Psalms 77:7-10
“Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The psalmist's questions aren't a statement of disbelief, but a raw, desperate grappling with God's silence during suffering. He's not truly asking if God will abandon his people forever, but rather expressing how devastatingly it feels as if He has. This isn't doubt about God's power, but a plea born from the depth of his pain.
The psalmist is in deep distress, wrestling with his thoughts and feelings during a dark time, possibly a period of national calamity or personal suffering. He's been praying, searching his memory of God's past deeds, but finds himself paralyzed by despair, questioning if God has abandoned him and his people forever. This verse marks the beginning of his struggle, as he voices the desperate questions arising from his profound sense of abandonment.
Have you ever felt so distant from God that you started questioning His very nature? The Psalmist Asaph opens up about that raw, painful place.
Psalms 77 begins with a cry, a pouring out of the soul to God. But the verses that follow reveal a deep internal struggle.
The Agony of Absence
Asaph isn't just sad; he's wrestling. He feels God's silence so intensely that he starts asking: 'Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?' This isn't a casual question. It's born from a place of profound pain, where present suffering makes past faithfulness seem distant and unbelievable.
Public Pain, Personal Doubt
Commentators suggest this psalm likely arose during a time of national crisis for Israel. But notice how Asaph makes it personal: 'Public calamity has become personal pain.' When the community suffers, it can trigger deep individual doubts about God's presence and promises. It’s in these moments, when God feels absent, that the most profound and difficult questions can surface.
What happens when your current experience seems to completely contradict God's promises and His past faithfulness?
The heart of Asaph's struggle in Psalm 77:7 lies in the tension between what he knows about God (His covenant faithfulness) and what he is experiencing (God's apparent silence and distance).
The Weight of 'Forever'
Think about the word 'forever' in the question: 'Will the Lord spurn forever?' This speaks to an eternal, unending separation. It’s a terrifying thought, especially when contrasted with the belief in God's everlasting covenant love for His people.
Challenging the Unchanging God
Asaph is essentially asking if God's nature – His graciousness, His faithfulness – has an expiration date. The commentators highlight that this questioning, while painful, isn't necessarily blasphemy, but a desperate plea born from deep distress. It's the soul grappling with the seemingly unshakeable reality of present suffering against the bedrock of God's unchanging character and promises. The faith that doubts is still a faith, wrestling to reconcile the seen with the unseen.
Understand the original words
selah · Hebrew Noun
A Hebrew term frequently used in the Psalms, likely a musical or liturgical instruction indicating a pause for reflection or a change in dynamic.
chesed · Hebrew Noun
A theological term describing God’s covenantal faithfulness, loyal love, or loving-kindness that persists despite human unfaithfulness.
Elyon · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
A title for God emphasizing His supremacy, sovereignty, and exalted nature over all creation and earthly powers.
channun · Hebrew Adjective
In biblical context, God's unmerited favor and divine kindness bestowed upon those who do not deserve it.
The psalmist's desperate questions likely arose during the Babylonian Exile, a time when the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple made God's abandonment seem terrifyingly real and permanent. The historical context of national catastrophe underscores the profound depth of his doubt and the strength of his eventual rediscovery of hope.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event represented a profound national disaster and raised questions about God's faithfulness to His people.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins deporting elites and skilled workers from Judah to Babylon. This marked the start of a prolonged period of national crisis and uncertainty.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Babylonian forces utterly destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population. This catastrophe left the survivors feeling abandoned by God, leading to profound despair.
c. 539 BC
Edict of Cyrus and Return from Exile
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, conquers Babylon and issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This ushered in a new era but also followed decades of hardship.
This passage directly addresses the question of whether God has cast off His people, assuring believers that God has not rejected Israel, offering a strong parallel to the psalmist's desperate questioning.
Lamentations 3:31-33The prophet Jeremiah, facing immense suffering, echoes the psalmist's despair but finds hope in God's enduring compassion, reminding us that even in sorrow, God's mercy is not extinguished forever.
Exodus 34:6-7This is God's own self-description, revealing His character as gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. It serves as a foundational truth that counters the psalmist's fear that God's favor is gone forever.
Psalm 85:5This psalm asks if God's anger will 'continue forever' and if He will 'prolong his anger to all generations,' mirroring the themes of enduring displeasure and questioning God's lasting favor found in Psalm 77.
Psalm 13:1The psalmist here also questions God's remembrance and presence, crying out, 'How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?' This shares the deep sense of abandonment and the urgent plea for God's renewed attention.
pulpitPsalms 77:7: "Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?"
Verse 7. - Will the Lord cast off forever? The psalmist asked himself in the night such questions as these: Is it really to be supposed that God will cast off his people forever? And will he be favourable (or, gracious) no more? Surely such desertion is incredible.
clarkePsalms 77:7: "Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?"
Will the Lord cast off for ever? - Will there be no end to this captivity? Has he not said, "Turn, ye backsliders; for I am married unto you: I will heal your backsliding, and love you freely." Will he then be favorable no more? Thus the psalmist pleads and reasons with his Maker.
The psalmist's questions aren't a statement of disbelief, but a raw, desperate grappling with God's silence during suffering. He's not truly asking if God will abandon his people forever, but rather expressing how devastatingly it feels as if He has. This isn't doubt about God's power, but a plea born from the depth of his pain.
The psalmist is in deep distress, wrestling with his thoughts and feelings during a dark time, possibly a period of national calamity or personal suffering. He's been praying, searching his memory of God's past deeds, but finds himself paralyzed by despair, questioning if God has abandoned him and his people forever. This verse marks the beginning of his struggle, as he voices the desperate questions arising from his profound sense of abandonment.
The psalmist is in deep distress, wrestling with his thoughts and feelings during a dark time, possibly a period of national calamity or personal suffering. He's been praying, searching his memory of God's past deeds, but finds himself paralyzed by despair, questioning if God has abandoned him and his people forever. This verse marks the beginning of his struggle, as he voices the desperate questions arising from his profound sense of abandonment.
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racham · Hebrew Noun
Deep inward feelings of tenderness and pity; often associated with God’s mercy and deep emotional identification with His people's plight.
yamin · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for the manifestation of God’s active power, authority, and intervention in human history to save or judge.
"“Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”…" — The psalmist's questions aren't a statement of disbelief, but a raw, desperate grappling with God's silence during suffering. He's not truly asking if God will abandon his people forever, but rathe…
