This Article: (5 Pages)
- 1. A Song or Prophecy
- 2. Historical Context of Psalm 83
- 3. Context of Prophecy: Israel Reborn
- 4. Reprise: Israel reborn's Enemies
- 5. Psalm 83 & Purpose of the Psalms
3) Context of Prophecy: Israel Reborn
If Asaph's wish list of curses upon Yahweh's enemies seems to have rather more wide reaching enemies than any actual battles in his era, we might see these enemies better in a context of how events have fulfilled other prophecy.
Tyre, Zidon & the Philistines
Joel looking to a time then future, when Judah and Jerusalem are bought back to the land, mentions Tyre being confederate with the Philistines.
For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? (Hebrew Philistine) will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; (Joel 3:1-4)
All nations are to be brought to fight Yahweh over Jerusalem, yet Tyre, Zidon and the coasts of the Philistines are given a special mention. Though many nations have fought over Jerusalem, history has not had a time when all nations fight. Because Revelation 16 speaks of all nations being brought to a place in the Hebrew tongue and Joel 3 speaks of Tyre and the Philistines as Psalm 83, some have though that Psalm 83 is about the wars of latter day Israel.
Beginning at Joel 3 we know that Tyre and Zidon is in Modern Lebanon. Tyre the great Phonecian trading state was destroyed finally by the Greeks who pushed it into the sea. Though a fishing place only, its name was retained and it was an area that Christ walked freely, being part of the Roman empire. After an era of little significance, it was for nearly 400 years in a backward part of the Ottoman Empire. When the Ottomans lost to the British who had inherited the trade of Tyre in the Great War, the land was partitioned and given by agreement to their allies the French to administer.
Whereas in all of history until the recent present there has been no situation where Tyre and Zidon would need again recompense, but since 1970 the PLO has moved into the area of Tyre and Zidon, and that led to a war with Israel, where Israel occupied that part of Lebanon only to give it up. Since Israel left that branch of the PLO has destroyed all of Lebanon . Whether they can survive while destroying their host nation is yet to be seen.
Whereas there was in the ancient past no specific affinity between the Philistines and those of Tyre, there is now strong agreement between the people of the former Philistine area of Gaza of the PLO and the PLO faction inhabiting Tyre and Zidon. They hope to destroy Yahweh's work by 'liberating' of Jews the area the British called Palestine, after the Roman label recalling the Philistines.
The PLO was set up in 1964 to eradicate all the Jews from the small area of land they had won in war in 1948.
In direct fulfilment of Joel 3 the people of the PLO in Tyre, Sidon and Gaza have been confederate to recompense Yahweh's miracle nation of Israel since 1964, and have gone out to all the nations of the world, with no exaggeration, to agitate to have Jews removed from all (or at least any defensible part) of the former British Mandate of Palestine (hence their 1964 title 'P* Liberation Organisation'). It is not uncommon for nations remote from the Middle East to offer support to the PLO cause and advocate for Jews to be removed from part of the Land. This issue under the guise of the 'two state solution' is even as I write bringing nations to a state where they would support a war against Jews in Jerusalem.
Edom Moan & Ammon
Edom, Moab and Ammon are mentioned in Psalm 83. The nations are given a special mention as Mt Sier in Ezekiel 35 which is after the shepherds of Israel are rebuked and Yahweh Elohim promises Israel's faithful shall be given a new covenant and good pasture on the Mountains of Israel. It is before the image of the revival of the valley of the dried bones.
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: since you have not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth. And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword. I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there: (Ezekiel 35:1-10)
It is well known the Edomites existed at the time of Christ. They had been forcibly converted to Judaism, which eventually ended their independent existence. The Edomites had attacked the Jews at the time of the destruction of the first temple fitting into this pattern of the hatred and then the later removal as a people by conquest. But Ezekiel does not say Edom, but Mt Sier. Mt Sier is today associated with the famous wonder of the world, desolate ruined 'city' of Petra famous for the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe who ruled in the region of Edom. True to the pattern the Nabataeans,
The Nabataeans were allies of the first Hasmoneans (Jews) in their struggles against the Seleucid monarchs. They then became rivals of the Judaean dynasty, and a chief element in the disorders that invited Pompey's intervention in Judea. Wikipedia
Eventually the blood pursued them and the Romans conquered and annexed the whole area of the Nabataeans in 106AD.
Yet as the section of Ezekiel begins with Yahweh Elohim seeking in all the nations for the scattered Jewish people (34:12) to bring them to the Mountains of Israel, the Mt Sier of Ezekiel corresponds to Jordan as it is the most famous and prominent mountain in Jordan. Though hardly any live in the desolate area of Mt Sier itself since Byzantine times, it is a symbol of the nation of Jordan. Ezekiel had to name it for over two millennia before it existed. It also has a context where the Mountains of Israel are pitted against Mount Sier. We may go look and see the perpetual wastes of the cities of Mt Sier and see the fate of all those that shed the blood of the people of Israel and who say Israel and Judea are theirs when they are Yahweh Elohim's.
It is not hard now to find who are the people who hate and who shed blood, who love blood and who say that Israel and Judea are theirs, though Jews were given the Promised Land won from Jordan by an amazing miracle in 1967. The people of Mt Sier possessed the land of promise. In 1948 those of Jordan, possessing Mt Sier's ruins, sought also to take all the land from Jews through an existential war. Jordan bought in people and gave them land from 1948 to 1967. These people now through shedding of blood, even their own blood, seek to remove Jews bought there by God. We can see that it is exactly as Ezekiel has written, and we can see as a harbinger the witness of the famed destroyed cities of Mt Sier. We can also see that their blood has pursued them, as hatreds and internal factions are killing their own. As the first part has come to past, the last part of fullness of destruction of the cities of those of who hate and kill, even their own, will surely follow.
In these events fulfilling Ezekiel 35 with the perpetual hatred of Mt Sier we see a parallel to Psalm 83 that names the same hatred from Edom, Moab and Ammon. The confederates call of Psalm 83, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” is similar to what Ezekiel prophesies those of Mt Sier will say, “These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there:” Ezekiel is prose and has much detail in context - Psalm 83 is a song that establishes a pattern as to how we are to see the hatred and tumult over God's plan for Israel.
More Enemies: Syria & Egypt with Jordan
Ezekiel 36 goes into more detail which confirms that the prophecy is of our time since 1918 and 1948.
Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: Therefore prophesy and say.. Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people:
Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, say unto the mountains.. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. (Ezekiel 36:1-8)
Mt Sier is named in Chapter 35, but now in Chapter 36 there is 'the enemy' indicating a vast collective. Who has the ancient high places in possession? The Jordanians have been given power over the Temple Mount so the theme seems again the same as in Chapter 35, yet Jerusalem is littered with 'holy' places claimed by various Christian sects who all also seek possession of the Holy place, indicating a wider definition. Ezekiel speaks of the 'residue of all the nations' about Israel and Idumea another name for Mt Sier, Edom, as if Idumea is a special case among general condition.
Since the Ottoman Turks lost control of the desolate mountains of Israel, which is Judea and Samaria, to the British in WW1, the possession of the Mountains has been contentious to all nations adjacent and many other nations. In addition every nation bordering Israel, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon has fought with Israel and lost prestige or land to be a 'residue' of their former selves.
From 1945, before even Israel was a nation the 'Arab league of states' formed, 'with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.' In 1948 there was all out war as Egypt, (Trans) Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen all sent forces to fight the Jewish Yishuv and their Bedouin allies. At this time Israel was formed to once again make Psalm 83 relevant in type, in all points as the intent was a holy war to deny the Power of the God of Israel. Psalm 83 did not mention Egypt, or Syria, or Yemen.
Ezekiel 36 indicates that Jews of Israel are given the Mountains precisely due to those who seek the high places for their possession. As they hate and seek to 'swallow' up Israel on every side with Jordan taking the Mountains and Egypt taking Gaza, they keep pushing and in 1967 there is an Egyptian incited war against Israel involving Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. As a result Israel gained Gaza, the Golan heights, the Sinai and all the Mountains of Israel. Truly these nations become residues. But this was not enough such was their hate that they tried again on Yom Kippur 1973 Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Tunisian, Morocco, Cuba and Sudan with the backing of the USSR, North Korea and Pakistan. Surely they thought they would win and there was no other intent than that 'with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.' Israel held and retained land gaining more on the Golan and the Suez reaching within 32km of Damascus. But there was no reduction in hatred.
Whereas the peace made with Egypt in 1979 after the Yom Kippur war was reasonably robust. The later peace treaty with Jordan in 1994 was very cold and implacable hatred remained, with all other belligerent nations. In the time since 1973 the number of Jews living on the Mountains of Israel expanded greatly, and they became fertile, even exporting fruit. Ezekiel 36 accurately in context describes the history of the last 100 years speaking of the nations about without naming them precisely with a focus on Idumea which refers to the key role of Hashemite Jordan in every conflict, indeed until the present day.
The action of Ezekiel 35 and 36 parallels Psalm 83. The Arab led events from 1918-2018 fulfill the pattern of Psalm 83 as there is no doubt that they have been in tumult and been confederate in an attempt to cut of Israel from being a nation and there is no doubt whatsoever they have a hatred to the God of Israel. Ezekiel did not name names, though being precise as to the locations and actions as most nations involved except Egypt are modern. By contrast Psalm 83 names names in a list.
Edom, & the Ishmaelites; of Moab, the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: helping the children of Lot (Moab & Ammon).
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