Psalm 74 (73):9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Among the Jews are those who claim they remain unknown, indicating they are still in bondage and waiting for their liberation through Christ. Christ will return, but He will do so as a judge; first to call forth and then to shatter. His coming is certain, for He has already come, and it is clear that He will return from on high. Israel, you were confronted with Him. You were wounded because you stumbled over Him, laid low: to prevent being reduced to dust, observe His coming from above. For it is written by the prophet: whoever stumbles on that stone will be shattered, and whomever it strikes will be ground to dust. When it is small, it will inflict bruises, and when it is great, it will pulverize.

We have not witnessed our signs. They urged one another to abandon the feasts of the Lord that were still being observed, and they combined their words with their actions. However, we, when these events took place, were not witnesses of those signs, which we had often perceived during earlier struggles. Yet those signs had provided us with assistance amidst the distress surrounding us. Consequently, in the absence of these signs, we lamented, ‘Why have you turned away from God entirely?’ There is no prophet for this, and he will not recognize us in this regard. What deepens our desperation for salvation is that we no longer see a prophet among us who could intercede with God on our behalf.

With a profound sense of unity, they directed their focus toward us with a shared purpose: to undermine the commandments You have bestowed. The Prophet signified that ‘feasts’ referred to living in accordance with Your laws. However, they boldly took this action, he states, oblivious to the miraculous deeds of our forebears and lacking correction from the prophetic spirit. The Jewish people were abruptly stripped of all these blessings. After their return from exile, they were blessed with numerous prophets such as Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. In addition, the earlier prophets had already proclaimed future events to the people and rulers and had uncovered the schemes of their adversaries, which is straightforward to trace through historical records.

We have not witnessed their wonders. As Romans, during this time of siege and our triumph, we have not experienced the miracles that the Jews proclaim, which they claim were performed by their God. Indeed, no such wonders have taken place in the course of this conflict with them. St. Athanasius suggests that the Jews express this sentiment: we, against whom these events transpired, were not witnesses to other signs, which we often observed in previous battles. These signs served as sources of support during the tribulations we encountered. Consequently, lacking any sight of these miracles, we lament, Why, O God, have You abandoned us? There is no prophet to speak to this, nor will there be any prophet who can recognize us in this predicament.

In this passage, the prophet draws upon the expressions of the faithful Israelites who, overwhelmed by sorrow, had nearly lost hope in God's assistance. Scholars link this context to the era of Antiochus Epiphanes, referred to as 'the illustrious one,' a figure extensively chronicled in the Maccabean writings. During this period, miraculous signs and prophetic declarations had diminished significantly, leading to a perception that God was unaware of His people’s plight—a notion that was not applicable during the Babylonian exile, as some propose. At that time, the Prophet Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem, while Daniel and Ezekiel were in Babylon. In contrast, we currently find ourselves without a prophet who can console us with God’s promises and clarify the resolution of our tribulations. The Hebrew scripture conveys this sentiment: No man knoweth of us how long these things shall be?

Ultimately, in Christ, the Fulfillment of all that is good, we offer our songs of gratitude and exalt Him for all eternity. This Psalm was motivated by the Holy Spirit and revealed to David, then conveyed to Asaph, the head of the singers, so that he could announce a joyful prophecy to the Israelites about the impending victory over Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, which symbolizes the triumph of the Holy Church over all its adversaries—a victory bestowed by God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is important to note that the Holy Spirit has interwoven the truths of Christian belief with Jewish history, providing solace for the Jew who interprets these words in a fundamental manner while also uplifting the Christian who perceives their deeper significance.