Psalms78

Psalms 78 recounts the history of Israel's rebellion and God's enduring faithfulness, urging the people to remember divine law and works for future generations. It details Israel's repeated provocations in the wilderness and in the land, despite God's miraculous provisions and deliverances. The psalm culminates in God's rejection of Shiloh and His ultimate choice of Judah and David to shepherd His people.

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A Call to Hear God's Law

Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.

We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done.

For he established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children;

That the generation to come might knowthem, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tellthemto their children,

That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep his commandments,

And might not be as their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that set not their heart aright, And whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

The Failure of Ephraim

The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.

They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;

And they forgat his doings, And his wondrous works that he had showed them.

God's Marvels in the Wilderness

Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as a heap.

In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.

He clave rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Israel’s Rebellion and Temptation

Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.

And they tempted God in their heart By asking food according to their desire.

Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?

Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; And a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also went up against Israel;

Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation.

Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;

And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven.

Man did eat the bread of the mighty: He sent them food to the full.

He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; And by his power he guided the south wind.

He rained flesh also upon them as the dust, And winged birds as the sand of the seas:

And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.

So they did eat, and were well filled; And he gave them their own desire.

They were not estranged from that which they desired, Their food was yet in their mouths,

When the anger of God went up against them, And slew of the fattest of them, And smote down the young men of Israel.

For all this they sinned still, And believed not in his wondrous works.

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, And their years in terror.

Hypocritical Repentance and Divine Compassion

When he slew them, then they inquired after him; And they returned and sought God earnestly.

And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their redeemer.

But they flattered him with their mouth, And lied unto him with their tongue.

For their heart was not right with him, Neither were they faithful in his covenant.

But he, being merciful, forgave theiriniquity, and destroyedthemnot: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath.

And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Forgetting the Plagues and Deliverance

How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, And grieve him in the desert!

And they turned again and tempted God, And provoked the Holy One of Israel.

They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan,

And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.

He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.

He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost.

He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil.

He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence,

And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

God Guides Israel to the Promised Land

But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, To this mountain, which his right hand had gotten.

He drove out the nations also before them, And allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

Israel's Renewed Apostasy in the Land

Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies;

But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

When God heardthis, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

God Rejects Shiloh and Ephraim

So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men;

And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary’s hand.

He gave his people over also unto the sword, And was wroth with his inheritance.

Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song.

Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation.

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach.

God Chooses Judah, Zion, and David

Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which he loved.

And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established for ever.

He chose David also his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds:

From following the ewes that have their young he brought him, To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

Study Notes for Psalms 78

Verse 1

This psalm is a *Maschil* (a didactic or instructional poem), intended to teach wisdom through historical review, emphasizing the importance of generational faithfulness to the covenant.

Verse 2

The speaker promises to use 'parable' and 'dark sayings' (Heb. *hîdôth*), meaning he will present profound, historical truths in a structured, memorable way that requires careful attention.

Verse 5

The 'testimony' and 'law' established in Israel refers to the covenant obligations given at Sinai, which mandated that divine instruction be passed down through families.

Verse 8

The goal of teaching is to prevent the new generation from repeating the mistakes of their ancestors, whose hearts were unstable and lacked steadfast commitment to God.

Verse 9

Ephraim, the dominant northern tribe, is used here as a representative example of Israel’s faithlessness, demonstrating spiritual failure despite being militarily prepared.

Verse 12

Zoan (Tanis) was a major capital city in the Egyptian delta, specified here to highlight the public and undeniable nature of God’s miraculous acts during the Exodus.

Verse 15

This verse recalls the miraculous provision of water from the rock, a central image of God's care and power in the desolate wilderness (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11).

Verse 17

Despite God's spectacular provision, Israel continually sinned by trying God's patience and challenging His authority and capability in the wilderness.

Verse 18

They 'tempted God' not merely by asking for food, but by demanding it out of selfish *lust* and lack of faith, testing whether God could truly satisfy their desires.

Verse 20

The people’s cynical challenge demonstrates profound skepticism, contrasting the provision of water (which they had seen) with the provision of bread and meat (which they doubted).

Verse 22

The root cause of God's anger was not their hunger, but their unbelief; they failed to trust in God’s power to deliver and sustain them completely.

Verse 25

Calling manna 'angels’ food' emphasizes its heavenly origin and supernatural quality, underscoring the extraordinary nature of God's provision for mortal man.

Verse 31

This refers to the judgment at Kibroth-hattaavah (Numbers 11), where God provided quail, but wrath followed immediately because their heart’s desire was rooted in greed and rebellion.

Verse 34

Israel’s seeking of God was often reactive—prompted by punishment—not genuine, heartfelt repentance, creating a cycle of surface-level obedience.

Verse 37

Their repentance was flawed because their hearts were insincere; they offered lip service without the steadfast internal dedication required by the covenant.

Verse 38

This verse serves as the theological hinge, highlighting God's enduring compassionate nature which prevents Him from destroying the people entirely, despite their constant provocation.

Verse 39

God's compassion is rooted in His memory of human frailty; He understands that humanity is temporary, like a passing wind, leading Him to temper His wrath.

Verse 40

The psalm returns to the theme of provocation, emphasizing the frequency and severity of Israel's rebellion against God during the wilderness journey.

Verse 41

To 'limit' God means to restrict His power or willingness to act in their minds, doubting that the Holy One of Israel could or would fulfill their needs.

Verse 49

The phrase 'evil angels' refers to messengers of judgment or agents of calamity, illustrating the supernatural intensity of God’s destructive wrath poured out upon Egypt through the plagues.

Verse 51

The climactic tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, is identified as the decisive act that broke Egypt's power. Ham is used poetically here to refer to Egypt.

Verse 52

This marks the transition from judgment in the wilderness to successful deliverance, using the imagery of a shepherd guiding his flock safely.

Verse 54

The destination is described as 'this mountain,' referring proleptically to Mount Zion, where God eventually established His permanent dwelling place.

Verse 56

The pattern of rebellion continued even after settlement in the Promised Land, marked by idolatry and breaking covenant commitments (the period of the Judges).

Verse 57

A 'deceitful bow' is a metaphor for unreliability; it fails to shoot straight, symbolizing Israel’s inability to remain faithful to the target of God's covenant.

Verse 60

God's rejection of Shiloh (where the Tabernacle was kept, 1 Sam 4) signifies the end of the religious primacy of the northern tribes (Joseph/Ephraim) due to their unfaithfulness.

Verse 65

This anthropomorphic description portrays God suddenly arising from apparent indifference to execute decisive judgment against Israel's oppressors (likely the Philistines).

Verse 67

The historical review culminates in the selection of the southern kingdom, Judah, establishing the permanent location of the sanctuary on Mount Zion.

Verse 70

The choice of David emphasizes God’s sovereign power to elevate the humble shepherd, establishing the Davidic covenant as the climax of Israel's history.

Verse 72

David's rule is characterized by 'integrity' (moral uprightness) and 'skilfulness' (competent leadership), providing the ideal model of a faithful covenant king.

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Psalms78

A Call to Hear God's Law

The Failure of Ephraim

God's Marvels in the Wilderness

Israel’s Rebellion and Temptation

Hypocritical Repentance and Divine Compassion

Forgetting the Plagues and Deliverance

God Guides Israel to the Promised Land

Israel's Renewed Apostasy in the Land

God Rejects Shiloh and Ephraim

God Chooses Judah, Zion, and David

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