As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
This psalm was written when King Jehoshaphat faced a dreadful confederacy of enemies, not only Ammonites and Moabites, but forces mustered from Syria and distant lands that nearly overwhelmed Judah. The poet enumerates these many nations to show how urgent the prayer for God's aid must be, and to stir us to greater confidence that He will defend His Church against all who conspire to extinguish it.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 83:1-18
Picture the forest floor thick with dried leaves that catch fire and burn terribly through every bush and tree from root to crown, the ground glowing red as a furnace. Lord, consume thy foes with that same dreadful fire; let the mountains blaze with destruction against all who rise against Israel.
AI summary
Let the enemy's fate be what befell Midian, Sisera, and Jabin: total rout. God is unchanging toward His people and unchanged against their foes. The Midianites were routed by their own terror more than by Gideon's three hundred; Sisera's army became as dung on the earth. So shall these confederates perish, and Israel be preserved.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 83:9-18