Psalms 78
78
Lessons from History
Asaph’s poetic song of instruction
1Beloved ones, listen to this instruction.
Open your heart to the revelation
of this mystery that I share with you.
2A parable and a proverb are hidden in what I say—
an intriguing riddle # 78:2 The Hebrew word for “riddle” (chidoth) comes from the verb meaning “to tie a knot.” It is something that must be untied and unraveled by the Spirit of God. One of these riddles or wordplays is the name of Jesus hidden in plain sight (see v. 22 and footnote). from the past.
3-4We’ve heard true stories from our fathers about our rich heritage.
We will continue to tell our children
and not hide from the rising generation
the great marvels of our God—
his miracles and power that have brought us all this far.
5The story of Israel is a lesson in God’s ways.
He established decrees for Jacob and established the law in Israel,
and he commanded our forefathers to teach them to their children.
6For perpetuity God’s ways will be passed down
from one generation to the next, even to those not yet born.
7In this way, every generation will set its hope in God
and not forget his wonderful works but keep his commandments.
8By following his ways they will break the past bondage
of their fickle fathers, who were a stubborn, rebellious generation
and whose spirits strayed from the eternal God.
They refused to love him with all their hearts.
9Take, for example, the sons of Ephraim.
Though they were all equipped warriors, each with weapons,
when the battle began they retreated and ran away in fear.
10They didn’t really believe the promises of God;
they refused to trust him and move forward in faith.
11They forgot his wonderful works and the miracles of the past,
12even their exodus from Egypt, the epic miracle of his might.
They forgot the glories of his power at the place of passing over. # 78:12 Or “the fields of Zoan.” Zoan means “crossing place” or “place of departure.” (See v. 43.)
13God split the sea wide open, and
the waters stood at attention on either side
as the people passed on through!
14By day the moving glory-cloud led them forward.
And all through the night the fire-cloud stood as a sentry of light.
15-16In the days of desert dryness, he split open the mighty rock,
and the waters flowed like a river before their very eyes.
He gave them all they wanted to drink from his living springs.
17Yet they kept their rebellion alive against God Most High,
and their sins against God continued to be counted.
18In their hearts they tested God just to get what they wanted,
asking for the food their hearts craved.
19-20Like spoiled children they grumbled against God,
demanding he prove his love by saying,
“Can’t God provide for us in this barren wilderness?
Will he give us food, or will he only give us water?
Where’s our meal?”
21Then God heard all their complaining and was furious!
His anger flared up against his people.
22For they turned away from faith and walked away in fear;
they failed to trust in his power to save # 78:22 The word for “save” looks and sounds like Yeshua (Jesus). them when he was near.
23-24Still he spoke on their behalf, and the skies opened up;
the windows of heaven poured out food,
the mercy bread-manna.
The grain of grace fell from the clouds.
25Humans ate angels’ food—the meal of the mighty ones. # 78:25 The word for “angels” is ‘abirim which means “brave,” “noble,” or “strong.” The psalmist was saying that God gave them the best, most delicious food imaginable, a meal eaten by the mighty ones, and yet the people grew tired of it and began to complain and demanded some variety.
His grace gave them more than enough!
26-27The heavenly winds of miracle power blew in their favor,
and food rained down upon them;
succulent quail quieted their hunger as they ate all they wanted.
28Food fell from the skies, thick as clouds;
their provision floated down right in front of their eyes!
29He gave them all they desired, and they ate to their fill.
30-31But before they had even finished,
even with their food still in their mouths,
God’s fiery anger arose against them,
killing the finest of their mighty men.
32Yet in spite of all this, they kept right on sinning.
Even when they saw God’s marvels,
they refused to believe God could care for them.
33So God cut their lives short with sudden disaster,
with nothing to show for their lives but fear and failure.
34When he cared for them they ignored him,
but when he began to kill them, ending their lives in a moment,
they came running back to God, pleading for mercy.
35They remembered that God, the Mighty One,
was their strong protector,
the Hero-God who would come to their rescue.
36-37But their repentance lasted only as long as they were in danger;
they lied through their teeth to the true God of the Covenant.
So quickly they wandered away from his promises,
following God with their words and not their hearts!
Their worship was only flattery.
38But amazingly, God—so full of compassion—still forgave them.
He covered over their sins with his love,
refusing to destroy them all.
Over and over he held back his anger,
restraining wrath to show them mercy.
39He knew that they were made from mere dust—
frail, fragile, and short-lived, here today and gone tomorrow.
40How many times they rebelled in their desert days!
How they grieved him with their grumblings.
41Again and again they limited God, preventing him from blessing them.
Continually they turned back from him
and provoked # 78:41 The Hebrew verb for “provoked” is a hapax legomenon and comes from a root word for “marked.” It is as though Israel’s behavior wounded the heart of God. the Holy One of Israel!
42They forgot his great love, how he took them by his hand,
and with redemption’s kiss he delivered them from their enemies.
43They disregarded all the epic signs and marvels they saw
when they escaped from Egypt’s bondage.
They forgot the judgment of the plagues that set them free.
44God turned their rivers into blood, leaving the people thirsty.
45He sent them vast swarms of filthy flies that sucked their blood.
He sent hordes of frogs, ruining their lives.
46Grasshoppers consumed all their crops.
47Every garden and every orchard
was flattened with blasts of hailstones,
their fruit trees ruined by a killing frost.
48Even their cattle fell prey, pounded by the falling hail;
their livestock were struck with bolts of lightning.
49Finally, he unleashed upon them the fierceness of his anger.
Such fury!
He sent them sorrow and devastating trouble
by his mighty band of destroying angels;
messengers of death were dispatched against them.
50-51He lifted his mercy and let loose his fearful anger
and did not spare their lives.
He released the judgment-plagues to rage through their land.
God struck down in death all the firstborn sons of Egypt—
the pride and joy of each family.
52Then, like a shepherd leading his sheep, God led his people
out of tyranny, guiding them through the wilderness like a flock.
53Safely and carefully God led them out, with nothing to fear.
But their enemies he led into the sea.
He took care of them there once and for all!
54Eventually God brought his people to the Holy Land,
to a land of hills that he had prepared for them. # 78:54 The Aramaic reads “He brought them to the border of his holiness, the mountain possessed by his right hand.”
55He drove out and scattered all the peoples occupying the land,
staking out an inheritance, a portion for each of Israel’s tribes.
56Yet for all of this, they still rebelled and refused to follow his ways,
provoking to anger the God Most High.
57-58Like traitors turning back, they forsook him.
They were even worse than their fathers!
They became treacherous deceivers, crooked and corrupt,
and worshiped false gods in the high places,
bringing low the name of God with every idol they erected.
No wonder he was filled with jealousy and furious with anger!
59Enraged with anger, God turned his wrath on them,
and he rejected his people with disgust.
60God walked away from them and left his dwelling place at Shiloh,
abandoning the place where he had lived among them,
61allowing his emblem of strength, his glory-ark, to be captured.
Enemies stole the very source of Israel’s power.
62God vented his rage, allowing his people to be butchered
when they went out to battle,
for his anger was intense against his very own.
63Their young men fell on the battlefield and never came back.
Their daughters never heard their wedding songs,
since there was no one left to marry!
64Their priests were slaughtered and their widows were killed
before they had time to weep.
65Then all at once the Almighty awakened
as though he had been asleep.
Like a mighty man he arose, roaring into action!
66He blasted into battle, driving back every foe,
defeating them and disgracing them for time and eternity.
67He rejected Joseph’s family, the tribe of Ephraim.
68He chose instead the tribe of Judah # 78:68 The place of God’s dwelling was moved from the land of Ephraim (Shiloh) to the land of Judah (Jerusalem).
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
69There he built his towering temple,
strong and enduring as the earth itself.
70God also chose his beloved one, David.
He promoted him from caring for sheep
and made him his prophetic servant.
71-72God prepared David and took this gentle shepherd-king
and presented him before the people
as the one who would love and care for them
with integrity, a pure heart, and the anointing
to lead Israel, his holy inheritance.
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Psalms 78: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationPsalms 78
78
God and his People#Ps 78 Hebrew title: A poem by Asaph.
1Listen, my people, to my teaching,
and pay attention to what I say.
2 #
Mt 13.35
I am going to use wise sayings
and explain mysteries from the past,
3things we have heard and known,
things that our ancestors told us.
4We will not keep them from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the LORD's power and his great deeds
and the wonderful things he has done.
5He gave laws to the people of Israel
and commandments to the descendants of Jacob.
He instructed our ancestors
to teach his laws to their children,
6so that the next generation might learn them
and in turn should tell their children.
7In this way they also would put their trust in God
and not forget what he has done,
but always obey his commandments.
8They would not be like their ancestors,
a rebellious and disobedient people,
whose trust in God was never firm
and who did not remain faithful to him.
9The Ephraimites, armed with bows and arrows,
ran away on the day of battle.
10They did not keep their covenant with God;
they refused to obey his law.
11They forgot what he had done,
the miracles they had seen him perform.
12 #
Ex 7.8—12.32
While their ancestors watched, God performed miracles
in the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt.
13 #
Ex 14.21–22
He divided the sea and took them through it;
he made the waters stand like walls.
14 #
Ex 13.21–22
By day he led them with a cloud
and all night long with the light of a fire.
15 #
Ex 17.1–7; Num 20.2–13 He split rocks open in the desert
and gave them water from the depths.
16He caused a stream to come out of the rock
and made water flow like a river.
17But they continued to sin against God,
and in the desert they rebelled against the Most High.
18 #
Ex 16.2–15; Num 11.4–23, 31–35 They deliberately put God to the test
by demanding the food they wanted.
19They spoke against God and said,
“Can God supply food in the desert?
20It is true that he struck the rock,
and water flowed out in a torrent;
but can he also provide us with bread
and give his people meat?”
21And so the LORD was angry when he heard them;
he attacked his people with fire,
and his anger against them grew,
22because they had no faith in him
and did not believe that he would save them.
23But he spoke to the sky above
and commanded its doors to open;
24 #
Jn 6.31
he gave them grain from heaven,
by sending down manna for them to eat.
25So they ate the food of angels,
and God gave them all they wanted.
26He also caused the east wind to blow,
and by his power he stirred up the south wind;
27and to his people he sent down birds,
as many as the grains of sand on the shore;
28they fell in the middle of the camp
all round the tents.
29So the people ate and were satisfied;
God gave them what they wanted.
30But they had not yet satisfied their craving
and were still eating,
31when God became angry with them
and killed their strongest men,
the best young men of Israel.
32In spite of all this the people kept sinning;
in spite of his miracles they did not trust him.
33So he ended their days like a breath
and their lives with sudden disaster.
34Whenever he killed some of them,
the rest would turn to him;
they would repent and pray earnestly to him.
35They remembered that God was their protector,
that the Almighty came to their aid.
36But their words were all lies;
nothing they said was sincere.
37They were not loyal to him;
they were not faithful to their covenant with him.
38But God was merciful to his people.
He forgave their sin
and did not destroy them.
Many times he held back his anger
and restrained his fury.
39He remembered that they were only mortal beings,
like a wind that blows by and is gone.
40How often they rebelled against him in the desert;
how many times they made him sad!
41Again and again they put God to the test
and brought pain to the Holy God of Israel.
42They forgot his great power
and the day when he saved them from their enemies
43and performed his mighty acts and miracles
in the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt.
44 #
Ex 7.17–21
He turned the rivers into blood,
and the Egyptians had no water to drink.
45 #
Ex 8.1–6, 20–24 He sent flies among them, that tormented them,
and frogs that ruined their land.
46 #
Ex 10.12–15
He sent locusts to eat their crops
and to destroy their fields.
47 #
Ex 9.22–25
He killed their grapevines with hail
and their fig trees with frost.
48He killed their cattle with hail
and their flocks with lightning.#78.48 hail… lightning; or terrible disease… deadly plague.
49He caused them great distress
by pouring out his anger and fierce rage,
which came as messengers of death.
50He did not restrain his anger
or spare their lives,
but killed them with a plague.
51 #
Ex 12.29
He killed the firstborn sons
of all the families of Egypt.
52 #
Ex 13.17–22
Then he led his people out like a shepherd
and guided them through the desert.
53 #
Ex 14.26–28
He led them safely, and they were not afraid;
but the sea came rolling over their enemies.
54 #
Ex 15.17; Josh 3.14–17 He brought them to his holy land,
to the mountains which he himself conquered.
55 #
Josh 11.16–23
He drove out the inhabitants as his people advanced;
he divided their land among the tribes of Israel
and gave their homes to his people.
56 #
Judg 2.11–15
But they rebelled against Almighty God
and put him to the test.
They did not obey his commandments,
57but were rebellious and disloyal like their ancestors,
unreliable as a crooked arrow.
58They angered him with their heathen places of worship,
and with their idols they made him furious.
59God was angry when he saw it,
so he rejected his people completely.
60 #
Josh 18.1; Jer 7.12–14; 26.6 He abandoned his tent in Shiloh,#78.60 Shiloh: The central place of worship for the people of Israel before the time of King David.
the home where he had lived among us.
61 #
1 Sam 4.4–22
He allowed our enemies to capture the Covenant Box,
the symbol of his power and glory.
62He was angry with his own people
and let them be killed by their enemies.
63Young men were killed in war,
and young women had no one to marry.
64Priests died by violence,
and their widows were not allowed to mourn.
65At last the Lord woke up as though from sleep;
he was like a strong man excited by wine.
66He drove his enemies back
in lasting and shameful defeat.
67But he rejected the descendants of Joseph;
he did not select the tribe of Ephraim.
68Instead he chose the tribe of Judah
and Mount Zion, which he dearly loves.
69There he built his Temple
like his home in heaven;
he made it firm like the earth itself,
secure for all time.
70 #
1 Sam 16.11–12; 2 Sam 7.8; 1 Chr 17.7 He chose his servant David;
he took him from the pastures,
71where he looked after his flocks,
and he made him king of Israel,
the shepherd of the people of God.
72David took care of them with unselfish devotion
and led them with skill.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.