What does Psalm 44:20 mean?
Spreading out the hands in Old Testament times was a gesture associated with prayer and worship. At the dedication of Solomon's temple, "Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven" (1 Kings 8:22). Then he began his prayer by acknowledging that there is no god like Israel's God (1 Kings 8:23). Solomon knew, as did every person in Israel, that God had commanded: "I am the LORD your God…You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:2–3). Soon after receiving these words, Israel sinned by worshiping a golden calf (Exodus 32:1–8). Consequently, the Lord punished them (Exodus 32:35).When this psalm began, the writer recalled the victories which God gave to Israel (Psalm 44:1–8). Those were conditioned on Israel's obedience to the Lord (Deuteronomy 7:12–16). When the people sinned, they could expect consequences (Deuteronomy 30:15–18). Now, having suffered some humiliating defeat (Psalm 44:9–16), the psalmist is frustrated. He continues to argue (Psalm 44:17–19) that the people of Israel had done nothing to deserve defeat and demoralization at the hands of their enemies. He rejects any suggestion they had turned their backs on proper worship of God. So, the writer cannot understand why God has allowed such suffering to occur.
This train of thought continues into the next verse (Psalm 44:21), suggesting that since God has not brought national sin to anyone's attention, there is no reason to believe it is occurring.
