August 2nd
Psalm 81
A Psalm of Asaph
A
Song for a Feast
1: Sing aloud unto God our strength:
make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2: Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp
with the psaltery. 3: Blow up
the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 4: For this was a statute for Israel,
and a law of the God of Jacob. 5:
This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I
understood not. 6: I removed
his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots. 7: Thou calledst in trouble, and I
delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee
at the waters of Meribah. Selah. 8:
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken
unto me; 9: There shall no
strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. 10: I am the LORD thy God, which
brought thee out of the land
of Egypt: open thy mouth
wide, and I will fill it. 11:
But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. 12: So I gave them up unto their own
hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. 13: Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel
had walked in my ways! 14: I
should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their
adversaries. 15: The haters of
the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have
endured for ever. 16: He should
have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock
should I have satisfied thee.
Psalm 82
A Psalm of Asaph
The
Lord is in Control
1: God standeth in the congregation of
the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. 2:
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3: Defend the poor and fatherless: do
justice to the afflicted and needy. 4:
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5: They know not, neither will they
understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out
of course. 6: I have said, Ye
are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7: But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8: Arise, O God, judge the earth: for
thou shalt inherit all nations.
Today we are reading Psalm 81 & 82. In Psalm 81 Asaph
speaks of God in the sanctuary. In the first part God calls on Israel
to praise his name and listen to instruction. In the second part Asaph spells
out the consequences of refusal to hear the Lord. !n verse 1-3, Asaph calls
upon Israel in the name of the Lord to sing, and to sing loud, to make a noise
of joyful praise to the God of Israel. He says bring a Psalm and bring the
timbrel a sort of shaking instrument and bring the beautiful harp with the
psaltery. And they are to blow the trumpet at the first day of the new moon and
they are to proclaim a solemn feast day. It was not to be a sombre thing but a
serious thing. This is an opportunity for Israel to keep the law, all
together. This day was ordained as a feast to the children of Israel when they were in Egypt. It was given when slavery
was brought to an end. When Israel
called on the Lord in the day of their trouble and the Lord delivered them. It
was the Night of the Passover. This was a great day in Israel. Think about that. This was
when the Lord gave his law to Israel.
And the Psalmist reminds them of their deliverance and of their solemn duty to
serve only the Lord. Then the Lord says BUT my people refused to hear my voice
so I gave them up to the lusts of their minds and they lived by their own ways.
If only my people had listened to me and lived as I had commanded them. I would
have conquered all their enemies and fought against all their foes. The Lord
would have fed them with the best wheat and the purest honey. In Psalm 82 Asaph
brings a simple Psalm in which he begins and ends with a description of the
Lord as the righteous Judge. He then between these ideas speaks of the Earthly
judges who are indicted and condemned. And between these two ideas he speaks of
the reason why they are condemned – which is that they give wrong judgment on
the affairs of men, both negatively and positively. So he begins by saying that
God stands in the assembly of the mighty and he judges among those who he has
appointed as judges among men. God asks how long these human judges will judge
unjustly and justify wicked and ungodly men. Think about that. Then the Lord
gives instruction to these men he says, Defend the poor and orphans. Give
justice to the afflicted and needy. Save the poor and needy and save them from
the grip of wicked men. Then the Lord comments on these wicked judges, he says
they do not understand and they are blind to the things of God. The whole world
is out of kilter because of them. The Lord speaks to these judges saying you
administer on behalf of God and you are all children of the MOST HIGH. But you
will die like the ungodly and fall like one of the princes who opposed Moses.
Then Asaph says, Arise O God judge the earth because you will inherit the
nations. One cannot help but think that this Psalm has a prophetic message in the
light of Matt 25.
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