Psalms admittedly isn't my favorite book of The Bible. I like narratives, and Psalms is more poetics. But one of the interesting things about reading Psalms is seeing how the theology seems to differ from psalm to psalm. One psalm will assert that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, the next psalm will lament that God allows the wicked to prosper while the righteous suffer.
I read Psalm 44 today, and I thought it was interesting, because Psalm 44 is asserting that God allowed Israel( *) to suffer at the hands of its foreign adversaries despite the fact that Israel had been faithful to God.
This is in contrast, of course, to the narrative of the Deuteronomistic Historian (W), but one thing to keep in mind is that the historical narrative in the Bible may be reinterpreting events to fit its theological conclusions. The theological conclusion that was reached in the time of the exile was: God allowed us to be conquered because we were unfaithful to him.
But in the years leading up to the exile, it could have been that the Israelites believed that they were still being faithful to God, and couldn't understand why God was allowing this to happen.
(*) I'm using the word "Israel" to refer to both Israel and Judah here.
Anyway, below is Psalm 44. I've been reading The Jerusalem Bible, but because the NIV is easier to find online, I'm copying and pasting from the NIV:
Psalm 44
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
you covered us over with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
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