Psalms 83:1
1 Do not keep silent, O Elohim! (Elohim) Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O Elohim!
2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. (Signifying arrogance and pride)
Initially it will appear that Elohim is completely detached and totally indifferent to the plans and strategies of the alliance that threatens the destruction of Israel, but His apparent disinterest belies His true intentions. These vicious yet cowardly nations are violent enemies of Elohim. In the New International Version of the Bible, the translation reads, “See how your enemies are astir, (active, busy, frenetic) how your foes raise their heads (in arrogant defiance).
The language is straight out of today’s headlines and the nations lined up against Israel in Psalm 83 inhabited the ancient lands of Israel’s current neighbors. Edom and the Ishmaelites were in the land occupied by southern Jordan today while the territories of Moab and Ammon make up the rest of that country. (While the government of Jordan presently has a peace treaty with Israel, we should remember that some 70% of Jordan’s population is “Palestinian” and in fact the country was formed to be the Palestinian home land).
So here we have all of Israel’s next door neighbors united by a grim determination to totally eradicate Israel. They are not simply haters of Israel and the Jewish State they are also dedicated haters of Elohim, the Holy One of Israel and of His son Yeshua. They fervently hate all Jews and Christians viewing them as infidels fit only for conversion to Islam or death by execution. Islam is directly and fanatically opposed to Israel, Elohim, all Christians and the Kingdom of Elohim that Messiah will establish. Their statements are not empty threats. They fully mean what they say. They are absolutely determined to obliterate Israel.
Psalm 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
Through crafty counsel they pretend to want peace, but at the same time they fanatically and frantically recruit and train terrorists. All their talk about “Peace Agreements are actually “hudnas” i.e. time to recoup and re arm. Asaph said “With cunning, they conspire against your people; they plot and make evil plans against those you cherish.” An aspect of Islamic belief and culture that the Western world still fails to comprehend is that all lies and deceit are acceptable if those deceitful lies further the ultimate cause of Islam. Fanatical Muslims will lie and misinform without hesitation to further their cause. It is therefore impossible to reach a true peace agreement with them because they can relent on their word at any time that best suits their purpose.
Psalm 83:4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
The frequently declared aim of all these Middle Eastern nations is to conquer Israel in the name of Islam. This is the sole purpose that unites them. (All Arabic maps now show Palestine, but not the nation of Israel). These constant declarations and statements are not to be taken lightly. The perpetrators fervently believe what they say and are sufficiently dedicated to Allah to carry out every plan and atrocity they can devise.
Psalm 83:5 For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:
The Arab Alliance of nations conspire (secretly plot) together. Although some Muslim nations pretend to stand aloof from the more radical and fanatical elements in Islam, ultimately when the lines are drawn they will all stand together against those they perceive to be their common enemies.
Psalm 83:6
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
This consortium of nations includes Palestinians, (Philistines) and many citizens of Southern Lebanon (Tyre) who are inspired by terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hizballah. (Their united determined purpose is to possess Eretz Israel)
Psalm 83:8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot.
(Descendants of Hagar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia or Arab-Muslim world including Syria, Iraq, Iran)
Asaph The Prophet Pleads,
Psalm 83:9-12
9 Deal with them as with Midian, as with Sisera, as with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor, Who became as refuse on the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves The pastures of Elohim for a possession.”
Asaph, the writer of the Psalm, cannot resist telling the Lord exactly how he would like Israel’s enemies to be dealt with. Midian was defeated by a much smaller army under the command of Gideon against a force which vastly outnumbered Israel. It was a case of the Lord turning Israel’s enemies against each other and thus defeating themselves (Judges 8). Oreb, Zeeb Zebah, and Zalmunna were all leaders of the Midianite army defeated by Gideon.
Asaph’s prophetic prayer was that Israel’s current enemies will be just as soundly defeated as were the Midianites and the Canaanites, when their armies were scattered and their leaders executed. When this prayer is answered, Israel will become much larger geographically, with the contention over the ownership of Gaza, the West bank and the Golan finally brought to an end. Israel will become stronger, not weaker, its military reputation restored and even enhanced. The divided land will be divided no more, and Jerusalem will remain a unified city. The controversial security fence will come down, since the borders on all three sides will be safe and the threat of terrorist attacks eliminated. Meanwhile, the Russians and Iranians, who will have fought this battle by proxy, will study the defeat and learn from the mistakes, lying in wait for the next opportunity to strike.
Psalms 83:13-15
13 O my Elohim, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind!
14 As the fire burns the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm. NKJV
The question arises as to whether Psalm 83 is linked to Zechariah 12 or whether that applies to some other scenario? Let’s look at
Zechariah 12:2-3
2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. NKJV
The enemies of Israel when they launch their attack will begin to act irrationally like drunken men. Their tactics and strategies will be thrown into confusion. In their drunken like stupor and bewilderment they will begin to kill their own allies.
Zechariah 12:6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a brazier that sets a woodpile ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure. NLT
This verse refers to the “neighboring nations” of Israel, right and left. Elohim vows to destroy these while Jerusalem remains secure. Surely this statement concurs with the scene in Psalm 83:13-15.
What triggers this response from Elohim? The answer is found in Zechariah 12:4-5.
4 “On that day, says the LORD, I will cause every horse to panic and every rider to lose his nerve. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will blind the horses of her enemies.
5 And the clans of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The people of Jerusalem have found strength in the LORD Almighty, their Elohim.’
Zechariah clearly declares that THE LORD (Elohim) will personally intervene to defend the citizens of Jerusalem when they are faced with apparent destruction. He will make the Israeli army extraordinarily powerful in battle giving them the amazing assistance of His heavenly angelic forces. Messiah Himself (the Angel of the Lord) will fight on their behalf.
Zechariah 12:7-9
7 The LORD will give victory to the rest of Judah first, before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal line of David will not have greater honor than the rest of Judah.
8 On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like Elohim, like the angel of the LORD who goes before them!
9 For my plan is to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. NLT
Could this mention of tempest, storm and fire refer to the use of nuclear weapons? Certain scriptures seem to intimate that nuclear weapons may be used in at least one of the wars predicted in the Bible. E.g
Zechariah 14:12,13
12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
13 It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, and raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand; NKJV
These symptoms will closely resemble what happened to the citizens of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan at the close of World War 2 when the eyes of those who watched these horrific explosions dissolved in the sockets. However, Elohim Himself is fully capable of producing such fearful results without man made weapons of destruction. The end result of this terrible conflict will be that world attention will be focused upon Elohim. Devotees of all false religions will be filled with shame and will earnestly seek the face of Elohim.
In the aftermath of this amazing battle, when the tide is suddenly and supernaturally changed in Israel’s favor, a bewildered Israel will look around to see who has achieved this supernatural victory on their behalf. It is then that they will recognize their deliverer as Yeshua HaMashiach whose hands and side were pierced and they will mourn over Him in great sorrow and bitterness of soul.
An Islamic Alliance Of Nations
This is obviously an Islamic inspired attempt to destroy the modern State of Israel. Through the direct, supernatural power of Elohim Israel is protected and saved. However through this degrading defeat, the powers and influences of Islam are greatly diminished though not totally destroyed. From the remaining system of Islam will eventually arise the Anti Christ, but that beast will be spoiled and damaged. Millions of people will have been rescued from the grip of Islam and brought into the Kingdom of Elohim.
A Glorious Spiritual Outpouring Zechariah 12:10-11
10 “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died. NLT
This appearance is NOT the “Second Coming.” Rather it is a special intimate appearance of the Messiah to Israel at which time their national spiritual blindness will be sovereignly healed and they will finally see and recognize that the pierced One is their promised Messiah and the (firstborn) Son of Elohim. This will be a prophetic fulfillment of the moment when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. NKJV