Psalm 79, why does God punish entire nations for the sins of a few ?

Answer 1

First, let's put this Psalm into its proper historical context. This Psalm is felt to have been written during the Babylonian captivity. During this time, in four phases (which coincide with the four locust invasions written about by Joel), Israel and Judah (which were two separate countries) were desolated by invading armies. Although the Psalm is labeled a "Psalm of Asaph," some scholars believe the writer of this Psalm may have been Jeremiah, since verses 6 and 7 match Jeremiah 10:25.

By the wording of your question, I can't tell whether you are asking about God's punishment of the Jews or the Psalmist's prayer to punish the nations that invaded Israel and Judah; so I'll address both.

1) Why would God punish all of Israel/Judah for the sins of a few?

According to places such as Deuteronomy 28, God promised to bless the Jews for their obedience and curse them for their disobedience. Notice that one of the curses is for them to be driven from their land. If you carefully read the Book of Jeremiah, for instance, you'll see that God found not one righteous person in all of Israel or Judah. (This, evidently, includes Jeremiah himself -- but he evidently must have repented so God could use him as a prophet). The entire country had fallen into idolatry and contempt for God, even the priests (read Malachi, which goes into great detail on this subject). God found the "wound" to be incurable (Jer. 30:12-13). Yet, God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Jerusalem who listened to God to surrender to the King of Babylon, and they would live (Jer. 38:17; 39:16-18); those who refused to listen to God would all die, including children (Jer. 38:18-23). Both history and the Bible record that those who stayed in Jerusalem and ignored God died horrible deaths. This scenario was replayed in 70 AD, when Titus laid seige to Jerusalem; thousands of Messianic Jews saw the city being surrounded and heeded Jesus' prophetic caution and fled the city (Luke 21:20-21). Those who stayed died savage deaths.

2) Why would God punish the gentile nations for the sins of a few?

This question is a bit more simple than the first, since the gentiles had no detailed covenant with God, like the Jews did. God objected to their idolatry; but even moreso, He objected to the savage way they treated the Jews during these invasions. He also hated the way they taunted the Jews for being overtaken. (Read Jeremiah Chapters 48 - 51 for God's detailed indictment against these nations.)

Answer 2

This is God's nature and part of the reason for Jesus. God sees corruption as just that, corruption.

Here's an example for the His reasoning. We are so blind we cannot see the affect of sin. We tend to continue looking for the good in people, without seeing something that should be so obvious but we don't. We don't want to. It's human nature.

One woman goes to the other, just after church service and whispers, "Did you know the Jones's are getting divorced?"
By next week, this little whisper will turn into 'Mr. Jones having played around on Mrs. Jones'.

The women then, not wanting to hurt Mrs. Jones' feelings, cluster around her (mostly in the hope of hearing some trash) and spend a lot of time calling and dropping by the house, pretending all is well.

Mrs. Jones starts to wonder 'Who's dying that they are afraid to tell me about?'

Because the women in the church are acting so strangely, Mrs. Jones decides not to let her son go on the usual boys outings with the church. (Just a feeling, she's got)

Then one day, Mrs. Jones over hears a conversation among the women....just enough that she gets the idea that they know something about her husband that she does not. Suspicion builds and she begins to call her husband at work, more often than usual. She's begun to check his pockets behind his back. It goes full circle until the Jones' are beginning to argue and the home fills with an evil spirit. Love dies and they are on the verge of splitting up.

Finally, she says something to one of the women at church and learns that they've been talking about divorce, long before the troubles started. As they talk, she realizes that when divorce papers had been delivered to the wrong address, her young daughter (not understanding the word) asked her Sunday School teacher what it meant. It was the Sunday school teacher whose tongue was out of control and started the whole mess. The Jones's were not getting a divorce until the gossip drove them into problems.

This is just a small example of what one little sin can do. Sin travels and grows and it destroys a whole family, a whole city, a whole nation.

How would satan convince a whole nation that sex sin is a normal human condition? It starts small and grows like cancer.

God knows this. He sees it all from beginning to end. It's no wonder, that before Jesus, He did destroy whole cities, whole nations and once, a whole world.

It's never the sins of a few. It grows like cancer and we are all affected.

Answer 3

That is not what the Psalm says.

In fact, God would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah if there had been a few righteous men, there were not. In fact there were not five worshipers of God in Sodom. The term "righteous" could also be interpreted to mean "worshiping properly".

Being a Pagan is breaking or sinning against, the greatest commandment, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart.

In Psalm 79 Asaph is asking God to pardon the sins of the few in Israel who had begun worshiping Pagan gods and deliver Israel from oppression by Pagan nations, sinners.

Answer 4

This is the difference between Judaism and Christianity.

God made a covenant with Israel (Jacob) and his descendants. The Day of Atonement is about the community not the individual.

In Psalm 79:8Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.

It was Jewish belief that children inherit their parents debts. You can see this in the New Testament when the disciples ask about the cause of illness.

Answer: Israel was to be a holy nation; this required everyone to be holy.

Answer 5

there is always the story of Sodom and Gomorrorah to reflect on. Abraham asked if there were so many righteous would God spare it? God was willing to do it even for 10 righteous. Then he did wisk Lot and his family away as that must have been the only righteous people he could find. He sent an angel to help him, and when God flooded the earth he spared Noah and his family who would obey him. The bible says He makes a way of escape and that those who love him are not appointed to wrath. We have to read the whole bible in context as the huge woven tapestry that it is, not just look at one thread and question God "where is the rest of the blanket?" :) God is always merciful and will always spare those who come to him.

Answer 6

Because God likewise blessed the whole nation for the goodness of a few:

"For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?" - Deuteronomy 4:7.

Even at a time when God punishes an entire nation, quite often there are those few whom He loves, who remain faithful, who escape His wrath, as did Lot from Sodom:

" "Or {if} I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it,

even {though} Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either {their} son or {their} daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness." " - Ezekiel 14:19,20.

Answer 7

They did not worship him.
(Psalm 79:1) O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; They have defiled your holy temple; They have laid Jerusalem in a heap of ruins.

(Psalm 79:6) Pour out your rage upon the nations that have not known you, And upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your own name.

(Psalm 79:12) And repay to our neighbors seven times into their bosom Their reproach with which they have reproached you, O Jehovah.

The Psalm explains itself.
They REPROACHED Jehovah

Answer 8

It isn't the sins of a few...the whole country was worshipping idols and had turned from God.
In many instances in the Bible, God has given a warning and allowed the clean in spirit to get out before he sends His wrath. Those who believe usually leave.

Answer 9

because the entire nations never care for the sins did by the few..

there is a story regarding this,

there was a village that its people didn't worship god,
then Allah ask angel to sent earthquake to those people..but then the angel ask, "dear god, there is a few person in the mosque that worship u, do you want to punish them too?"

then god said,"I should punish the people in the mosque first rather this village BECAUSE THEY DID WORSHIP ME FOR THEIR OWN SAKE AND SELFISHNESS , AND THEY DIDN'T CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE..."

Answer 10

I dont care what the Bible says, God wouldnt do that. He wouldnt kill men women and children because somebody sinned. That's why you cant take the Bible literally