Psa 81:6-16 | KingComments | STEP | “The burden” of slavery in Egypt, where the people had to lug stones, was taken from “his shoulder” by God ( ; ; cf. ). “His hands were freed from the basket” means that God freed them from the baskets in which they had to put the raw materials for building. They no longer had to use them. God had delivered them from their forced labor. They were in trouble because of their forced labor, and in trouble they called to God, and God rescued them and led them out of Egypt ( ; ). God speaks of Israel in still in the third person singular – “his shoulder”, “his hands” – that is, there is still a distance. Here in Israel calls to the LORD, and now He addresses Israel in second person singular – four times “you” – meaning that Israel has come closer. He answered them at Sinai “in the hiding place of thunder” ( ; ). They said there that they would do all that the LORD would command. Then His answer came and He entered into a covenant with them. This covenant He established in the law, which He gave to Moses, who took the law from the mountain to the people. He proved them “at the waters of Meribah” ( ; ; cf. ). It is a reminder of their disobedience without explicitly mentioning it, which is done in other places ( ). The reminder should make them ashamed and also willing to trust God now. The word “prove” is to test for genuineness, that is, the genuineness of faith. At Meribah the test was whether Israel really listen and obey.

‏ Psalms 81:6-16

God’s Care in the Past

“The burden” of slavery in Egypt, where the people had to lug stones, was taken from “his shoulder” by God (Psa 81:6; Exo 1:1-14 ; Exo 5:6-18; cf. Deu 26:7). “His hands were freed from the basket” means that God freed them from the baskets in which they had to put the raw materials for building. They no longer had to use them. God had delivered them from their forced labor.

They were in trouble because of their forced labor, and in trouble they called to God, and God rescued them and led them out of Egypt (Psa 81:7; Exo 2:23-24 ; Exo 6:4-5). God speaks of Israel in Psa 81:6 still in the third person singular – “his shoulder”, “his hands” – that is, there is still a distance. Here in Psa 81:7 Israel calls to the LORD, and now He addresses Israel in second person singular – four times “you” – meaning that Israel has come closer.

He answered them at Sinai “in the hiding place of thunder” (Exo 19:18-19 ; Exo 20:18; Psa 77:18). They said there that they would do all that the LORD would command. Then His answer came and He entered into a covenant with them. This covenant He established in the law, which He gave to Moses, who took the law from the mountain to the people.

He proved them “at the waters of Meribah” (Exo 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13; cf. Deu 33:8). It is a reminder of their disobedience without explicitly mentioning it, which is done in other places (Psa 95:8 ; Psa 106:32). The reminder should make them ashamed and also willing to trust God now. The word “prove” is to test for genuineness, that is, the genuineness of faith. At Meribah the test was whether Israel really listen and obey.

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).

God’s Desire to Bless

God utters, as it were, a sigh, “Oh”, that His people would yet listen to Him and that Israel would walk in His ways (Psa 81:13; cf. Lk 19:42; Deu 5:29 ; Deu 32:29-30; Isa 48:18). They failed to do so, forfeiting all the blessings listed below.

Between the lines, however, we hear an invitation to still listen to Him in order to receive the forfeited blessings. God does not reject His people forever. The lesson came from the history of Israel, but the lesson is meant for the believing remnant of Israel. They will read this in the future. Today the lesson is for us as we reflect on this psalm.

Their enemies now have the upper hand, but if they listen to Him, He will intervene directly on their behalf and subdue their enemies (Psa 81:14). With this, God opens the possibility of a new deliverance, similar to the deliverance from Egypt. They only have to cry out to Him in their trouble, turn to Him and live in faith according to His will, and He will turn His hand against their adversaries. Now it is not so. Now His hand is turned against them and He has to surrender them into the hand of their enemies.

The situation will then be completely reversed. Their enemies, “those who hate the LORD”, will “pretend obedience to Him” (Psa 81:15). In contrast to the time of blessing the believing remnant will enjoy in the realm of peace, “their time”, that is, the time of the LORD’s haters, will be “forever” in subjection and punishment.

The blessing consists of “the finest of the wheat” and “honey from the rock” (Psa 81:16). These are two of the seven blessings that speak of the abundant blessings of the land (Deu 32:13-14; cf. Deu 8:7-8). They would have been fed on these blessings and satisfied with them if they had taken God’s statutes to heart. The reason why God holds these blessings before them is to induce them to become obedient to Him. Obedience to Him leads to life and blessing in abundance (Isa 48:17-19).

Spiritually speaking, “the finest of the wheat” speaks of Christ. He is the grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died and brought forth much fruit (Jn 12:24). The rock is also a picture of Christ (1Cor 10:4). Honey is sweet. Honey from the (struck) rock speaks of the sweet relationships of believers among themselves that have come as the fruit of Christ’s suffering.

Because every believer is connected to Christ, there is also close fellowship among them. This fellowship will be enjoyed perfectly in heaven. It is called honey in connection with the Word of God (Psa 19:10b). The interconnectedness is already enjoyed on earth as believers feed on God’s Word and are led by God’s Spirit.