Psalm 83: Echoes of Ancient Hatred

For thousands of years, a singular, recurring objective has echoed through the halls of history: "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more" (Psalm 83:4). This "crafty counsel," identified by the Psalmist Asaph, is a spiritual and geopolitical confederacy driven by a deep-seated animosity not just toward a people, but toward the God they represent.

Psalm 83 serves as more than a lament; it is a diagnostic framework for understanding the nature of antisemitism in our current time. It describes a hatred that is unified, strategic, and existential. By examining this framework, we see that the events of the 21st century are not new phenomena, but the latest chapters in an eternal conflict.

Spiritual War: The Unseen Conflict
At its heart, the persistent and growing hatred toward the Jewish people is the physically visible manifestation of a profound spiritual war. This is not merely a clash of cultures or a dispute over land; it is a cosmic struggle between the Creator and the Adversary.

Because Israel was chosen to bring forth the Word of God and the Messiah, the forces of darkness—mechanized by Satan—have sought to annihilate the Jewish nation to thwart God’s redemptive plan for all humanity. The episodes of "crafty counsel" recorded in history are a tactical move in this larger spiritual campaign to prove God’s promises void. When nations or individuals rise against Israel, they are, in essence, lifting their heads against the Most High (Psalm 83:2).

Pharaoh’s Decree to Present Day
The lineage of this hatred begins in the shadow of the pyramids. Pharaoh, the first great architect of Jewish genocide, did not merely seek to enslave; he sought to dismantle the future of the nation. His command to the midwives to kill all Hebrew baby boys (Exodus 1:16) was a surgical attempt to end the Israelite lineage at its source, echoing the serpent's ancient desire to crush the "seed" of the woman.

This "spirit of Pharaoh"—the desire to rid the world of the Jewish presence by targeting its future—has resurfaced with chilling consistency:

• The Inquisition: During the Spanish Inquisition, the "crafty counsel" took the form of religious coercion and systemic expulsion. The goal was the erasure of Jewish identity—forcing a choice between the loss of soul (forced conversion) or the loss of existence (death or exile).
• The Holocaust: In the 20th century, the Nazi "Final Solution" represented the ultimate manifestation of Psalm 83:4. Hitler industrialized the"crafty counsel" of history, attempting to ensure that the name of Israel would indeed be remembered no more. Like Pharaoh, the regime targeted the most vulnerable, seeking to prune the Jewish family tree until nothing remained.
  
  

The Modern Tumult: October 7 and the Rise of "Christian" Antisemitism
Since the horrific events of October 7, 2023, the world has entered a heightened period of what the Psalm calls "tumult" (Verse 2). The masks of civility have slipped, revealing a global surge in antisemitism that mirrors the ancient confederacies.

Perhaps most alarming is how this hatred has found its way into the hearts of many who identify as "Christians." Influential commentators like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have increasingly utilized their platforms to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the Jewish state and the identity of the Jewish people. Their rhetoric often leans into Replacement Theology—the erroneous belief that the Church has entirely replaced Israel in God’s plan and that the Jewish people are no longer "Israel" in a biblical sense.

By feeding the minds of new leadership around the world with the idea that Israel’s covenant is void, they provide an intellectual and "spiritual" justification for the "cutting off" of the nation. This theological shift is the "crafty counsel" of the modern era, attempting to delegitimize the Jewish people's right to their land and their identity under the guise of religious commentary.

A New "Lawfare" Battlefield: The Arrest in Chile
The "crafty counsel" of today has expanded into the realm of "lawfare." A striking example occurred in February 2026, when Rom Kovtun, a young Israeli-Ukrainian soldier vacationing in Chile, was targeted by a criminal complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation.

Invoking the principle of universal jurisdiction, the complaint sought his arrest for alleged war crimes during operations at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. This incident illustrates a new front in the Psalm 83 conflict: the attempt to trap, isolate, and prosecute the "sheltered ones" (Verse 3) of Israel wherever they go. By using domestic courts in South America to criminalize those who defend the Jewish state, the confederacy seeks to paralyze the nation’s ability to protect itself, branding its defenders as outlaws on the world stage.

God's Ultimate Goal: Turning Shame Into Salvation
While Psalm 83 is a plea by Asaph for Israel's protection by God, His conclusion reveals a surprisingly redemptive plea. The Psalmist does not merely ask for the destruction of his enemies, but for a specific outcome to their defeat:

Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord. (Psalm 83:16)

The framework of Psalm 83 suggests that the "shame" of failed schemes and the "confusion" of the hatred of God's enemies are tools of divine mercy. The ultimate objective is that those who "hate God" by hating His people would reach a point of existential exhaustion—a moment where their hatred no longer sustains them, and the futility of their war against Israel leads them to a place of repentance for their sin.

The goal is that through the manifest failure of every attempt to "cut off" Israel, the nations would finally recognize the sovereignty of the Most High. Asaph concludes with the hope that the world would know that "You, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth" (Verse 18). In this light, the survival of Israel and the Jewish people is the Church's strongest argument that God exists, that He is true to His Word. The defeat of global antisemitism is a precursor to God's ultimate reconciliation to their Creator.