The Reflection in Psalm 78
I love the Psalms. Perhaps as a songwriter myself, I am touched by the overwhelming emotion that the writers of the Psalms pour into their songs which, in turn, pour out to me as I read them. As I read some Psalms the other night, I came to Psalm 78. Of course, the initial thought when someone comes to this Psalm is probably "this thing is three pages long!". That's okay. Nobody minds when a good song is long, do they? (Freebird!)
The Psalm begins by stating its purpose: to pass along to the next generation the history of what YHWH has done as given to the Psalmist by the previous generation. In particular, the "glorious deeds" and the "wonders" God had performed on behalf of His people.
Then: 65 verses that detail, in a very honest way, the struggle that has continued since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden. Not the struggle between good and evil (especially since God doesn't see that as much of a struggle). Not the struggle between God's people and the world. But the struggle on the part of God's people to respond to His patient, abundant, and never-ending love for them. The struggle of our faithlessness against God's eternal faithfulness.
We read of all that God did, and we have a series of "buts" and "yets" and "in spite ofs" that talk about our faithless response to Him. He established a testimony in Jacob but they forgot what He had done. He performed miracles on their behalf (parting the Red Sea, the pillar of fire, water from the rock) and yet they sinned against Him. Yet, He gave them Manna from heaven to sustain them, and in spite of this they did not believe. Yet, in His compassion, He forgave them, and still they rebelled against Him. He performed all of His wonderful works in Egypt to set them free, yet they tested Him and broke His law.
Do we see a pattern here? God takes care of His people, yet they sin, yet He takes care of them. Now, I want to share with you something else that I saw in this Psalm. Because this is not a reflection on Psalm 78, this about the reflection in Psalm 78.
Mine.
I can imagine what Asaph was feeling as he penned this Psalm under the inspiration of the Spirit. He could not help but see his own heart opposing God's heart with each and every line. And that is what was poured back into me as I read this. God has saved me from my sin, yet I still choose sin at times. God has not only forgiven me for that, but He has worked in me to overcome so many sins that I should have no hesitation to hand over to Him each temptation. Yet I work in my own power to overcome (and I think we all know how that works out). Yet, God promises to be with me always, supply my need, and shoulder my burdens, and still my heart is drawn to other gods, to other sources of joy, to other means of sustenance. But they all lie. And God forgives me each and every time, and in spit of this, I am going to be tempted to return to them again.
Thank God there are three more verses in the Psalm! God promises that, in spite of, the rebellion of His people, and in spite of the fact that we quickly forget Him in our faithlessness, and in spite of the fact that we will be tempted to worship false gods - yet He will provide a means for us to obey, and to have faith, and to overcome temptation.
Our Shepherd King! All of those glorious deeds and wonders that God performed for His people point to and culminate in the glorious, wonderful Person of our Shepherd King!
Do you see? Until the Shepherd King comes into the story, there is no hope of changing the pattern of our faithless hearts, in spite of the miracles God may perform. There is no hope of obeying, no hope of overcoming, no hope of ever escaping our rebellious ways, in spite of anything else (everything else?) God provides. It takes the Shepherd King, with His upright heart and skillful hand, to put an end to ourselves and break our pattern of faithlessness and to change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh that beat with the rhythm of God's steady pattern of never-ending faithfulness.
And as soon as the Psalmist tells of the Shepherd King, and sees the One he describes in those last three verses in his own heart, there is nothing else to tell. Do you see Him in your heart?
Praise God for sending our Shepherd King, the greater Son of David, Who has promised to be with us always and shepherd us, leading us into newness of heart and newness of life in spite of ourselves.
The Psalm begins by stating its purpose: to pass along to the next generation the history of what YHWH has done as given to the Psalmist by the previous generation. In particular, the "glorious deeds" and the "wonders" God had performed on behalf of His people.
Then: 65 verses that detail, in a very honest way, the struggle that has continued since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden. Not the struggle between good and evil (especially since God doesn't see that as much of a struggle). Not the struggle between God's people and the world. But the struggle on the part of God's people to respond to His patient, abundant, and never-ending love for them. The struggle of our faithlessness against God's eternal faithfulness.
We read of all that God did, and we have a series of "buts" and "yets" and "in spite ofs" that talk about our faithless response to Him. He established a testimony in Jacob but they forgot what He had done. He performed miracles on their behalf (parting the Red Sea, the pillar of fire, water from the rock) and yet they sinned against Him. Yet, He gave them Manna from heaven to sustain them, and in spite of this they did not believe. Yet, in His compassion, He forgave them, and still they rebelled against Him. He performed all of His wonderful works in Egypt to set them free, yet they tested Him and broke His law.
Do we see a pattern here? God takes care of His people, yet they sin, yet He takes care of them. Now, I want to share with you something else that I saw in this Psalm. Because this is not a reflection on Psalm 78, this about the reflection in Psalm 78.
Mine.
I can imagine what Asaph was feeling as he penned this Psalm under the inspiration of the Spirit. He could not help but see his own heart opposing God's heart with each and every line. And that is what was poured back into me as I read this. God has saved me from my sin, yet I still choose sin at times. God has not only forgiven me for that, but He has worked in me to overcome so many sins that I should have no hesitation to hand over to Him each temptation. Yet I work in my own power to overcome (and I think we all know how that works out). Yet, God promises to be with me always, supply my need, and shoulder my burdens, and still my heart is drawn to other gods, to other sources of joy, to other means of sustenance. But they all lie. And God forgives me each and every time, and in spit of this, I am going to be tempted to return to them again.
Thank God there are three more verses in the Psalm! God promises that, in spite of, the rebellion of His people, and in spite of the fact that we quickly forget Him in our faithlessness, and in spite of the fact that we will be tempted to worship false gods - yet He will provide a means for us to obey, and to have faith, and to overcome temptation.
Our Shepherd King! All of those glorious deeds and wonders that God performed for His people point to and culminate in the glorious, wonderful Person of our Shepherd King!
Do you see? Until the Shepherd King comes into the story, there is no hope of changing the pattern of our faithless hearts, in spite of the miracles God may perform. There is no hope of obeying, no hope of overcoming, no hope of ever escaping our rebellious ways, in spite of anything else (everything else?) God provides. It takes the Shepherd King, with His upright heart and skillful hand, to put an end to ourselves and break our pattern of faithlessness and to change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh that beat with the rhythm of God's steady pattern of never-ending faithfulness.
And as soon as the Psalmist tells of the Shepherd King, and sees the One he describes in those last three verses in his own heart, there is nothing else to tell. Do you see Him in your heart?
Praise God for sending our Shepherd King, the greater Son of David, Who has promised to be with us always and shepherd us, leading us into newness of heart and newness of life in spite of ourselves.
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