Psalm 81
There are
some really neat images to be found in this chapter – although I will confess
that the second half of the chapter is fairly depressing. But before we get there, let’s listen to the
images in the first half of this psalm.
Asaph is
encouraging the people to sing. He wants
him to bring out the tambourine, the harp, and the trumpet. Think about those instruments. The voice can mimic just about any kind of
music. The harp can be solemn or
rejoicing. But what about the trumpet and
the tambourine? Those are instrument
that naturally lend themselves to celebrations, announcements, and moments of
jubilation. Asaph is not calling his
people to sing dirges; rather he desires the people to sing in exultation. He wants the people to enjoy the
singing. He wants them to raise up a
strong voice in praise of their God. He
wants them to worship as we should worship – in joyful celebration of our
relationship with God.
What are
they to celebrate? They are to celebrate
how the Lord redeemed them from Egypt (Remember that Asaph lived at a time when
their captivity under Babylon was drawing near). They are to remember how the Lord brought
them up out of oppression. They are to
remember how God delivered them.
There is
wisdom in this psalm. Imagine the
internal stress of singing a song about deliverance at a festival of the Lord
when it appears that your country is on the verge of going into oppression once
again. It had to tear the people apart
to sing joyfully about a rejoicing past while looking at a bleak future. Yet, there is still wisdom in this
psalm. Imagine the voice of wisdom that
the exodus story can speak to the future of the Hebrew people as they stare
down a second round of captivity. There
is a wisdom that speaks through the ages in this psalm. If God was able to bring his people out of
captivity once, He can do it again.
I am
reminded of the song “Anatevka” from the song Fiddler on the Roof. The song begins with a dialogue between some
people in Anatevka and their rabbi as the Jews are being forced out of their
home. The question is posed: “Rabbi,
we’ve waited all our lives for the Messiah.
Wouldn’t now be a good time for Him to come?” The reply comes, “We’ll have to wait for Him
someplace else. Meanwhile, let’s start
packing.” That’s wisdom in the midst of
misery. That’s the very power of this
psalm. God has brought us this far, He
can be with us in the future.
Then we
turn to the second half of this psalm.
This psalm of joy turns to a psalm of lament from the perspective of the
Lord. He desires that His people will
humble themselves and turn from their ways.
He yearns for the day when there would be no strange god among them. But the Lord knows the truth. This is not likely to happen – at least not
in great numbers.
Don’t
believe me? Look at verses 11-12. “But my people did not listen to my
voice. Israel would not submit to
me. So I gave them over to their
stubborn hearts to follow their own counsel.”
That’s a tough quote. But is it
much different for us now? Are we a
people known for our submission to God?
Even in our churches … when is the last time that you heard someone say
about another person, “Wow, there is a person who has submitted to God!”
Oh how the
Lord must yearn for us to seemingly do the impossible and turn from our
ways. Oh that such a day would indeed
come. As Asaph declares towards the end
of the psalm, I can’t wait for the day when the people of the Lord follow His
ways. Oh the day when the people of the
Lord listen to Him and walk in His ways!
Psalm 82
Psalm 82
was a little difficult for me to wrap my head around as I read it the first
time. I think it is because of the way
the ESV formats its paragraphs. But it
should be read as verses 2-5 are speech from God while verses 6-8 are to be
read as the words of Asaph.
Look at
the words of the Lord as He looks down in judgment upon the earth. Humans judge unjustly and show
partiality. We tend to overlook the
weak, the destitute, the fatherless, and the afflicted. God’s command is that we should rescue the
weak and deliver people out of the hands of the wicked.
Even among
Christians, this is still true, isn’t it?
I mean, I’m not trying to paint every action of every Christian as
evil. Certainly there are moments when
Christ shines brilliantly forth! Praise
God that there are those moments! But
don’t we all still have moments of partiality?
Don’t we all still have moments where we make snap decisions and they
turn out poorly? Do we always rescue the
people we are sent to rescue? Are we
always a father to the fatherless? I am
ashamed to confess that I am guilty of occasionally walking around in the
darkness that my own sin shrouds around me.
All I can
say is that I join Asaph’s response.
Arise, Oh, Lord. Judge the
nations that you shall inherit.
We are
guilty. But by His grace He makes us
something we are not. Again, Praise be to God!
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