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‘For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Maschil
The meaning of Maschil in this context is not certain. It is used to describe a number of Psalms. But the word maschil means ‘understanding'. It has been variously interpreted as meaning, ‘a teaching Psalm' (although that does not appear to fit all its uses), ‘a meditation', thus bringing understanding, or a ‘skilful Psalm' indicating a complicated setting.
The chief musician. or choirmaster, was responsible for the music in the Temple. For ‘the sons of Korah' see the introduction to this whole section.
The basis of the Psalm, which is a lament because God has allowed them to be defeated in warfare, is as to why God has failed to fight on their side and give them victory as He had done in past times. It claims that the people have been faithful to God's covenant, and yet that in spite of that God has failed to help them so that they find themselves in extremities. And it ends with an appeal to God to reverse the situation. There is no real evidence in it as to when it was written, but its position in the Second Book of Psalms would suggest an early date rather than a late one, and it is clear that it was regularly sung because such occasions kept reoccurring. It is thus an assurance that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
In a similar way it contains encouragement for us when we cannot understand why God allows us to endure trials, even though we have not specifically failed Him in any way that we can recall, for it demonstrates that such circumstances have often come on the people of God in the past and must therefore be expected. It is the common experience of God's people. It is not so much therefore that we have outwardly failed to observe His covenant, as that we have allowed our faith to fall to a low level, as with the church at Ephesus which had lost its first love (Revelation 2:1-6), so that we have been needing a jolt to get us back to truly trusting in Him.