The writer of this psalm began with praise in verses 1-3, and in verses 4-5, he asked the Lord to rescue him and to prosper him. He didn’t ask for special prosperity but simply to be able to share in the prosperity God had promised Israel.
In verses 4-6, he wrote about the sins of Israel over many generations. If the people had still been alive, this would have been gossip, but because most or all of these people were long dead, it is history. In verses 40-46, his words indicate that he may have been writing after the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, and he was possibly looking forward to the return to Jerusalem.
Verses 6-33 is a recounting of the rebellion of Israel under Moses. Even though God had met their needs and shown them many miracles, they still failed to trust God and to obey Him causing them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years losing all the generations over 20 years old at the Exodus except Joshua and Caleb.
In verses 34-43, the writer described the horrible sins of the people in Canaan during the periods of the judges and kings. The worship of false gods and the sacrifice of children were more than God would allow. Even King Ahaz burned some of his children as sacrifices to pagan gods (2 Chronicles 28:1-4). Is this the same as abortion? We have been allowing the sacrifice of babies for many reasons and for many years.
In verses 44-46, the writer described the mercy God had shown His people even after their sin and punishment. In verses 47-48, he finished by pleading with God and praising God.
Because we believe these words were inspired by God, we must ask ourselves why God would give us this message. In verse 6, the writer said, “Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!” Maybe God authored this because it is a warning for us to avoid such sin but also to remind us that even if God is angry with us, He still loves us and will bless us when we repent. Why live with a guilty conscience or walk away from listening to God when the answer is simple?