Ps 44 18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path."

The Psalmist is teaching that God established His government on this earth through Israel. God establishes all legitimate governments by giving them His law. All governing authority is derived by God and are subject to Gods scrutiny. So God establishes earthly rulers by turning their governments upside down. The reason that God cannot bless earthly nations is because a legitimate government must not be corrupted. All governments must rule with justice and equity. But when sin entered the world the Psalmist teaches that the corruption is not neutral. Anyone who desires to redefine Gods word seeks to overturn the axioms that establishes peace and introduce violence. When God overturns governments He is destroying the lawless exercise of power. God had to take swift action by cursing the creation when man sinned.

God created man and made a covenant that man would rule the garden in perfect unity. God curse against sin was implemented in order to reestablish His government of perfect unity. God had to overturn the curse in the curse of the law in order to renew all things. The Psalmist teaches that God speaks the axioms in order to recreate unity as the foundation of our refuge. We see then that the unity is established as the blessing and the curse come together. God destroys the unlawful confusion of the earthly power in the curse and unifies His elect. This is the context of Gods interaction with Israel throughout the ot.

The ceremony of circumcision was ot oath of citizenship. When God speaks to the nation He is addressing those who are circumcised in the flesh and those who are circumcised in the heart. God speaks as the ruler of Israel who always upholds His justice in cursing and blessing. Circumcision had no value in preventing Israel from building a culture of violence by redefining Gods law, covenants, etc. In order for God to protect the elect from the violent culture..those circumcised in the heart , He had to send the nation into exile. He protects His elect by controlling the Nations. He sends His elect into the world in order to spread the gospel. God always speaks as the creator who orders all things according to the law, covenants, curses, statutes and promises. God shows respect to His elect according to the creation covenant by speaking judgement against the citizens who are covenant breakers.