A song, a psalm of Asaph.
Asaph was a Levitical priest during the reign of David. He wrote a prophetic song about the future of Israel. This song would be sung at the Jewish festivals.
83:1 O God, do not be silent! Do not ignore us! Do not be inactive, O God!
Asaph asked God for three requests. First, he asked God not to be silent. Second, he asked God not to ignore Israel. Third, he asked God not to be inactive.
83:2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion; those who hate you are hostile.
Asaph looked into the future and saw the enemies of Israel making a commotion. These enemies hate Israel. They are hostile towards Israel.
83:3 They carefully plot against your people, and make plans to harm the ones you cherish.
These nations of the future are plotting and planning to destroy Israel.
83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
These hostile nations want to combine and destroy Israel. It is interesting to note that Nasser (the former dictator of Egypt) repeated this verse almost word for word just prior to the Six Day War.
83:5 Yes, they devise a unified strategy; they form an alliance against you.
These nations are unified by their belief in Islam. They form an alliance to unify and destroy Israel. This is the goal of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
83:6 It includes the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
The nations listed in verses 6-8 have never combined and fought Israel. Therefore, Asaph is looking into the future and recording a battle between Israel and her enemies.
These ancient nations are the modern Arabian states which all have ties to Islam. Edom is Southern Jordan. Ishmael was the father of all of the Arabs. Moab is Central Jordan. The Hagarenes are Egypt.
83:7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
Gebal is Lebanon. Ammon is Northern Jordan. Amalek is the Sinai Peninsula. Philistia is the Gaza Strip. Tyre is Lebanon.
83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them, lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. (Selah)
Assyria is primarily Iraq and parts of Syria. The descendants of Lot are Ammon and Moab, who have already been identified as Central and Northern Jordan. All of these Muslim nations will combine and attack Israel before or during the Great Tribulation.
83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian— as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River!
Asaph asked Jehovah to crush these future enemies, just as God crushed the Midianites during the days of the Judges. Jael drove a tent peg through Sisera’s head. Jabin was defeated by Barak and Deborah in the plain of Esdraelon.
83:10 They were destroyed at Endor; their corpses were like manure on the ground.
Barak and Deborah destroyed the armies of King Jabin at Endor. The enemy army laid dead on the ground, causing the land to stink like manure. Asaph asked God to move against this future Arab confederacy in the same way.
83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna, 83:12 who said, “Let’s take over the pastures of God!”
Oreb and Zeeb were the leaders of the Midianite warriors. They attacked Israel on camel back. They were defeated by Gideon.
Zebah and Zalmunna were Midianite kings who were defeated by Gideon.
The pastures of God refers to the lands of Israel. These Midianites wanted to take over. Instead, they received the kind-for-kind curse of the Abrahamic Covenant. They were slaughtered by Gideon.
83:13 O my God, make them like dead thistles, like dead weeds blown away by the wind!
Asaph asked God to destroy this future Arab Confederacy just as wind blows away dead thistles.
83:14 Like the fire that burns down the forest, or the flames that consume the mountainsides,
Asaph asked God to destroy this future Arab Confederacy just as fire burns down a forest or a flame consumes the grass on the mountains.
83:15 chase them with your gale winds, and terrify them with your windstorm.
Asaph asked God to destroy this future Arab Confederacy by blowing them away like a tornado.
83:16 Cover their faces with shame, so they might seek you, O Lord.
This is an interesting prayer. Asaph asked God to shame these Arab nations so that they might seek the one true God. When Allah fails these Arab nations, many of them may turn to the one true God.
83:17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified! May they die in shame!
Asaph asked God to humiliate, terrify, kill, and shame this future Arab confederacy.
83:18 Then they will know that you alone are the Lord, the sovereign king over all the earth.
When the Arab confederacy of the future combines and attacks Israel, then they will know that Jehovah is the one true God. They will know that Jehovah is the sovereign King over all of the earth. During the Millennial Kingdom, there will be Arabian believers in all of these lands (except for Edom and Babylon). Edom and Babylon will become burning pits of demons.