Psalm – Psalms 78-80

Bible Passage:  Psalm 78-80

Psalm 78 is a contemplation of Asaph regarding the steadfast love of God towards His children, even though they were stubborn and rebellious. It retells of the story of the Exodus to the time when they settled down in the promise land.

Israel rebelled, murmured, and went against God continuously in the wilderness, even after God had caused the inhabitants of the Canaan to be driven out, and the children of Israel had settled down, they turned away from God to worship idols!

Such was, and is the tendency of the human hearts: forgetful, ungrateful, and even rebellious.

I think many of us who know the records of the Exodus, would ask, “Why did the people of Israel fail to see the magnificence of God through the 10 plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the Manna that fell from heaven, and many other miracles that were done right before their eyes?”

Yes indeed, if were to take a moment to imagine ourselves to be there and then to witness the power and glory of God, we would bow in awe to God and would be obediently follow the commands of God.

So what were the problems of these Israelites? What were the reasons that these people failed to perceive the power and glory of God?

Many of our preachers who had been to the land of Israel today testify that the condition in the desert areas is something that we Singaporeans are not easy to imagine, the heat, the dryness and other conditions are really unbearable. So this could be one of the reasons why the Israelites murmured against Moses and God in the wilderness. These are trials that the people of Israel had to go through, but, in this Psalm, Asaph reminds us of the steadfast mercy of God and He understands our nature, Ps 78:39

For He remembered that they were but flesh,

A breath that passes away and does not come again.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul told us that God would not allow us to be tempted beyond what we could endure; he will open a way of escape for us. God gave food from heaven; He even caused a rock to give water!

This is a rock found by an amateur archeologist in the Sinai Peninsular which he believed could be the rock that water gushed out for the Israelites. There is also a drain-like feature at the foot of the crack which showed sign of where the water flowed out.

What happened after God caused the inhabitance of Canaan to be driven out and had allotted territories for the Israelites? They settled down and forgot about the providence of God and turned towards worshipping strange gods! God in His divine wrath turned His face away from His children and allowed them to be taken captive by their enemies. But what happened next? Ps 78:65 – 66

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.

And He beat back His enemies;

He put them to a perpetual reproach.

This description by Asaph made me visualize how God “came back” to rescue His people and it kind of shocked me. God was like out of His mind beating the enemies away from His beloved! Jesus, our God and Savior came to earth, without a thought for His own physical wellbeing, He preached boldly to snatch souls out of the clutches of Satan, and He was also like out of His mind to willingly die for sinners in the cruelest way, tortured and nailed to the cross so that we can be washed of our sins.

So can we allow our human tendencies to blind our eyes to see and adore our loving God? He is not only willing to be around us constantly, but He is willing to DWELL in us as the Holy Spirit. We may be going through some trials at this moment, trials that may be compared to the harsh conditions in the wilderness, but do remember that Jesus is intimately holding us; He is also feeling the pain that we are going through. But He is strong, we can and must cling on Him, do not turn our eyes away from Him. No! Not even a second!

Psalms 79 and 80 have a common theme, and that is “Forgive and save us oh Lord!” It is like a prayer of the whole nation of Israel to God, asking for forgiveness from God for their inequities, and seeking the protection and mercy of God to return to them.

The styles of Psalms were written poetically and beautifully arranged, so they are good and useful for our daily prayer and devotions to God. So Psalms 79 and 80 can be a reflection for ourselves regarding the sins that we have done towards God, and more importantly to realize and feel the depth of God’s love and mercy. These 2 Psalms admonish us to always fix our eyes on God, and we shall see the glory and the power of His Name.

Through today’s 3 Psalms, there is only one word that I feel can aptly describe God,

“GOOD”.

Yes God is good yesterday, today and forever, Just like what Jesus said, “No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Matthew 19: 17). Let’s enjoy a gospel song, “God’s been Good”