithful in our walk with the Lord. If we check out ourselves alright, then we can go to God.
In going to God, we can give God the credit that He deserved. Then we petition to hear our plea because we have been obedient to His precept. We also recognize that God takes action because He has lovingkindness toward us.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have given your Son Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. We thank you that the work of salvation is complete on the cross. We pray that we will follow Jesus in truth and in His manner. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
[1] Smith, James E.: The Wisdom Literature and Psalms. Joplin, Mo. : College Press Pub. Co., 1996, S. Ps 44