Psa 78:9-16 | KingComments | STEP | Despite God’s works and God’s law, “the sons of Ephraim” have departed from God ( ). The sons of Ephraim are the ten tribes. Beginning in , they are associated with all the people of Israel. In other words, Ephraim’s behavior represents the behavior of all the people. When Reuben forfeited the firstborn right because of his behavior, Joseph, Rachel’s firstborn, received that right. Ephraim, the son of Joseph, the superior of Manasseh ( ), became the leader. When Israel took possession of the land of Canaan, it was under the leadership of Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim. When the ark of the covenant was given a resting place in the land, it was at Shiloh, which was in Ephraim. Ephraim was the most privileged tribe, but he failed time and again. The sons of Ephraim were “archers equipped with bows”, but at the time when they should have used their weapons and skill, that is, “in the day of battle”, they had turned back and fled. It is not known which event is involved here. Nor is it important. What is important is that the interests of God were not on their mind. They placed more value on their own lives than they on working for God and His people. Their cowardly attitude in the day of battle was the result of a wrong mind of the heart. This was evident from the fact that they had not kept the covenant of God. This is evident from the accusation brought against them, that they “did not keep the covenant of God” ( ). When we do not keep something, it means that we become vulnerable to wrong choices or open ourselves up to calamity. ‘Not to keep’ also means ‘not to guard’, which means something can be damaged or taken away. In addition to the culpable failure to observe God’s covenant, there was the deliberate refusal to “walk in His law”. The “law” here is “the teaching” of God. It is the same word as “maskil” in . Through teaching one learns to know the words of God and thereby His will. Thus they had turned their backs on God; they had lost sight of Him and He was not in their heart any longer. God was not their hope ( ), so they “forgot His deeds and His miracles that He had shown them” ( ). In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses regularly holds up to the people what they had seen with their own eyes of God’s deeds and would yet see ( ). God shows us His deeds and His miracles to confirm His Word and strengthen our faith. However, if there is no personal relationship with Him, His deeds in the past no longer have any effect on us because faith is lacking. Those who forget the miracle of the cleansing of their past sins become blind and shortsighted ( ).

‏ Psalms 78:9-16

Disobedient and Forgetful

Despite God’s works and God’s law, “the sons of Ephraim” have departed from God (Psa 78:9). The sons of Ephraim are the ten tribes. Beginning in Psa 78:12, they are associated with all the people of Israel. In other words, Ephraim’s behavior represents the behavior of all the people. When Reuben forfeited the firstborn right because of his behavior, Joseph, Rachel’s firstborn, received that right. Ephraim, the son of Joseph, the superior of Manasseh (Gen 48:17-20), became the leader. When Israel took possession of the land of Canaan, it was under the leadership of Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim. When the ark of the covenant was given a resting place in the land, it was at Shiloh, which was in Ephraim.

Ephraim was the most privileged tribe, but he failed time and again. The sons of Ephraim were “archers equipped with bows”, but at the time when they should have used their weapons and skill, that is, “in the day of battle”, they had turned back and fled. It is not known which event is involved here. Nor is it important. What is important is that the interests of God were not on their mind. They placed more value on their own lives than they on working for God and His people.

Their cowardly attitude in the day of battle was the result of a wrong mind of the heart. This was evident from the fact that they had not kept the covenant of God. This is evident from the accusation brought against them, that they “did not keep the covenant of God” (Psa 78:10). When we do not keep something, it means that we become vulnerable to wrong choices or open ourselves up to calamity. ‘Not to keep’ also means ‘not to guard’, which means something can be damaged or taken away.

In addition to the culpable failure to observe God’s covenant, there was the deliberate refusal to “walk in His law”. The “law” here is “the teaching” of God. It is the same word as “maskil” in Psa 78:1. Through teaching one learns to know the words of God and thereby His will.

Thus they had turned their backs on God; they had lost sight of Him and He was not in their heart any longer. God was not their hope (Psa 78:7), so they “forgot His deeds and His miracles that He had shown them” (Psa 78:11). In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses regularly holds up to the people what they had seen with their own eyes of God’s deeds and would yet see (Deu 4:3 ; 9 ; 34 ; Deu 7:19 ; 22 ; Deu 9:4 ; Deu 10:21 ; Deu 11:7 ; 23).

God shows us His deeds and His miracles to confirm His Word and strengthen our faith. However, if there is no personal relationship with Him, His deeds in the past no longer have any effect on us because faith is lacking. Those who forget the miracle of the cleansing of their past sins become blind and shortsighted (2Pet 1:9).

God Delivers and Cares

Asaph goes on to quote examples of what God “wrought before [the eyes of] their fathers” in terms of “wonders”. He begins with the wonders “in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan” (Psa 78:12). Zoan or Tanis was the capital of Egypt in the time of Moses. The people of Israel lived in a suburb twenty miles from Zoan known as Avaris. The writer (TJ) visited Avaris and saw a cemetery of male babies. [Those interested can read about this in T. Mahoney’s book Patterns of evidence.] Asaph here recalls the wonder of deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. This is the great first wonder, from which all subsequent wonders have sprung.

How clearly God intervened then by means of all the plagues He brought upon Egypt. What to Egypt were plagues, were wonders of God to God’s people (Exo 3:20 ; Exo 4:21 ; Exo 7:3 ; Exo 11:9-10). Zoan is the name of the ancient capital of Egypt, the seat of wisdom (Isa 19:11). But that wisdom failed to stop any of God’s plagues on Egypt.

And how He devoted Himself to them afterwards. When they stood before the Red Sea and could not move, “He divided the sea and caused them to pass through” (Psa 78:13). God divided the waters. The word “divide” indicates that God did a powerful act. As a result, there was a wall of water to the left and right of the people (Exo 14:21-22). God rules over all the elements of nature because He made them.

Once in the wilderness He led His people (Psa 78:14). He did this “with the cloud by day” and “all night with a light of fire”. To lead them through the wilderness in this way is a great wonder. The cloud by day was not only a guidance, but also a kind of umbrella to protect against the heat of the sun. The shining fire was not lacking for a moment in the night. It was no ordinary light, but fire that spread light. This indicates that the God Who led His people in the night did so as a God Who also sees and judges sin in the darkness (Heb 12:29).

As easily as God divided the sea (Psa 78:13), “He split the rocks” (Psa 78:15). This is another wonder. The place of action is “the wilderness”. A wilderness is a barren place where death reigns and where there is a lack of water. God gave His people water from the split rock and “gave [them] abundant drink like the ocean depths”.

Out of the rock He brought forth “streams” and “caused waters to run down like rivers” (Psa 78:16). Everything speaks of a tremendous, unceasing flow of water. That they always had water to drink, they owed to God’s care for them. God was able to give them that care because He was looking forward to the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ.

That is why in 1 Corinthians 10 it is said of this rock from which streams of water came: “And the rock was Christ” (1Cor 10:4). Christ is the source and foundation of blessing. Every blessing that God has ever bestowed and ever will bestow upon His people, He bestows only because Christ is the people’s Redeemer. He became that because, like the rock, He was smitten. He was smitten by God for the sins of His people (Isa 53:10; Zec 13:7).

For us, who live in the time after Christ’s coming and ascension, it is no different. We too owe every blessing to Christ and the work He accomplished. The water in abundance speaks of His Spirit, which He gives without measure to those who believe (Jn 7:38-39 ; Jn 3:34). The water also speaks of His Word, in which all blessings are displayed for us (Eph 5:26). It is the water of the Word that becomes alive by the working of the Holy Spirit. Living water in Hebrew is water that has been flowing.

At the Feast of Booths, a priest with a golden pitcher scooped water from the well of Siloam each day of the seven days of the feast. With loud cheering (Isa 12:3), the water was poured out by the high priest into a silver basin next to the bronze altar of burnt offering, as a reminder of the water from the rock in the wilderness. On the eighth day of the feast the Lord Jesus indicated that He was the fulfillment of this prophetic shadowing (Jn 7:37-39).