As we see the chaos and carnage in Ukraine, it is easy to thank God for the relative safety, security, and prosperity He has given us Americans. But at the same time, Mississippi has had a consistently high homicide rate when compared to other American states, and Jackson has recently suffered more homicides per capita than any other major city in the United States. Unlike the modern Ukrainians, or the ancient Israelites, we can’t blame other nations for the blood in our streets (Psalm 79:6-7) – unfortunately we Americans don’t need any help killing one another.

And even though we may not be the victims, we all pay the price. For when you take the cost of investigation, medical treatment, prosecution and imprisonment into account, taxpayers spend about $1 million on every homicide. And that doesn’t count the businesses that close, the property values that drop in violent neighborhoods, and the rising costs of insurance for everyone. No, crime doesn’t pay: everyone loses, not just the criminals.

So, how did Asaph respond to the much greater devastation he saw all around him? Well, he didn’t deny the sin that had brought down God’s judgment on the Israelites (verse 8). Yes, Asaph knew all too well what so many of the prophets had foretold: that God gave His people into the hands of the nations who worshipped the same false gods the Israelites had begun to follow. But instead of insisting on his own innocence, and instead of trying to shift the blame onto those who had embraced those false gods, Asaph simply asked God to forgive His people’s sins (verse 9).

So, are we willing to admit the same thing? Yes, it’s easy to point the finger at the number of guns available on our streets. But how many of the young men who wield those guns have fathers at home to teach them their proper use? How many murders involve the sale or use of alcohol or street drugs? Isn’t rejection of family responsibilities and devotion to personal wealth and pleasure really to blame for much of our current crime wave?

And if that’s the case, how many of us are truly innocent? For it isn’t just the poor folks living in the inner city of Jackson who have sex outside of marriage and children out of wedlock, is it? It isn’t just those who end up in jail or in the morgue who drink too much or use illicit drugs, is it? No, whenever we focus on what we want or how we feel to the exclusion of the needs of others, we are walking on the same road as the most desperate of modern criminals or the most blatant of ancient idolaters. We just haven’t gone quite as far down that road – yet.

And so, instead of pointing fingers or making excuses, let’s ask God to pour out His compassion on us, in spite of our sin (verse 8). Let’s rely on God’s power to preserve us, even though we all deserve nothing more than a death sentence (verse 11). Let’s turn away from our own desires and humble ourselves before God, asking Him to help us and deliver us so that He might receive all the glory (verse 9). For it is only then that we will be able to give God the thanks and praise that He alone deserves (verse 13).

Psalm 79 (NASB)

A Psalm of Asaph.
O God, the nations have invaded Thine inheritance; They have defiled Thy holy temple; They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the dead bodies of Thy servants for food to the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Thy godly ones to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem; And there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and derision to those around us.
5 How long, O LORD? Wilt Thou be angry forever? Will Thy jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations which do not know Thee, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Thy name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us; Let Thy compassion come quickly to meet us; For we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name; And deliver us, and forgive our sins, for Thy name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known among the nations in our sight, Vengeance for the blood of Thy servants, which has been shed.
11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before Thee; According to the greatness of Thy power preserve those who are doomed to die.
12 And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom The reproach with which they have reproached Thee, O Lord.
13 So we Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture Will give thanks to Thee forever; To all generations we will tell of Thy praise.