You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale. – Psalm 44:12

Today's Scripture Reading (August 2, 2022): Psalm 44

I see them on the sides of the road; they are the forgotten and the unwanted. These lost items come from many different categories; toys, tools, appliances, furniture, and more. These items only share one feature; they are all things their current owners no longer want. So, they are placed by the side of the road, often with the word "free" attached somewhere on their surface. They might be the saddest group of possessions in the human world. They were once loved, shiny, new, and coveted by their owners. But now, they are worth nothing, and their owners are willing to give them away to anyone with the energy to pick them up.

The title of this Psalm tells us that it is written by the "Sons of Korah." Given the subject manner, many want to place this Psalm in the post-exilic period, a time frame where Israel was maligned and without power. The Psalm speaks of the defeat of the nation. It is a time when the people of Israel have lost all hope. If it was written during the days of the monarchy, then it might have been a prophetic utterance, speaking of the terrible days yet to come.

And during that moment, Israel would find themselves given away by their God. And it wasn't that they had been sold for something of value. Israel had been given away for nothing as if God's favorite possession was nothing more than junk sitting by the side of the road. Israel was suddenly a nation without any value.

As Matthew tells the story of the crucifixion, he makes this comment. "Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, "' What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew 26:15). Thirty pieces of silver is not an arbitrary amount. It is the price specified for an enslaved person in the Mosaic Law. "If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death" (Exodus 21:32). But the price for Israel was not even what would have been paid for a slave. Israel was worth less than the price of an enslaved person; they were given away for nothing.

Of course, that was not quite true. Israel was of great worth to God, and he had already planned the price to be paid so that he could purchase them back. That price would be the life of his son, sacrificed for each of us. But at this moment, it felt like God was simply giving them away.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 84