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. In 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.
- What is it that Asaph wants to sing about?
- How does God lament at Israels waywardness?
- What does God require of the righteous under the law?
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