The Psalmist Now Admits That Possibly They Have Been At Fault (Psalms 44:20-22).
‘If we have forgotten the name of our God,
Or spread forth our hands to a strange god,
Will not God search this out?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Yes, for your sake are we killed all the day long,
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'
The Psalmist now admits the possibility that in a sense they have forgotten what God is, that is, they have forgotten ‘the Name of God'. He does it in the form of a question. If they have done so, or if they have worshipped a strange god, will not God search it out? Will He not be aware of what they have done? For after all He knows the secrets of the heart.
And his answer is, yes, that is what has happened. That is why some of His people are even now facing constant harrying, and are still being killed like sheep for the slaughter (compare Psalms 44:11). It is clear now that God does have something against them. They have left their first love. They are no longer truly glorying in Him as their Sovereign Lord as they should. Psalms 44:22 is cited in Romans 8:36 where the aim is to bring out that even though God loves His people, He still allows them to go through times of trouble..