Psalms 78 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 78

Tell the Coming Generation

A Maskil¹ of Asaph.

78:1   Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
    incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2   I will open my mouth in a parable;
    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3   things that we have heard and known,
    that our fathers have told us.
4   We will not hide them from their children,
    but tell to the coming generation
  the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
    and the wonders that he has done.
5   He established a testimony in Jacob
    and appointed a law in Israel,
  which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
6   that the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
  and arise and tell them to their children,
7     so that they should set their hope in God
  and not forget the works of God,
    but keep his commandments;
8   and that they should not be like their fathers,
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
  a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9   The Ephraimites, armed with² the bow,
    turned back on the day of battle.
10   They did not keep God’s covenant,
    but refused to walk according to his law.
11   They forgot his works
    and the wonders that he had shown them.
12   In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders
    in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13   He divided the sea and let them pass through it,
    and made the waters stand like a heap.
14   In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
    and all the night with a fiery light.
15   He split rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16   He made streams come out of the rock
    and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17   Yet they sinned still more against him,
    rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18   They tested God in their heart
    by demanding the food they craved.
19   They spoke against God, saying,
    “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20   He struck the rock so that water gushed out
    and streams overflowed.
  Can he also give bread
    or provide meat for his people?”
21   Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
    a fire was kindled against Jacob;
    his anger rose against Israel,
22   because they did not believe in God
    and did not trust his saving power.
23   Yet he commanded the skies above
    and opened the doors of heaven,
24   and he rained down on them manna to eat
    and gave them the grain of heaven.
25   Man ate of the bread of the angels;
    he sent them food in abundance.
26   He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
    and by his power he led out the south wind;
27   he rained meat on them like dust,
    winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28   he let them fall in the midst of their camp,
    all around their dwellings.
29   And they ate and were well filled,
    for he gave them what they craved.
30   But before they had satisfied their craving,
    while the food was still in their mouths,
31   the anger of God rose against them,
    and he killed the strongest of them
    and laid low the young men of Israel.
32   In spite of all this, they still sinned;
    despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33   So he made their days vanish like³ a breath,⁴
    and their years in terror.
34   When he killed them, they sought him;
    they repented and sought God earnestly.
35   They remembered that God was their rock,
    the Most High God their redeemer.
36   But they flattered him with their mouths;
    they lied to him with their tongues.
37   Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
38   Yet he, being compassionate,
    atoned for their iniquity
    and did not destroy them;
  he restrained his anger often
    and did not stir up all his wrath.
39   He remembered that they were but flesh,
    a wind that passes and comes not again.
40   How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
    and grieved him in the desert!
41   They tested God again and again
    and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42   They did not remember his power⁵
    or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
43   when he performed his signs in Egypt
    and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.
44   He turned their rivers to blood,
    so that they could not drink of their streams.
45   He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,
    and frogs, which destroyed them.
46   He gave their crops to the destroying locust
    and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47   He destroyed their vines with hail
    and their sycamores with frost.
48   He gave over their cattle to the hail
    and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49   He let loose on them his burning anger,
    wrath, indignation, and distress,
    a company of destroying angels.
50   He made a path for his anger;
    he did not spare them from death,
    but gave their lives over to the plague.
51   He struck down every firstborn in Egypt,
    the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52   Then he led out his people like sheep
    and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53   He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid,
    but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54   And he brought them to his holy land,
    to the mountain which his right hand had won.
55   He drove out nations before them;
    he apportioned them for a possession
    and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56   Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God
    and did not keep his testimonies,
57   but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
    they twisted like a deceitful bow.
58   For they provoked him to anger with their high places;
    they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
59   When God heard, he was full of wrath,
    and he utterly rejected Israel.
60   He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh,
    the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61   and delivered his power to captivity,
    his glory to the hand of the foe.
62   He gave his people over to the sword
    and vented his wrath on his heritage.
63   Fire devoured their young men,
    and their young women had no marriage song.
64   Their priests fell by the sword,
    and their widows made no lamentation.
65   Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
    like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66   And he put his adversaries to rout;
    he put them to everlasting shame.
67   He rejected the tent of Joseph;
    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68   but he chose the tribe of Judah,
    Mount Zion, which he loves.
69   He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
    like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70   He chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheepfolds;
71   from following the nursing ewes he brought him
    to shepherd Jacob his people,
    Israel his inheritance.
72   With upright heart he shepherded them
    and guided them with his skillful hand.

Footnotes

[1] 78:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[2] 78:9 Hebrew armed and shooting
[3] 78:33 Hebrew in
[4] 78:33 Or vapor
[5] 78:42 Hebrew hand

Commentary

Lessons form the history of Israel; such history is important as we consider the character and works of God.

v1-8: Introduction and explanation to the whole psalm.

v1: Invitation to listen and pay heed; the psalmist has important things to say; such is the word given by inspiration of God (Ps 45.1).

v2: Responsibility to make known the truths of God; pointing us to Christ, who used parables for His teaching.

v3: For the psalmist there may have been the concern that some things had been neglected; even if not, each generation must hear God's word.

v4: Declare God's character and works, and bring encouragement to praise God.

v5-6: To teach others also, 2 Tim 2.2, passing on to generation after generation.

v7: To encourage obedience and to give hope. God's truths are not merely for intellectual learning, for learning to live as God's people.

v8: To avoid rebellion, and to learn from the mistakes of others.

v9-11: The failure of Ephraim (meaning all Israel). They disobeyed God, and this brought defeat in battle. Ephraim in particular also lost blessing, see v67-68.

There is an important statement here, "they forgot what He had done." This psalm recalls past blessings; and is a warning to us not to forget what God has done.

v12-16: Mighty works of redemption and provision, Ps 77.11,15, as God led His people out of Egypt. These things were not dependent upon faith or unbelief; God saved and led and fed His people.

v17-20: Beginning the history of rebellion (v17-41); as soon as the people left Egypt, they fell into sin. In spite of His great works, Israel sinned against God; their diet of miracles did not produce obedience.

God gave them more and more;

He declared His power, but their hearts remained hard;
He proved His goodness, but they still disbelieved.

v21-22: God brought punishment against His people, but they still did not believe.

v23-29: God's continued provision, in spite of the people's rebellion. There is real abundance here; He opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna for them, He gave them the bread of heaven, angel's food, He rained meat on them.

God gave them their own desire, but sent leanness of soul, Ps 106.15. His generosity exposed their selfishness.

v30-31: Judgment upon them, Num 11.31-34; graves of craving, 1 Cor 10.6; James 1.15. Wrong desires in our lives do have a bad effect upon us.

v32-33: The people were slow to learn, even though God had made His will very clear to them. In consequence they suffered loss, and many died in the wilderness.

v34-35: See Num 21.4-9; when God brought His judgment, the people sought Him afresh. It was at those times that they remembered God, that He was their Rock and their Redeemer.

v36-37: Their hearts were not true, their devotion not real. This happened several times during Israel's history.

v38-39: The Lord God's continued compassion; He forgave them, and did not destroy them; e.g: Num 14.11-23.

Verses 32-39 record Israel's lack of repentance and devotion to God. There was something shallow about them. The lesson is clear, that God was not pleased with them.

v40-41: Summarising verses 17-39; the main characteristic of Israel in the wilderness was rebellion. They tried God's patience with their persistent disobedience.

v42-43: Repeating the contents of v11, the key verse of the psalm. They did not remember God's power in redeeming His people; compare Ps 77.10-15.

Unless we learn from history, we are condemned to repeat its errors. Unless we recall God's work of grace in our lives, we may neglect to walk in that grace.

Note that the psalm does not name Moses; the rebellion was not against a human leader, but against God.

v44-51: Seven of the ten plagues are recalled in brief. The psalmist has warned his readers against neglecting their past; he avoids the same error, and recalls God's mighty deliverance from Egypt.

v52: The distinction between Israel and Egypt. In most of the plagues, Israel was exempted from the suffering; God had set apart His people for Himself.

v53-55: God the shepherd of His people; v70-72; Ps 77.20; 79.13; 80.1; He brought His people out from the land of Egypt, and into the land He had promised.

v56-58: Even in the promised land, they resorted to unfaithfulness, even to idolatry; like a deceitful bow, Hos 7.16.

v59-64: Referring to the period of the Judges through to Eli. The tabernacle had been taken from Shiloh (Josh 18.1), but Israel put their trust in it, instead of in God, and suffered the consequences.

v65-66: God acted in victory, esp. under Samuel, Saul, and David.

There is a striking picture here, of God arising from sleep. The faith-lessness of Israel had caused Him to slumber, but the renewed faith aroused Him. Whilst God remains God, there is a truth that He works in response to His people.

v67-69: God chose Judah; in particular, David (v70). It was a new day for Israel, as kings replaced judges, the tabernacle was restored, and later the temple built. There was new devotion, and a new dynasty.

v70-72: The choice of David, the skilful shepherd; he had tended sheep, now he shepherded the flock of God. He pictures the Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep.

The psalm presents a history unfinished; would the readers learn the lessons? Would they be faithful to their shepherd? Will we learn those lessons too?