WWUTT 1094 Tell the Coming Generation?

The Bible is the story of God's redemptive plan for sinful man, how he is going to save a remnant for himself from judgment and purify them by the blood of his Son, when we understand the text.

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Here once again is Pastor Gabe.

Psalm 78 as a Historical Song for the Coming Generation

Thank you, Becky. Well, in our study of the Psalms, we get to the second longest psalm today. Of course, you probably know the longest psalm is 119, and I've already joked about how when we get there, we're going to have to break that up over a few weeks.

We won't be able to get through all of that psalm in one devotional lesson. Well, today we're looking at the second longest psalm, and that's Psalm 78. This is the longest psalm that we've covered so far, and I'm even still going to try to do three psalms today, 78, 79, and 80.

Interesting thing about Psalm 78, and in fact this is true of all three psalms we'll look at today, it doesn't have any selahs in it. You know that word selah that kind of means to pause and reflect about what's being said?

Though this is a long psalm, there's really nothing that breaks it up. Psalm 119 is broken up quite a bit, but Psalm 78 is just one continuous song. I'm still going to break it up a little bit as we'll pause going through this and talk about what we're reading.

Better get to it if we're going to get through all of this today. Psalm 78, starting in verse 1. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable.

I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

Let's stop there. So you can probably tell from this introduction to the psalm that it's going to be a historical psalm. It's going to be reflecting upon things that God has done through and for his people, specifically covering the first seven books of the Bible up through Judges, and also adding in some of the things in Samuel as well, the promises that God had given to David.

So that's the history that we're covering in this psalm. And it opens by saying, I'll open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known that our fathers have told to us.

That doesn't mean the psalm is a parable, but rather the things that are being talked about here are being conveyed as lessons to be learned. Because as we go on, verse five, he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children.

So you're seeing various figures of speech being referenced as part of the lesson that's being conveyed, that's being remembered in this song. It's a storied song, recalling those events from of old that we might know that the Lord is God and his wonders that he has done for us are great.

Let the people behold them and marvel at them. That's the intention of this psalm. So we continue on, verse six, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.

That they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. So we're remembering these things, so we remain faithful to the Lord and not stumble or be led astray.

We know to fear God, who is merciful and good and gracious, gives us all good things, but he is a judge who will visit the iniquity on those who have sinned and transgressed against him. Verse nine, the Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.

They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law. They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them. In the sight of their fathers, he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zon.

He divided the sea and let them pass through it and made the waters stand like a heap. In the daytime, he led them with a cloud and all the night with a fiery light. He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers. Now, in verse nine, it says, the Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep God's covenant.

It's possible here that Ephraimites is referencing all of Israel. It's not really talking about one tribe, but all of the Israelites, which is not uncommon. Sometimes one tribe will be mentioned and that tribe might epitomize a certain characteristic of Israel, but it's actually a reference to all of Israel.

So here, Israel did not keep God's covenant. That's the reference that's being made. They refused to walk according to his law. They forgot his works, even though he had performed in front of their fathers all of these great waters, sorry, all of these great wonders the dividing of the waters so that they might pass through them, delivering them from the hands of the Egyptians.

Of course, we know that story from Exodus, as the Israelites were being freed from slavery in Egypt. Verse 17, yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God, saying, can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people? Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath.

A fire was kindled against Jacob. His anger rose against Israel because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. So there, God very broadly was angry with Israel even though we had it mentioned in verse 9 that the Ephraimites had turned back on the day of battle.

So again, that being a word that refers to all of Israel because they did not believe God and did not trust in his saving power. Verse 23, yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.

Man ate the bread of the angels. He sent them food in abundance. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens and by his power he led out the south wind. He rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas.

He let them fall in the midst of their camp all around their dwellings and they ate and were well filled for he gave them what they craved. But before they had satisfied their craving while the food was still in their mouths the anger of God rose against them and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel.

Now of course we know from the story that it wasn't while Israel was just kind of sitting around eating food and God just consumed them but we read at the beginning of this psalm that the writer was going to use various figures of speech to recall this history and convey truth.

So it's even while they were stuffing themselves with the very gift and grace and mercy that God had shown to them that God brought judgment upon them because of their groaning and complaining because they were not truly thankful unto the Lord.

He killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel. Verse 32. In spite of all this they still sinned. Despite his wonders they did not believe. So he made their days vanish like a breath and their years in terror.

When he killed them they sought him. They repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock the most high God their Redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths. They lied to him with their tongues.

Their heart was not steadfast toward him. They were not faithful to his covenant. I just had an incident occur a few days ago where my son was supposed to be taking a nap and I walked into the room and I said to him, buddy are you playing?

And he said he was not. So I said okay get some rest. And he said alright. Well I found out later he had one of our tablets and was hiding it in bed so he was playing and he lied to me. And he got punished pretty severely for that and I told him later you're always going to get punished more severely when you lie.

You might be in trouble when I catch you doing something you're not supposed to be doing but the punishment will be far far worse when you lie. Now when I caught him in that and he knew that he was about to be punished he kept repeating to me daddy I'm sorry I'm sorry and I punished him and he weeping said.

I said I was sorry.

And I had to explain to him just because you said you were sorry doesn't negate the punishment that you're about to get. You need to show me that you're truly sorry. And that when you apologize you're not going to do it again.

So in time I'm going to recognize whether you truly regretted what you had done. You know that it was wrong you learned your lesson and you're not going to do it again. So you tell me you're sorry.

That's good.

And you need to be sorry. You need to be ashamed of what you did. And you need to apologize and ask for forgiveness. And I do forgive you. But you're going to demonstrate to me the genuineness of your apology and that you're not going to do it again.

My son is eight years old. I'm trying to explain all of this to him. So he understands his punishment and he understands repentance. And so here in Psalm 78 we see that the people flattered him with their mouths.

He killed them. They sought him. They repented and sought God earnestly. Verse 36. But they flattered him with their mouths. They lied to him with their tongues. They said we're sorry. But then they went right back to doing it again.

Their heart was not steadfast toward him. They were not faithful to his covenant. So they were not genuine in their repentance. It says they sought God earnestly. But it's kind of like I'm sorry, I'm sorry thinking that you're going to be able to weasel out of the punishment and judgment of God that you know is coming upon you.

But they did not remain steadfast to this covenant. Yet look at how God's response is to this in verse 38. Yet he being compassionate atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them. He restrained his anger often and did not stir up all of his wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh a wind that passes and comes not again. How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert. They tested God again and again and provoked the holy one of Israel.

They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of zone. So even though what they deserved was death God atoned for their sins.

He atoned for their iniquity and he did not destroy them. And that is the story for every one of us as Christians. What we deserved was the wrath and judgment of God. But he did not destroy us. He remembered that we were but flesh a wind that passes and comes not again.

And in his compassion for us he atoned for our sins. He sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish under the wrath of God. All of us have grumbled and complained even though we've got food in our mouths that God himself has given to us.

And we complained and pointed the finger at him. And we're not thankful to him but we believe that we deserved what we were getting these blessings that God was bestowing upon us. And then we grumbled when we didn't get more.

We deserve to be destroyed for our attitude against God our sin and our rebellion against him. But he did not destroy us. He sent Jesus. He sent bread from heaven as Jesus Christ referred to himself as the bread who is from heaven.

Now if we reject that bread and a person rejects that bread all the way to their dying day well then the judgment of God is going to come upon them and he will not relent in his anger. They had the opportunity to repent and come to Christ and they refused it.

The bread that was sent from heaven and God's judgment will be final upon them in that last day when we are all brought around the great white throne of judgment we continue on here. Verse 44. He turned their rivers to blood so that they could not drink of the streams.

He sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them and frogs which destroyed them. He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.

He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunder bolts. He let loose on them his burning anger wrath indignation and distress a company of destroying angels. He made a path for his anger.

He did not spare them from death but gave their lives over to the plague. He struck down every firstborn in Egypt the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

He led them in safety so that they were not afraid. But the sea overwhelmed their enemies and he brought them to his holy land to the mountain which his right hand had won. He drove out nations before them.

He apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. So here we are getting into the book of Joshua. Now as we're progressing through things of course we see the judgment that comes upon the Egyptians the deliverance of the people of Israel even settling them in a land which he had promised to the descendants of Abraham.

This is verse 56. Yet they tested and rebelled against the most high God and did not keep his testimonies but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers. They twisted like a deceitful bow for they provoked him to anger with their high places.

They moved him to jealousy with their idols. When God heard he was full of wrath and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh the tent where he dwelt among mankind and delivered his power to captivity his glory to the hand of the foe.

He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage. Fire devoured their young men and their young women had no marriage song. Their priests fell by the sword and their widows made no lamentation.

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep like a strong man shouting because of wine. And he put his adversaries to rout. He put them to everlasting shame. Now it's likely that what's being described here is what we see happen in the book of Judges.

The people of Israel would worship false gods. God would send an enemy against them to oppress them. They would call out to God for deliverance. God would send them a judge who would deliver them from that oppression.

And then there would be a time of peace. And then the Israelites would go right back into those old habits again of worshipping idols and doing all of this wickedness and so God would turn them over.

To.

Captivity. He delivered his power to captivity as glory to the hand of the foe glory being Israel. And they would be turned over to their enemies. This was the pattern of the book of Judges. So surely an Israelite singing this song in a time of David that's what they would have been thinking about.

But this is also prophetic in the sense that it's pointing toward when Israel is going to be exiled to their enemies since they persisted in worshipping false gods. That's going to come much later after this.

But instead of remaining faithful to the Lord as they were in the days of David and Solomon they will turn from God and they will worship false gods and they will behave just as the pagan nations around them.

God will finally get fed up with this though he is slow to anger. He will turn them over to be exiled to the Babylonians. And then when this song comes to mind for the Israelites they're going to see something prophetic was going on here.

And we read in verse 67. He rejected the tent of Joseph. He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim but he chose the tribe of Judah Mount Zion which he loves. Who is it. That is ultimately going to be the survivors of that exile.

It's going to be the tribe of Judah. The ten northern tribes will become the lost tribes. They will be gone. But Judah and Benjamin will be restored. They will come back to the land. They'll rebuild the temple.

Judah will be the Jews and and God will build his sanctuary like a like the high heavens like the earth which he is founded forever. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds from following the nursing ewes.

He brought him to shepherd Jacob his people Israel his inheritance with upright heart. He shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. And this is even pointing farther into the future to a an ultimate shepherd who is going to come a savior Jesus Christ who will come from the line of Judah and David which is why the Jews were spared which is why they were preserved the way that they were so that God would fulfill his promise to David to Judah that a savior would come from them.

And that is Jesus Christ the righteous one whom we are. And it's that gift of that savior that we are remembering at this time of year. As we're getting closer and closer to Christmas we're remembering God's fulfillment of that promise in sending his son the incarnate son of God who was born as a baby in Bethlehem who grew up in stature lived a perfect sinless life for us died the death we were supposed to die rose again from the grave conquering death for us.

And all who believe in Christ we are given his righteousness. Our sins are atoned for and he will shepherd us Israel his inheritance with upright heart. He shepherds us and guides us with his skillful hand.

So may we look throughout the history of God's redemptive power that we see through the Old Testament and into the New Testament knowing that he is delivering redemption for us even today 2 ,000 years later through the gospel of Jesus Christ which we have heard and we have believed.

And so we proclaim. It's why this broadcast exists so that the gospel of Jesus Christ might be proclaimed. And you would remember God's faithful his faithfulness from of old as he was faithful to deliver on all of his promises that he made in centuries past.

So he is going to be faithful to complete all of his promises in the present and for the future we have a savior who is Jesus Christ the righteous one and all who have faith in him will be saved from judgment and will have everlasting life with God forever in his eternal kingdom.

Amen. Now I should have known better than to think we were actually going to get to Psalms 79 and 80. But we'll save that for next week. Let's conclude with prayer our heavenly father. We thank you for your goodness and may we never forget it.

In a time of temptation to sin may we remember that you are a judge one who searches the minds and hearts of men. You know exactly what is on our heart before we try to indulge in that temptation that we have.

We try to seize means and opportunity. May we remember that you are God. And we will tremble in those moments of temptation and turn from it and go back to the holy one who shepherds us and guides us with an upright hand.

May we seek after the righteousness of Christ desiring to do those things that please you keep us from stumbling and lead us in paths of righteousness for your namesake. Keep us steadfast to the end. For as Jesus said in Mark 13 13 he who remains steadfast to the end will be saved.

We ask these things in his name.

Amen.

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