Psa 81:12 | KingComments | STEP | After God redeemed His people, He made clear to them His purpose for their redemption. He addresses them as “My people” ( ). He tells them to hear. It is an appeal to the heart, whether it is willing to listen. You can hear something with your ears, but the point is whether there is in the heart the willingness to do what the ear has heard. God’s people must hear, for God “will admonish” them (cf. ). That is to say, God is presenting His will to them. He wants them to acknowledge Him, obey Him, and serve Him. If they accept His testimony among them, they will be able to receive what He has for them in His heart. First, God wants the people He calls “My people” to obey the commandment that there shall be “no strange god” among them ( ). This is covered in detail in Isaiah 40-48. It is the second great sin of the people of Israel – besides the rejection of Christ – that the apostate people accept the antichrist as king and god ( ). There is only one God; the others are not real gods. These are gods of other nations, gods of strangers ( ). This is the reminder of the first commandment of the law ( ). The people whom God calls My people shall not worship any foreign god (cf. ). They broke this commandment even before Moses came down with the two tablets of the law ( ). In Exodus 20 this commandment of follows the introduction of the ten commandments, that the LORD is their God, Who delivered them from Egypt. That he reverses the order and first mentions the commandment that God’s people should have no other gods and should not bow down to them, is to underline the importance of this commandment. God alone is “the LORD … your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt” ( ). He delivered them to be His people. This is the reminder of the introduction to the ten commandments ( ). The basis of His right to their undivided dedication is their deliverance by Him from the bondage of Egypt. This is already a great privilege. But it goes much further. God says to His people: “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” This is a great invitation. The people may open their mouths wide, as young birds do to receive their mother’s food. God can supply all their needs if they open their mouths to Him. It means that they expect everything from Him. He appreciates and rewards that attitude. He is the Almighty God, Who says He will give what they ask. What He gives, other gods cannot give. It is primarily about their needs to live on earth, but He wants to give them much more. He wants to give from the fullness of His heart all His treasures that He has prepared for them. What applies here for the Israelite, applies to every member of God’s people in all times. What do we ask of Him? Alas, how often we too are like Israel. God must say: “But My people did not listen to My voice” ( ). Once again God calls the people “My people” (cf. ). He has made them His own people through redemption. Out of gratitude for their redemption in the past and His promises for the future, the people should be faithful to Him. But the people have persisted in their rebellion against Him. It has not listened to His voice. Listening or obedience is the theme of this psalm; the verb sama or listen, occurs five times in this psalm. His people have not taken up God’s unlimited invitation in their hearts. God must say: “And Israel did not obey Me.” Because their hearts were not set on Him and His invitation, but showed unwillingness, “so” God “gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart” ( ). It is like what God did to Pharaoh ( ). They chose not to respond to God’s invitation, but to hold fast to their own devices. They want to go their own way to success and happiness. Therefore, God causes them to continue in their own way, so that they will taste the bitter fruit of it (cf. ; ).

‏ Psalms 81:12

Hear and Not listen

After God redeemed His people, He made clear to them His purpose for their redemption. He addresses them as “My people” (Psa 81:8). He tells them to hear. It is an appeal to the heart, whether it is willing to listen. You can hear something with your ears, but the point is whether there is in the heart the willingness to do what the ear has heard.

God’s people must hear, for God “will admonish” them (cf. Psa 50:7). That is to say, God is presenting His will to them. He wants them to acknowledge Him, obey Him, and serve Him. If they accept His testimony among them, they will be able to receive what He has for them in His heart.

First, God wants the people He calls “My people” to obey the commandment that there shall be “no strange god” among them (Psa 81:9). This is covered in detail in Isaiah 40-48. It is the second great sin of the people of Israel – besides the rejection of Christ – that the apostate people accept the antichrist as king and god (2Thes 2:3-4).

There is only one God; the others are not real gods. These are gods of other nations, gods of strangers (Deu 32:12). This is the reminder of the first commandment of the law (Exo 20:3-4). The people whom God calls My people shall not worship any foreign god (cf. Exo 20:5). They broke this commandment even before Moses came down with the two tablets of the law (Exo 32:2-8).

In Exodus 20 this commandment of Psa 81:9 follows the introduction of the ten commandments, that the LORD is their God, Who delivered them from Egypt. That he reverses the order and first mentions the commandment that God’s people should have no other gods and should not bow down to them, is to underline the importance of this commandment.

God alone is “the LORD … your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt” (Psa 81:10). He delivered them to be His people. This is the reminder of the introduction to the ten commandments (Exo 20:2). The basis of His right to their undivided dedication is their deliverance by Him from the bondage of Egypt. This is already a great privilege.

But it goes much further. God says to His people: “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” This is a great invitation. The people may open their mouths wide, as young birds do to receive their mother’s food. God can supply all their needs if they open their mouths to Him. It means that they expect everything from Him. He appreciates and rewards that attitude.

He is the Almighty God, Who says He will give what they ask. What He gives, other gods cannot give. It is primarily about their needs to live on earth, but He wants to give them much more. He wants to give from the fullness of His heart all His treasures that He has prepared for them. What applies here for the Israelite, applies to every member of God’s people in all times. What do we ask of Him?

Alas, how often we too are like Israel. God must say: “But My people did not listen to My voice” (Psa 81:11). Once again God calls the people “My people” (cf. Psa 81:8). He has made them His own people through redemption. Out of gratitude for their redemption in the past and His promises for the future, the people should be faithful to Him. But the people have persisted in their rebellion against Him. It has not listened to His voice.

Listening or obedience is the theme of this psalm; the verb sama or listen, occurs five times in this psalm. His people have not taken up God’s unlimited invitation in their hearts. God must say: “And Israel did not obey Me.”

Because their hearts were not set on Him and His invitation, but showed unwillingness, “so” God “gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart” (Psa 81:12). It is like what God did to Pharaoh (Exo 10:27). They chose not to respond to God’s invitation, but to hold fast to their own devices. They want to go their own way to success and happiness. Therefore, God causes them to continue in their own way, so that they will taste the bitter fruit of it (cf. Acts 14:16; Rom 1:24).