Psa 78:38-64 | KingComments | STEP | “In spite of all this”, that is, in spite of all His favors and in spite of His chastisements and in spite of His wonders, “they still sinned” ( ; cf. ). God left no stone unturned to keep His people faithful to Him, or to bring them back to faithfulness to Him. There was a hardened heart with them that “did not believe in His wonderful works” (cf. ; ). The greatest wonders are of no avail if the will to believe is lacking. As a result of their unbelief, “so”, for that reason, “He brought their days to an end in futility and their years in sudden terror” ( ). A life without involving God is “futile”, vanity, empty and meaningless. There is nothing of lasting value. That’s what life has been like for most of God’s people in the wilderness. When God is driven out of life, it is empty. That emptiness is filled with terror, with fear. This is a judgment of God. This severe dealing with them, even “killing” them, had the effect of causing them to return and earnestly seek God ( ). This is always the purpose of any disciplinary action God brings upon His people. Discipline is an expression of His love and interest for them ( ). He wanted to bless them, which could only happen if they lived in obedience to Him. When they deviated, He disciplined them so that they would return to Him and seek Him. Through the discipline “they remembered that God was their rock” ( ; cf. ). They remembered that God was their only security and protection. They had forgotten that in following their own lusts. Through God’s discipline they were reminded of that again. It was not a vague reminder of God, but He was again great before their attention. He is the almighty “God”. He is “the Most High God”, the God Who is above all things and oversees all things. He was “their Redeemer”, Who had delivered them from Egypt. Their confession, however, was no more than a lip confession ( ). Their return to God was hypocrisy (cf. ). Asaph is clear about this: they flattered God and lied to Him. With their mouth and their tongue they said all sorts of things they did not mean. They promised all kinds of things that they did not keep. They used flattery and lies to manipulate God. As if they could deceive God. All they cared about was being released from His discipline. Their lip confession came from a heart that was “not steadfast toward Him” ( ). They were saying with their mouths something very different from what was in their heart. They had no desire to be with Him and do His will. They were also “not faithful in His covenant”. He had entered into a covenant relationship with them. That was about faithfulness. He was faithful, but they were unfaithful and had followed other gods in their heart. In spite of what God’s people had done, all of this aversion and unfaithfulness is followed by a Divine “but” ( ). Instead of judging His reluctant people, “He, being compassionate, forgave [their] iniquity”. His compassion consisted in forgiving [literally: covered over, atoned for] their iniquity. God is merciful, but He is also holy. Therefore, He must have a righteous basis for sparing His people. He has found this in the work of His Son on the cross of Calvary. There He atoned the iniquity. By virtue of compassion and atonement, God did not destroy His people, but “often He restrained His anger”. God did not turn away His anger just once and did spare them, but He did so repeatedly. The people repeatedly provoked Him to anger in the wilderness, and just as repeatedly God did not pour out His full anger on them, but was compassionate. This is also how He still deals with us today. God was able to act in this way because He foresaw the work of His Son ( ). He did not turn His anger away from His Son, but brought it upon Him. Against His people He “did not arouse all His wrath”. He did arouse His full wrath against His Son in the hours when He was made sin by Him. A proof of His compassion is that “He remembered that they were but flesh” ( ; cf. ; ). This mercy did not alleviate the guilt of His people, but shows a God Who knew His people through and through. His people thought they were strong and did not need God. This high opinion of themselves proves how fragile they were. In their pride they were blind to the fact that they were no more than “a wind that passes and does not return” (cf. ).

‏ Psalms 78:38-64

Judgment, Compassion, Forgiveness

“In spite of all this”, that is, in spite of all His favors and in spite of His chastisements and in spite of His wonders, “they still sinned” (Psa 78:32; cf. Rev 16:8-11). God left no stone unturned to keep His people faithful to Him, or to bring them back to faithfulness to Him. There was a hardened heart with them that “did not believe in His wonderful works” (cf. Jn 12:37; Mk 8:16-21). The greatest wonders are of no avail if the will to believe is lacking.

As a result of their unbelief, “so”, for that reason, “He brought their days to an end in futility and their years in sudden terror” (Psa 78:33). A life without involving God is “futile”, vanity, empty and meaningless. There is nothing of lasting value. That’s what life has been like for most of God’s people in the wilderness. When God is driven out of life, it is empty. That emptiness is filled with terror, with fear. This is a judgment of God.

This severe dealing with them, even “killing” them, had the effect of causing them to return and earnestly seek God (Psa 78:34). This is always the purpose of any disciplinary action God brings upon His people. Discipline is an expression of His love and interest for them (Heb 12:5-11). He wanted to bless them, which could only happen if they lived in obedience to Him. When they deviated, He disciplined them so that they would return to Him and seek Him.

Through the discipline “they remembered that God was their rock” (Psa 78:35; cf. Deu 32:4 ; 15 ; 31). They remembered that God was their only security and protection. They had forgotten that in following their own lusts. Through God’s discipline they were reminded of that again. It was not a vague reminder of God, but He was again great before their attention. He is the almighty “God”. He is “the Most High God”, the God Who is above all things and oversees all things. He was “their Redeemer”, Who had delivered them from Egypt.

Their confession, however, was no more than a lip confession (Psa 78:36). Their return to God was hypocrisy (cf. Jn 6:26). Asaph is clear about this: they flattered God and lied to Him. With their mouth and their tongue they said all sorts of things they did not mean. They promised all kinds of things that they did not keep. They used flattery and lies to manipulate God. As if they could deceive God. All they cared about was being released from His discipline.

Their lip confession came from a heart that was “not steadfast toward Him” (Psa 78:37). They were saying with their mouths something very different from what was in their heart. They had no desire to be with Him and do His will. They were also “not faithful in His covenant”. He had entered into a covenant relationship with them. That was about faithfulness. He was faithful, but they were unfaithful and had followed other gods in their heart.

In spite of what God’s people had done, all of this aversion and unfaithfulness is followed by a Divine “but” (Psa 78:38). Instead of judging His reluctant people, “He, being compassionate, forgave [their] iniquity”. His compassion consisted in forgiving [literally: covered over, atoned for] their iniquity. God is merciful, but He is also holy. Therefore, He must have a righteous basis for sparing His people. He has found this in the work of His Son on the cross of Calvary. There He atoned the iniquity.

By virtue of compassion and atonement, God did not destroy His people, but “often He restrained His anger”. God did not turn away His anger just once and did spare them, but He did so repeatedly. The people repeatedly provoked Him to anger in the wilderness, and just as repeatedly God did not pour out His full anger on them, but was compassionate. This is also how He still deals with us today.

God was able to act in this way because He foresaw the work of His Son (Rom 3:25). He did not turn His anger away from His Son, but brought it upon Him. Against His people He “did not arouse all His wrath”. He did arouse His full wrath against His Son in the hours when He was made sin by Him.

A proof of His compassion is that “He remembered that they were but flesh” (Psa 78:39; cf. Psa 103:14; Mt 26:41). This mercy did not alleviate the guilt of His people, but shows a God Who knew His people through and through. His people thought they were strong and did not need God. This high opinion of themselves proves how fragile they were. In their pride they were blind to the fact that they were no more than “a wind that passes and does not return” (cf. Isa 2:22).

God’s Strength in Salvation

Asaph returns to the behavior of the people in the wilderness (Psa 78:40). It is as if rebellion was the hallmark of the entire wilderness journey. They taunted Him by repeatedly criticizing and questioning His love and faithfulness. His compassion (Psa 78:38) was not appreciated.

By their disobedience and rebellion they grieved Him. All the sins of men, and especially of His people, grieve God. His anger rests upon them, and He will let His anger run free if a person persists in his sins. God is not insensitive to sin. Sin strikes Him, the Holy One, deep within His heart and causes pain and sorrow.

They tempted God “again and again”. They never learned. Again and again they kept challenging God to show if He was able to satisfy their lusts. It is like asking the sun to shine, while you are blinded by the light of it.

With all their questioning – all arising from an unbelieving and rebellious heart – they “pained” – or “offended” or “provoked” – “the Holy One of Israel”. The limitation lay in the fact that, in spite of His proven redeeming power (Psa 78:42), they considered Him incapable of satisfying their lusts. If they did consider Him capable, they would trust Him. He had abundantly proved that He could be trusted and was capable of everything. To force Him then to prove Himself demonstrated that to them God was a narrow, limited God Who was not capable to give them what they wanted.

It is a most audacious attitude, for they had to do with none other than “the Holy One of Israel”. He, the Holy One of Israel, Who was their King (Psa 89:18) and worthy of praise (Psa 71:22). This Name of God is characteristic of the book of Isaiah. It is an indication of the fact that He is unique, comparable to no one.

The fact that they did not see this did not change the gravity of their rebellion. They stood up against Him Who is “the Holy One”. The LORD has sanctified Himself on behalf of His own, that is Israel, and so are we. In His holiness He had bound “Israel” to Himself. This meant that they were sanctified by His presence among them and that they also had to behave in a holy manner in order to experience the blessing of His presence among them. He said to His people then and says to His people now: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 20:7; 1Pet 1:16).

Men also limited the Lord Jesus in His power when He hung on the cross. In their audacity and unbelief they said to Him: ‘If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe” (Mt 27:39-44). The same challenging language is still used today. You hear it in remarks like: ‘If God is love, let Him do something about the misery in the world.’

All their wrong thoughts about God came from no longer remembering “His power” (Psa 78:42). God so often proved His power in favor of them. Asaph takes the people back to “the day when He redeemed them from the adversary” (cf. Exo 13:3). How often we too forget the great grace and power of God through which we have been delivered from the power of sin. This forgetfulness leads us to become unfaithful to God when we get into difficulties. Then we begin to doubt His power. If we do not repent soon, we become rebellious and accuse Him of being powerless to help us.

Asaph then describes in detail the power that God displayed on the day of their redemption. He points to God performing “His signs in Egypt and His marvels in the field of Zoan” (Psa 78:43; cf. Psa 78:12). God performed His signs in order to point His people to the purpose of redemption. That purpose was that He wanted to dwell with them, to celebrate with them and have fellowship with them (Exo 5:1). God performed His wonders to encourage His people to entrust themselves to Him. His wonders show His power that He used in their favor against their oppressors. They denied and defied that power by their rebellious, unbelieving attitude against Him.

As the first of God’s signs and wonders, Asaph recalls that God “turned their rivers to blood, and their streams, they could not drink” (Psa 78:44; Exo 7:19-21). This is the first plague God brought upon Egypt. Water speaks of that which refreshes and gives life. Blood shed speaks of death. Life in the world of sin does not give life, but death. That was what God’s people returned to by turning away from God.

The second sign and wonder mentioned by Asaph is the “swarms of flies which devoured them” (Psa 78:45; Exo 8:24). This is the fourth plague that God brought upon Egypt, in which Goshen, and thus His people, were spared (Exo 8:22-23). The flies, possibly a mixture of all kinds of vermin, carried all kinds of diseases. As a result, the lives of the people were ruined.

As an application for our time we can think of all kinds of irritations, jealousy, bullying, bothering each other in all possible ways. These things spoil the atmosphere between people and can make life unbearable. Loud music at the neighbors, misbehavior in traffic, challenging behavior in the store and so many other things that can make you feel bad. We are reminded by Asaph that the flies will also do their work with us if we turn our backs on God. The flies are like “the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards” (Song 2:15).

The third sign and wonder are the “frogs which destroyed them” (Exo 8:5-6). This is the second plague that God brought upon Egypt. Frogs are a picture of unclean spirits, especially sexual uncleanness (Rev 16:13-15). This plague sweeps over the world and is also invading the homes of Christians. Sometimes unsolicited through advertising flyers through the mailbox, but unfortunately also because people search for it in their homes on the internet. Uncleanness gets into the bedrooms, into the beds. The warning in Hebrews 13 is important and significant in this context (Heb 13:4).

The frogs came in the kneading bowls, which indicates that it was mixed with the food. The effect of the taking in, ‘eating’, through the mass media of uncleanness will not fail. Gay marriages and their consecration in the church have become practice. Those who are not practicing themselves are justifying it. Love is from God, isn’t it?

This uncleanness is the result of not acknowledging God. That is why He gives a plague like this. The application for our days is clear (Rom 1:24-28). Man who disregards God brings this plague upon himself. Man who does not acknowledge God dishonors himself. The lusts he seeks to satisfy spring from his abandonment of God. Return to Him is the only means that helps to drive out the plague.

The fourth sign and wonder are “the grasshopper” to which God gave “their crop”, and “the locust” to which God gave “the product of their labor” (Psa 78:46; Exo 10:12-15). This is the eighth plague that God brought upon Egypt. Because of an east wind, an unprecedented amount of locusts were brought upon Egypt. It was the army of the LORD (Joel 2:11 ; 25). Everything that had not already been destroyed by previous judgments was eaten off. In all of Egypt there was not a green leaf left. The forsaking of God put an end to all prosperity.

The fifth sign and wonder are “the hailstones” (Psa 78:47; Exo 9:22-25). This is the seventh plague that God brought upon Egypt. God sent down from “the storehouse of the hail” the hail which He kept therein “for a day of war and battle” (Job 38:22-23). That day had arrived for Egypt.

The grape plants of the middle east, and even more so the wild fig trees, are sensitive to the cold. By hailstones “He destroyed their vines”. The wine is a picture of joy. God put an end to all earthly joy for those who sought joy without Him. By frost He destroyed “their sycamore trees”. The sycamore tree is a fig tree. The fig tree represent righteousness. The righteousness of the world does not last, but perishes through God’s judgments.

The hail struck not only the fruit of the land, but also the animals (Psa 78:48). Their herds He gave over “to bolts of lightning” that accompanied the hail (Exo 9:24). The world will be ravaged by many judgments, including that of a great hail (Rev 16:21). The members of God’s people will escape these only if they take refuge with God (cf. Isa 32:2).

In all of these plagues, God “sent upon them His burning anger, fury and indignation and trouble” (Psa 78:49). The combination of these words shows how filled with anger God had become by the rebellion and unruly nature of His people. He used “a band of destroying angels” to execute His burning anger. They brought the disasters upon Egypt at His command (cf. Exo 12:23; Heb 11:28; Rev 9:13-16).

Asaph mentions a sixth sign and wonder: the pestilence on the livestock (Psa 78:50; Exo 9:5-6). Asaph says of this sign that God thereby “leveled a path for His anger”. He no longer withheld His wrath, but gave it free rein. A sudden outbreak of pestilence was proof that God was at work. With it He struck the Egyptians in the means of their livelihood. “He did not spare their soul from death.”

The last sign and wonder mentioned by Asaph is the death of “all the firstborn in Egypt, the first [issue] of their virility in the tents of Ham” (Psa 78:51; Psa 136:10; Exo 4:22-23 ; Exo 11:4-5 ; Exo 12:29-30). This is the tenth and final plague in Egypt. Egypt is descended from Ham (Gen 10:6; Psa 105:23). The firstborn is a symbol of strength (Gen 49:3). The eldest son is the deepest pride of the Oriental. According to Eastern custom, the survival of the name, of the family, depends on the eldest son. He represents the strength of the whole family. The first-born son is more precious to him than his possessions and his health.

All the hope of the natural man is focused on the firstborn. Therefore God dashed all their hopes by smiting their firstborn. There was not a house in all of Egypt in which there was not a death. It was the final blow. God’s judgment was indiscriminate. It affected everyone from the highest to the lowest in society (Job 34:19-20).

Guided in the Wilderness, Brought Into the Land

After this final judgment, Pharaoh let God’s people go. Asaph says here that God led forth His own people like sheep (Psa 78:52). Pharaoh is forced by God to release the people. God has continually devoted Himself to His people. That He led them forth “like sheep” indicates their vulnerability, their defenselessness, and that they were completely dependent on God’s protection and care.

They did not owe their deliverance to their own strength. Here God is the good Shepherd who led His sheep into freedom (cf. Jn 10:3). Further on, in Psa 78:70-71, we see that He allowed David to act as shepherd for His people. In a prophetic sense, it speaks of God becoming Man in order to be the good Shepherd as the Son of David.

After they had moved away, He “guided them in the wilderness like a flock”. He made sure they stayed together and were not scattered. The wilderness is an area through which a person cannot pass without knowing the way or without a good guide. For the people it was a completely unknown way. Therefore, they were totally dependent on the guidance of God.

Asaph testifies that God “led them safely, so that they did not fear” (Psa 78:53). God provided safety in the midst of all the dangers of “the great and terrible wilderness” (Deu 8:15; cf. Jer 2:6). The enemy could no longer frighten them, for “the sea engulfed their enemies” (Exo 14:27-30). Slavery was behind them, as were the dead bodies of the slavers. During the wilderness journey, God provided as long as the journey lasted.

Thus He “brought them to His holy land, to this hill country which His right hand had gained” (Psa 78:54). Moses and the Israelites already mentioned this in the song they sang immediately after the redemption (Exo 15:17). God brought His people “to His holy land”. The land He had chosen for them (Eze 20:6), belongs to Him. It is holy because He is holy. What is His must correspond to Who and what He is.

By “this hill country” is meant the whole land (Exo 15:17a; Isa 57:13). “His right hand” has gained that country. The right hand represents power and honor. He demonstrated His power by driving out “the nations before them” (Psa 78:55). Then He “apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement”. Historically, we have arrived at the book of Joshua. All the tribes were apportioned a territory of the land for an inheritance (Jos 13:7 ; Jos 14:1-5; cf. Psa 16:6).

Finally, He “made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents”. After the slavery in Egypt and the wanderings in the wilderness, the people had reached the rest. Now they could enjoy all the blessings God had prepared for them in this land.

The Turning Back of the People

After the abundance of evidence of God’s faithfulness and care for His people, a human “yet” follows (Psa 78:56). Instead of being thankful, “they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God” (cf. Psa 78:41). This is a greater sin than in the wilderness. In the wilderness everything was dry and dead. In the land, however, they were surrounded by blessings. Here we see that both difficulties and blessings make man unfaithful to God if he does not see that God is there for him both in the difficulties and in the blessings. Historically, we have arrived in the book of Judges.

The blessings did not make them grateful, but ungrateful. They were not satisfied with what God had given them. Again and again they leave Him, as we see in the book of Judges. They defied Him with their sinful ways, for they “did not keep His testimonies”. What God had said did not interest them.

The next step away from Him was that they “turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers” (Psa 78:57). “They turned aside like a treacherous bow”, that is, they did not live up to the expectation. God wanted them to be a witness for Him to the nations around them, but they did not live up to that. They denied their calling.

Instead of honoring God, they began to worship idols (Psa 78:58). “They provoked Him with their high places”, that is, they made altars to offer sacrifices to the idols (Jdg 2:11-13). This was a great affront to God, Who had led, nurtured and blessed them. Every right-minded person must understand that God was thereby aroused to anger. What person would consider such a great ingratitude for services rendered normal and accept it?

They “aroused His jealousy with their graven images”. This is a perfectly justified jealousy. What right-thinking man is not aroused to jealousy when he finds his wife falling in love with another man and becoming unfaithful to him (Pro 6:32-34)? God is a jealous God (Exo 20:5 ; Exo 34:14). He cannot sit back and do nothing when His people become unfaithful to Him and go after and follow other gods (Deu 32:16 ; 21; cf. 2Cor 11:2-3).

Delivered to Judgment

God has heard, that is, noticed, all the turning back and faithlessness of His people (Psa 78:59). It is here about their words, and also about their deeds and the mind of their heart. They had not become headlong averse and unfaithful, but had first deliberated what they would do. These were conscious, deliberate, and thoughtful actions of aversion and unfaithfulness. God had therefore justifiably become “filled with wrath” about that.

In fact, history repeats itself. History teaches us that man learns nothing from history. Even in the wilderness journey the people provoked the LORD so much that He was full of wrath against them (Psa 78:21). On the part of the people it is a repetition of moves, it follows a certain pattern.

His mind toward them was radically changed by their constant aversion. He “greatly abhorred” them. Abhorrence is an emotion evoked by a course of action that causes disgust. It did not stop there. It led to an action that expressed that abhorrence, and that is rejection. What is abhorred is rejected. It was not a matter of committing a sinful act once, but of living a life of debauchery. This had become the situation with His people.

We see this in the days when the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD at the tabernacle in Shiloh (1Sam 1:3). Hophni and Phinehas trampled on God’s rights in the crudest way, causing the people to reject the LORD’s sacrifice (1Sam 2:12-17 ; 22). Because priests and people despised God, God despised the people (1Sam 2:30). With that people, He could not continue to dwell.

The tabernacle at that time, since the days of Joshua, was in Shiloh (Jos 18:1 ; 8; Jdg 18:31 ; Jdg 21:12 ; 19; 1Sam 1:3 ; 24 ; 1Sam 2:14 ; 1Sam 4:3-4). Shiloh was in the area of the tribe of Ephraim. “So”, i.e. because of the scandalous behavior of Eli’s two sons, God “abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh” (Psa 78:60). The tabernacle was “the tent which He had pitched among men”. This seemed to be the end of God’s purpose that He had with the redemption. This purpose was to dwell with His people.

He had done so until this moment. However, because of the continuing turning back of the people, He could no longer do that. To live means to have rest. Shiloh means rest. That rest had disappeared because of the people’s continued sin. God was, as it were, driven out of His dwelling place. This was a painful moment for God, and also for the people, although the people as a whole did not perceive the extent of it.

The ark was the visible testimony of the presence and power of God. The ark was also called “the ark of Your strength” (Psa 132:8). When the sons of Eli wanted to use the ark as a mascot in the battle against the Philistines, God “gave up His strength to captivity”, that is, He gave the ark into the hand of the Philistines (Psa 78:61; 1Sam 4:17).

He gave “His glory into the hand of the adversary”, which means that the glory departed from Israel and ended up in the land of the Philistines (1Sam 4:21-22). The fact that God maintained His glory and demonstrated His power there as well is not the issue here. It is about the lessons the people must learn from the history of their faithlessness.

God also “delivered His people to the sword” of the Philistines (Psa 78:62; 1Sam 4:2 ; 10). “His inheritance”, that is, His land and His people, became the object of His anger. There was nothing attractive to Him in it anymore. So much had they by their deeds vexed and dishonored Him. Upon the land upon which His eye had first looked with favor, now rested His anger. We see that God did everything. He left His tabernacle, He gave up His strength and His glory, He delivered His people.

The “young men” were killed by the fire of judgment (Psa 78:63). This happened in the battle against the Philistines. The consequence was that the “virgins had no wedding songs”. The meaning is that the young man could not sing a song for his young bride at their wedding. With the death of the young men, there were no more weddings possible. This meant the end of the nation.

The priests Hophni and Phinehas fell by the sword of the Philistines (Psa 78:64; 1Sam 4:11). They, who were the link between the people and God, had been killed. Their widows had not wept for them (cf. Job 27:15), so great was the shock of the calamities that had come upon the people. Possibly they had wept because of the captured ark (1Sam 4:21). In any case, the death of the priests and the disappearance of the ark meant an interruption in the service to God.