Psalm 78 comments

 

Psalm 78:1 ¶  «Maschil of Asaph.» Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2  I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3  Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4  We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5  For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6  That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7  That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8  And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

 

A Maschil is an instructive or doctrinal Psalm as per John Gill. See Psalm 32:1. Asaph is listed as the author of some Psalms. He is listed as a seer, which is a prophet.

 

2Chronicles 29:30  Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.

 

In this regard he represents Christ, who spoke in parables.

 

Matthew 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

 

Asaph gives a brief religious discourse on Israel’s past admonishing the present generation not to do as they had done and ignore God’s commandments. Dark sayings would be sayings that had not been understood fully or at all.

 

Clearly the gospel of Jesus Christ, including His death, burial, and resurrection were not understood as I have stated repeatedly in my comments on the gospels that the Jews did not understand that He was to die and to rise again. They were looking for a conqueror, not a suffering God in the flesh.

 

Jesus’ Jewish followers literally had no clue what He was talking about when He referred to His impending agony on the Cross or understood anything about His Resurrection.

Matthew 16:21 ¶  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

 

Mark 9:9  And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10  And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean…31  For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

 

Luke 18:31 ¶  Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33  And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34  And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

 

John 20:9  For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

 

I read in a book entitled A History of Messianic Speculation in Israel from the First through the Seventeenth Centuries by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver that there was an expectation of two messiahs at times, one; Messiah ben Joseph and, two; Messiah ben David. One is a conqueror and one suffers for the people of Israel and dies fighting the enemies of God and Israel. Jewish tradition also refers to, “The Four Craftsmen,”  a subject more for a study of Daniel or Revelation than here.

 

Acts 1:6  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

 

Asaph’s Psalm is a warning and a plea to the people of Israel.

 

Psalm 78:9 ¶  The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. 10  They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; 11  And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. 12  Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. 13  He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap. 14  In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. 15  He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. 16  He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. 17  And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness. 18  And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. 19  Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? 20  Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? 21  Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; 22  Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: 23  Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24  And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25  Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full. 26  He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. 27  He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: 28  And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. 29  So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; 30  They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, 31  The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. 32  For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. 33  Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. 34  When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. 35  And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. 36  Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. 37  For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. 38  But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 39  For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

 

He now speaks about Israel’s unfaithfulness in his warning to this present generation. The reference to Ephraim retreating in the day of battle, according to some commentators, may refer to the time of the priest, Eli, and the loss of the Ark to the Philistines. See 1Samuel 4. Others say it was when Jephthah and the Gileadites fought against Ephraim. See Judges 12:1-6.

 

As Ephraim fled from battle so did the Israelites turn back from following the Laws of God. The amazing things that God did for Israel and to Israel as recounted in Exodus and further in the books of the law, in Joshua, and Judges are summarized here. Yet, in spite of their unfaithfulness God was merciful to them many times because He acknowledge that they were, after all, only weak flesh and blood creatures. This gives us one way of looking at God’s mercy on wicked humanity in general. He knows we are weak, stupid, fickle, and unsteady in our ways and that, as Jeremiah noted, our hearts are deceitful and wicked and we cannot direct our own steps.

 

Psalm 103:14  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. 15  As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16  For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

 

If we older Christians are honest we too can remember the great things God has done for us in our lives, remember the times we doubted and were unfaithful, and remember God’s mercy on us, weak and double-minded as we can often be.

 

Manna’s spiritual nature here is reinforced by calling it angel’s food. There isn’t enough evidence for the conjecture that spiritual beings eat manna but it is an interesting thought. The implication can just be that it was supernatural food.

 

Psalm 78:40 ¶  How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! 41  Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. 42  They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. 43  How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan: 44  And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink. 45  He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. 46  He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust. 47  He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. 48  He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. 49  He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. 50  He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; 51  And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: 52  But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53  And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54  And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased. 55  He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. 56  Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: 57  But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. 58  For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. 59  When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: 60  So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; 61  And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand. 62  He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance. 63  The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage. 64  Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. 65  Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. 66  And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach. 67  Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: 68  But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. 69  And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever. 70  He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: 71  From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. 72  So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

 

The religious history of Israel continues with the Psalmist recounting Israel’s faithlessness in remembering the great deliverance that God performed for them against Egypt. Notice in verse 49 the mention of evil angels, spirit beings, disembodied minds, intent on malice. These are messengers of destruction, one way God has of interacting with our reality.

 

Here, the judgment that God visited on Israel many times is told again. A mention in verse 68 how the tribe of Judah, from whence would come the Messiah, is chosen and it is in this territory that of Judah that God chose His temple to be built, on Mount Zion, which is an area that includes Mount Moriah where Abraham was almost called to sacrifice Isaac and where the temple was built, although at different times in history scholars say it has designated the fortress of the Jebusites only and then the larger area including Mount Moriah as evidenced by Isaiah below.

 

Genesis 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

 

2Chronicles 3:1  Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

 

Isaiah 8:18  Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

 

Isaiah 24:23  Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

 

David’s anointing is also mentioned here although a great deal of this is covered in Exodus.

 

Shall we not remember when God has delivered us? Shall we not follow Him in gratitude and acknowledgment of who He is? Shall we not be ashamed at our apostasy and our turning back to the ways of the world when we should be ever faithful and thankful for His mercy? I know many of us can relate a time of great deliverance and how after the heat was off we turned away again to our own way, the way of the wicked, and came close to perishing were it not for God’s mercy. We are all, us Christians, in type on an individual basis like the children of Israel and studying what they did and didn’t do and how God treated them gives us a lesson in our own lives.