The Imprecatory Prayer/Prophecy of Psalm 83
Let’s start off with prayer ourselves… Dear LORD, please open up the eyes of our hearts and minds to your scriptures as we open up Psalm 83. Help us to look forward and see what may lie ahead for us as your church and us as citizens of the USA. Help us to be people of action, ready to serve you and follow your direction.
Psalms 73-83 and 50 were written by Asaph. Asaph was a prophet as I mentioned a few weeks ago 2 Chronicles 29:30 says Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.
Let’s read Psalm 83
1 O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves.
3 They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have become a help to the children of Lot.
Selah.
9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor, Who became as dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind.
14 Like fire that burns the forest And like a flame that sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with dishonor, That they may seek Your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish,
18 That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.
Verse 1 To those outside of the faith, God is quiet. He’s silent and He’s motionless. Only because they don’t pay attention. I went to hand a guy a gospel tract on Saturday and he said, “I’m an atheist/agnostic through and through”. I said, well maybe if you read this it’ll change your mind. He said, no thank you. I’d like to change your mind. But he wouldn’t take and read (he’s not paying attention). To us, God speaks; through His Word. We don’t worship the Bible, but I’ll be honest; there are many times as I’m reading and I hear God speak and my spine tingles. It is said if you want to hear God speak, read the Bible. If you want to hear God speak audibly, read the Bible out loud. Now our God (the only true and living God) doesn’t make an ‘uproar’... at least not continually. He can roar like a lion in many ways, but often, He speaks through a still small voice 1 Kings 19:11-13 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
and
Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of armies.
Verse 2 The enemies of God make an uproar and they exalt themselves.
Contrast that to how we are supposed to intentionally humble ourselves before the LORD. This is only possible because we know the greatness and the power and the might and the dominion of our God. 1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
Verse 3 Often the way that the enemies of God express their hate for Him is they direct their hate toward us people of faith. All throughout history the nation and people of Israel have been a satanically inspired target of hate. Do you ever feel like you have a target on your back?
The people of this world system can be shrewd, and it isn’t so far fetched to think that they actually conspire against us. You do not have to be a conspiracy theorist to see signs that the world is against us. We’re told to be shrewd in our dealings. Not cheaters, fraudsters or con men. We are taught to be fair, honest, upright and to use wisdom (in other words, shrewd). Think of what Jesus said in Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."
Another aspect of this verse is that the target of God’s enemies are His Treasured ones (another version says “Sheltered” ones. If you feel like you are being attacked by the enemy, remember, you are a treasured, sheltered one under the wings of the Almighty.
Verse 4-5 The enemies of Israel are very explicit. They want to wipe out Israel as a nation so that the name Israel would be remembered no more. That’s a direct assault on God and His promises. This has happened throughout history. A commemoration in Israel Tish b’Av just occurred in Israel on August 3. That is a day that Israel remembers the destruction of the first temple by the Babylonians in 432 BC and the destruction of the second temple by the Romans in 69-70 AD, the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 and the banishment of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Things like the Holocaust and the October 7, 2023 attack also come to their mind. They sound sirens and everyone stops wherever they are, in cars on the highway, or in stores or school and they have a moment of silence to remember the devastation they’ve suffered throughout history.
Can we see enemies confederating against Israel in our day and age? Do the news reports bear this out? As recently as June 25th, 2025, the Iranian parliament celebrated attacks on Israel, and chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel”. https://youtu.be/ibkHkH60e3g?si=H9hXgOfcMXupBC_b
Even with as much as is wrong in our own government, can you imagine our Senators and Congressmen in the House Chamber chanting something like that?
In Verse 6-8 we’re given a list of the nations who will ally themselves together against Israel. The original context of this Psalm likely has to do with 2 Samuel 8:1-14 1 Now after this it came about that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines. 2 He defeated Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute. 3 Then David defeated Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as he went to restore his rule at the River. 4 David captured from him 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers; and David hamstrung the chariot horses, but reserved [enough] of them for 100 chariots. 5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 Arameans. 6 Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And the LORD helped David wherever he went. 7 David took the shields of gold which were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a very large amount of bronze. 9 Now when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. And [Joram] brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze. 11 King David also dedicated these to the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued: 12 from Aram and Moab and the sons of Ammon and the Philistines and Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 13 So David made a name [for himself] when he returned from killing 18,000 Arameans in the Valley of Salt. 14 He put garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD helped David wherever he went.
As well, a similar list of nations is given in second Chronicles chapter 20.
WHO are these nations mentioned in Psalm 83?
Edom - the descendants of Esau (Jacob’s brother, son of Issac)
the Ishmaelites - the descendants of Ishmael (of Abraham and Hagar)
Moab - the descendants of Lot
the Hagrites - a nomadic tribe descended from Hagar
Gebal - Canaanite (Phonecian) people (north of Israel)
Ammon - descendants of Lot
Amalek - descendants of Esau
Philistia - descendants of Canaan, son of Ham, son of Noah
the inhabitants of Tyre - Phonecian people
Assyria - descendants of Shem, son of Noah
Where are these nations located?
After verse 8, we have that insertion of Selah. It means pause, rest, reflect. So let’s all take a deep breath, and pause, reset and reflect for a moment. Think of God in comparison to what we might consider insurmountable odds.
Now, onto the rest of the chapter… Verses 9 and 10
9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor, Who became as dung for the ground.
David is saying, LORD, the way you dealt with Midian, please do the same to these enemies now. Looking back in Judges 6, 7 and 8, we see how God dealt with the Midianites using Gideon. We could do a whole series on Gideon and how God used Him and transformed him. Remember how God called Gideon by an Angel in Judges 6:11 Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.”
Then we remember the story where Gideon went to go to war against Midian and the LORD said, Hey Gid, you have too many soldiers in your army. Let’s pare it down. First, he dismissed any of the men who were fearful or trembling. But that still left 22,000. God said, Gid, still too many. You and your men go down to the steam and get a drink. Whoever laps the water like a dog, with their hands to their mouth without kneeling, you can keep. Whoever kneels to drink, send them back. That left Gid with 300. And God defeated the Midianites with just 300 soldiers and Gideon.
Then the reference to Jabin and Sisera. This is where Deborah and Barak Deliver Israel from Canaanites in Judges 4:14-24 Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the LORD has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15The LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left.
17Now Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” And he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. 20He said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’” 21But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. 22And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” And he entered with her, and behold Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.
23So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. 24The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan.
More history… you see how the psalmist keeps referencing history, in a sense reminding God of what He’d done in the past. It’s more to remind us than God. But this prayer tactic is used a lot in the psalms and throughout the whole bible. It’s like, remember what you did before God. Do that again. I know in my life, I’ve seen God come through multiple times for me. I know I can trust God to do it again.
Here in Verses 11 and 12 it says
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”
we have a reference to Judges chapter 7 and Gideon where it says,
Judges 7:25 They captured the two leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, while they pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from across the Jordan.
Back in Psalm 83 verses 13 through 17
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind.
14 Like fire that burns the forest And like a flame that sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with dishonor, That they may seek Your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish,
Get ‘em God. One lesson tonight, is when you have enemies coming against you, call on God to protect you. Seek refuge and shelter from the LORD. Let God be your big brother so-to-speak, and let Him stick up for you.
And then as far as prophecy in general; in the Jewish mentality is that prophecy is pattern and fulfillment, not strictly predictive. In other words, what God did in the past, look for Him to do it again. Here in Psalm 83, we have this list of enemies of Israel, and you can expect some or all of these nations to come against Israel again. God will defeat them again. Do we (or have we) seen anything like this already? Of course. Have we seen its ultimate fulfillment yet? No.
18 That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.
The reason for prophecy in the Bible is that people may know that the LORD is unique. He is the only one who knows the future because He dwells outside of time. He tells us what’s going to happen before it does to confirm His credentials as the only true God. Ultimately what that means for every individual human being throughout history, is that He is not only over all the earth, but He is over every person. We are given the choice and responsibility of submitting ourselves under His charge.
Psalm 83 is not quoted or directly referenced in the new testament. How or does Psalm 83 tie in with the end-times? To get an in focus picture of what the end-times will look like, let’s open up our Bibles to Matthew 24, and hear what Jesus talks about:
Matthew 24:3-10 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what [will be] the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. Deception 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. False Christs 6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. Kinetic Actions in the world See that you are not frightened, for [those things] must take place, but [that] is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8.8 Quake in Russia a week ago 8 "But all these things are [merely] the beginning of birth pangs. 9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Christian Persecution Africa and Asia and the Middle East (UK illegal to pray near abortion) (illegal to have church during COVID) 10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
Luke records a very similar end-times teaching of Jesus in chapter 21 of his gospel. Specifically,
Luke 21:11 says 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues Greek Loimos (pestilences) and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
And in verse 25 "There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves Floods in Texas, Typhoon Co-May Philippines.
