To discover:
As you read consider the
main point the psalmist wants to make.
To ponder:
Psalm 77 meditates
on God parting the Red Sea as he redeemed his people
from Egypt .
Psalm 78 continues the theme of meditation, but beginning with the next phase
of God’s purposes – his granting of the law at Sinai (78v5). The introduction
to the psalm calls people to listen to what the people have known because it
was told them by their fathers (78v1-3). It then commits to telling the next
generation these praiseworthy deeds of power (7v4). This is the purpose of the
psalm, reminding us of the instructive role song has.
And so the giving of the law is
recounted, and specifically God’s call that it be taught to each generation of
children so that they would trust God, keep the commands, and not be like their
stubborn and unfaithful fathers – ie. the ones who received the law only to
rebel against God in the desert (78v5-8). This rebelliousness is described with
focus on the Northern Kingdom (all Israel
expect for the tribes of Benjamin and Judah), represented by “Ephraim” as it’s
princely tribe (see 78v67, Gen 49v22-26). They are charged with cowardice and
so lack of faith in battle, refusal to live by God’s law, and forgetfulness of
the miracles by which God led the people through the Red Sea ,
guided them by pillar of cloud and fire, and provided them with water from the
rock (78v9-16). The sense is probably that if they had remembered God’s deeds
they would have trusted and obeyed him. Instead, we’re told they continued
their sin in the desert, testing God by demanding food and suggesting he was
unable to provide it (78v17-20). God’s wrath by fire is noted as a consequence
of this lack of faith, yet also his generous provision in raining down manna
(described as the bread of angels) and quail (like sand on the seashore), so
that they had more than enough (78v21-29). His continued wrath is also detailed
in the fact that even while they ate God put to death the youngest and so
strongest amongst them (78v30-31). Such history warns against similar
faithlessness.
Despite seeing all these wonders, this
first generation out of Egypt
kept sinning. And so their repeated apostasy is outlined, in which they ended
their days in terror: God would slay them, and they would then turn and
remember him as their rock (security) and redeemer (rescuer). But their
vocalized devotion was effectively a lie because their hearts were not loyal, and
so they proved unfaithful to God’s covenant. Yet by contrast, we read how time
and again, God showed mercy and forgave them, remembering the weakness of their
flesh and mortality (78v32-39). This suggests to some extent God tolerates our
sin in knowing how susceptible we are to it. But here we are also urged to
sincere rather than hypocritical repentance.
Once more, despite such grace from
God, again and again the people rebelled, grieved, tested and vexed God, and
all because they “did not remember” his miracles – here, the plagues of Egypt,
culminating in his anger being unleashed through “a band of destroying angels”
by which he struck down the firstborn (78v40-51). By this means God brought his
people out and through the desert like sheep, guiding them safely whilst
drowning their enemies in the Red Sea , and then bringing
them to inherit the promised land whilst driving out the Canaanite nations
(78v52-55). We have now moved a generation on from those redeemed from Egypt
and so are learning of the continued sinfulness of the nation in the face of
God’s kindness. And so this next generation also tested God by rebelling
against him like their fathers, angering him with their idolatry until he “rejected
Israel ”
completely by withdrawing his presence from the tabernacle when it was situated
at Shiloh . This led to the ark that symbolised his
presence and splendour being captured by the Philistines, and the people being
put to the sword’ (78v56-64, 1 Sam 4). It’s a reminder that God’s patience does
not last forever. Judgement will come.
The psalmist tells us God “awoke”
and everlastingly shamed the enemies (ie. humbled them in defeat), but then
rejected “Ephraim,” instead choosing Judah
and Mount Zion Israel ,
which he did with “integrity of heart” and skilful hands (78v65-72). Throughout
then, the psalm seems to want to explain why, despite Ephraim’s greatness by
size and prowess, she was not the tribe through which God’s promises would be
fulfilled. Like all Israel ,
including Judah ,
she sinned. And so, God’s purposes would be fulfilled not by the merit of any
tribe, but by his sovereign choice. He therefore chose Judah, who had been
relatively insignificant to that point, and the least of its people – a shepherd
boy. This is God’s way in our salvation, and most importantly in his choice of
a poor family from Nazareth through
which to bring Christ. The issue is not greatness in any worldly sense, but
integrity of heart and the mighty acts of God. And it is remembrance of these
things in particular, that the psalm commends to God’s people.
Praying
it home:
Praise God that
for his patience with our sin. Pray that you would not take that patience for
granted but be sincere in your repentance.
Thinking
further:
None
today.
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