With the current war in Israel, the discussion of Psalm 83 is a hot topic among Bible Prophecy Teachers. Since this is our next Sunday Psalm, here I’ll decipher the mystery of this controversial psalm and let you decide for yourself. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 83
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not be silent!
Do not be deaf.
Do not be quiet, O God.
2 Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?
Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?
3 They devise crafty schemes against your people;
they conspire against your precious ones.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.
We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
5 Yes, this was their unanimous decision.
They signed a treaty as allies against you—
6 these Edomites and Ishmaelites;
Moabites and Hagrites;
7 Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites;
and people from Philistia and Tyre.
8 Assyria has joined them, too,
and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Interlude9 Do to them as you did to the Midianites
Psalm 83 NLT
and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 They were destroyed at Endor,
and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil.
11 Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did.
Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 for they said, “Let us seize for our own use
these pasturelands of God!”
13 O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind!
14 As a fire burns a forest
and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
15 chase them with your fierce storm;
terrify them with your tempest.
16 Utterly disgrace them
until they submit to your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.
Let them die in disgrace.
18 Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord,
that you alone are the Most High,
supreme over all the earth.
Who are the Modern Nations in Psalm 83?
The psalmist mentions a “coalition” of nations that are scheming against Israel. Here is who they are in today’s modern nations…
- Edom – Palestinians and Jordan — the descendants of Easu, Jacob’s twin brother. (Genesis 25-27)
- Ishmaelites – Saudi Arabia — the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son with Hagar. (Genesis 16)
- The descendants of Lot’s sons — Ammon and Moab — Jordan. (Genesis 18-19)
- Harites — Egypt
- Philistia — Gaza — where Goliath was from. (1 Samuel 17)
- Assyria — Syria, Iraq and Eastern Turkey
- Byblos — maybe the Persians aka Iran
- Tyre — Lebanon
Is Psalm 83 Prophecy or just a Passionate Prayer?
Pastor Sandy Adams sheds some light on the psalm’s history…
Psalm 83 is the last of the psalms of Asaph. The sons of Asaph were a guild of worship leaders who assisted in the spiritual life of the nation Israel for many, many generations.
Psalm 83 was probably written in the days of King Jehoshaphat (Reined 870-848 BC) . 2 Chronicles 20 tells us Judah was threatened by a coalition of foreign armies – the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites. Jehoshaphat ordered a national day of prayer and fasting. After the king led in prayer, the Spirit of God came upon a man named Jahaziel who prophesied victory for Israel. Remember his famous words, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed… for the battle is not yours, but God’s…” Jehoshaphat then employed a strange battle strategy. He placed the musicians on the front line — praising God.
Yet the strategy so confused the enemy, they turned on each other and slaughtered themselves. God did win the victory and danger was diverted.
But here’s an intriguing detail. 2 Chronicles 20:14 gives us the pedigree of the man who prophesied. “Jahaziel the son of Zechariah… son of Benaiah… son of Jeiel… son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph.” Could Jahaziel be the Asaph who wrote Psalm 83? Perhaps!
Pastor Sandy Adams
The Problem with this Being Prophecy
The number one problem with Psalm 83 being prophecy is that currently, the countries of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have peace treaties with Israel!
Asaph is simply pleading with God on behalf of Israel at the time of war with Ammon and Moab. Apparently, the sons of Lot were the chiefs leading the coalition in . This psalm is merely…
…”a literary device to express the anguish of the writer for his people and for the protection and provision of Israel.”
Olivier Melnick
Nevertheless, it is a psalm that we can pray today for Israel.
Watch this video recorded on Oct. 8, 2023…
Ancient Hatred Continues
Undoubtedly, this ancient hatred against the Jews — antisemitism — still goes on today. The whole concept of a 2-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians is absurd. First and foremost, you can’t negotiate or live next door to a people group who want to kill you! These Islamist extremists want every Jew removed from the face of the earth. By the way, they hate Americans, too!
Besides that, the Palestinians turned down several 2-state solutions in the past. For them, the only solution is a 1-state solution, which includes the elimination of Israel. All of this because of the Jew-hating, satanic religion of Islam.
Amir Tsarfati – Make Gaza Great Again?
More Insight on Psalm 83 from Spoken Gospel
Bible Prophecy?
Some say that Psalm 83 happened not only in Asaph’s day, but in 1948 when the nations around the newly formed country of Israel revolted. Others say that it can happen again. What’s happening now includes some of the Psalm 83 countries, but not all of them.
Here’s another video that covers that aspect…
I like these guys. They’re funny, but they are probably wrong.
What Happens to Gaza in the Bible?
When all else fails, turn to the Bible.
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time
to bring back the remnant of his people—
those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt;
in southern Egypt, Ethiopia,[d] and Elam;
in Babylonia,[e] Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.
12 He will raise a flag among the nations
and assemble the exiles of Israel.
He will gather the scattered people of Judah
from the ends of the earth.13 Then at last the jealousy between Israel[f] and Judah will end.
They will not be rivals anymore.14They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west.
Isaiah 11:11-14 NLT
Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east.
They will occupy the lands of Edom and Moab,
and Ammon will obey them.
Judgment against Philistia
4 Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned,
Ashdod and Ekron torn down.
5 And what sorrow awaits you Philistines[a]
who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan,
for this judgment is against you, too!
The Lord will destroy you
until not one of you is left.7 The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there.
Zephaniah 2:4-5, 7 NLT
They will rest at night in the abandoned houses in Ashkelon.
For the Lord their God will visit his people in kindness
and restore their prosperity again.
Yet, God, being the compassionate God that He is says…
A Message for Israel’s Neighbors
14 Now this is what the Lord says: “I will uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I gave my people Israel. And I will uproot Judah from among them. 15 But afterward I will return and have compassion on all of them. I will bring them home to their own lands again, each nation to its own possession. 16 And if these nations truly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’ (just as they taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place among my people. 17 But any nation who refuses to obey me will be uprooted and destroyed. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah 12:14-17 NLT
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
As Christians, we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel. However, if you study the Bible carefully, you’ll come to the realization that everything revolves around God’s Promised Land. Jesus is coming back soon and guess where He’s returning to — ISRAEL. To be exact — JERUSALEM.
Who’s side are you on?
Obviously, you need to be on Jesus’ side!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
