Year 8, Day 214: Psalms 77-78

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Both of these psalms for today have teaching at their core.  In fact, these psalms are concerned with making sure that the next generation does not lose sight of the identity of God.  Psalm 77 is more explicit about the need for teaching, psalm 78 gives the details of what needs to be taught.  At the heart of this process is the relationship between God and His people.

What is interesting is the form of the teaching that the psalms take.  In both psalms, but especially Psalm 78, what we find is a psalm that teaches by counter-example.  In fact, Psalm 78 is a summary of the Exodus.

Remember what the Exodus is to the Hebrew people.  It is a great moment because it is the memory of the people when they went from bondage to freedom.  It is the great moment when God responded to their pleas for help.  It is the time in their lives when God showed His salvific character to His people in its greatest form.

At the same time, remember how the Hebrew people of that generation are remembered.  It isn’t a fond memory.  They are called the rebellious generation.  Some places in scripture even call them the evil generation.  They are a people who constantly doubted, who constantly moaned, and who were constant thorns in the sides of their leaders.  This is the point of the psalm.

These psalms want to do more than talk about God’s relationship with he people.  These psalms are about teaching the people how the relationship is spoiled.  When the hearts of the people are embittered, their relationship with God is diminished.  This doesn’t mean that God’s love diminishes; what it means is that our perception of the relationship is spoiled.  Instead of God’s blessing, the people received God’s correction.  The point of the psalm is to remind the people that we need to check our own hearts and ensure that we are not embittered towards God.

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