The Heathen are Come - Psalms 79:1

Psalms chapter seventy-nine begins with the heading, “A Psalm of Asaph” which breaks down, “A Psalm” or “a melody or poem set to notes” “of Asaph” which means “belonging to Asaph whose name means gatherer and was a son of Berechiah and a chief Levite musician under David”, and in chapter seventy-nine and verse one of Psalms Asaph said, “O God, the heathen are come into your inheritance”, where we read,

O God, the heathen are come into your inheritance;

your holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

The verse begins, “O God, the heathen are come into your inheritance;” Asaph began with the words, “O God” or “O Divine judge, ruler and Supreme God”, “the heathen” which means “the nations who are usually non-Hebrew people, Gentiles or foreigners” “are come into your inheritance” or “have attained, entered or been enumerated in your, Jehovah God's, possession, property and heritage”. Asaph said foreign, non-Hebrew people and nations entered in to Jehovah God's possession and heritage.

The verse continues, “your holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.” Asaph added the words, “your holy temple” or “your, Jehovah God's, sacred, set apart and separate nave, sanctuary or place of worship” “have they defiled” which means “have they, the foreign non-Hebrews nations, have made unclean, impure and ceremonially profane”; “they have laid Jerusalem” or “they, the foreigners or non-Hebrew nations have put, placed, set and established Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split” “on heaps” which means “like a mound of ruins as if overturned”. Asaph said the foreign non-Hebrew nations not only invaded Jehovah God's heritage, but they also made His sacred worship place unclean and turned “Jerusalem” in to a pile of rubble.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Asaph what happened to Jehovah God's heritage, temple and city, Jerusalem, when they were invaded by a non-Hebrew nation. “This Psalm is supposed, with much probability, to have been written on the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar”, and because the people of Israel forsook the ways of God, He allowed them to be overtaken. God extends His hand toward mankind every day because He loves them. He is patient and loving, and because He desires to save everyone, He sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins by dying on the cross. When we receive Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and keep us from the enemy's destruction. However, if we refuse and reject His invitation, woe be to us when He lifts His mighty protective hand.

Next time Asaph says, “The dead bodies of your servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".