Psalms 78
Psalms 78 is part of “Book III: The Leviticus Book” (73–89) in the outline of Psalms.
Psalms 78 summary
This psalm is historical; it is a narrative of the great mercies God had bestowed upon Israel, the great sins wherewith they had provoked him, and the many tokens of his displeasure they had been under for their sins. The psalmist began, in the foregoing psalm, to relate God's wonders of old, for his own encouragement in a difficult time; there he broke off abruptly, but here resumes the subject, for the edification of the church, and enlarges much upon it, showing not only how good God had been to them, which was an earnest of further finishing mercy, but how basely they had conducted themselves towards God, which justified him in…
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This psalm is historical; it is a narrative of the great mercies God had bestowed upon Israel, the great sins wherewith they had provoked him, and the many tokens of his displeasure they had been under for their sins. The psalmist began, in the foregoing psalm, to relate God's wonders of old, for his own encouragement in a difficult time; there he broke off abruptly, but here resumes the subject, for the edification of the church, and enlarges much upon it, showing not only how good God had been to them, which was an earnest of further finishing mercy, but how basely they had conducted themselves towards God, which justified him in correcting them as he did at this time, and forbade all complaints. Here is, I. The preface to this church history, commanding the attention of the present age to it and recommending it to the study of the generations to come (Psa 78:1-8). II. The history itself from Moses to David; it is put into a psalm or song that it might be the better remembered and transmitted to posterity, and that the singing of it might affect them with the things here related, more than they would be with a bare narrative of them. The general scope of this psalm we have (Psa 78:9-11) where notice is taken of the present rebukes they were under (Psa 78:9), the sin which brought them under those rebukes (Psa 78:10), and the mercies of God to them formerly, which aggravated that sin (Psa 78:11). As to the particulars, we are here told, 1. What wonderful works God had wrought for them in bringing them out of Egypt (Psa 78:12-16), providing for them in the wilderness (Psa 78:23-29), plaguing and ruining their enemies (Psa 78:43-53), and at length putting them in possession of the land of promise (Psa 78:54, Psa 78:55). 2. How ungrateful they were to God for his favours to them and how many and great provocations they were guilty of. How they murmured against God and distrusted him (Psa 78:17-20), and did but counterfeit repentance and submission when he punished them (Psa 78:34-37), thus grieving and tempting him (Psa 78:40-42). How they affronted God with their idolatries after they came to Canaan (Psa 78:56-58). 3. How God had justly punished them for their sins (Psa 78:21, Psa 78:22) in the wilderness, making their sin their punishment (Psa 78:29-33), and now, of late, when the ark was taken by the Philistines (Psa 78:59-64). 4. How graciously God had spared them and returned in mercy to them, notwithstanding their provocations. He had forgiven them formerly (Psa 78:38, Psa 78:39), and now, of late, had removed the judgments they had brought upon themselves, and brought them under a happy establishment both in church and state (Psa 78:65-72). As the general scope of this psalm may be of use to us in the singing of it, to put us upon recollecting what God has done for us and for his church formerly, and what we have done against him, so the particulars also may be of use to us, for warning against those sins of unbelief and ingratitude which Israel of old was notoriously guilty of, and the record of which was preserved for our learning. "These things happened unto them for ensamples," Co1 10:11; Heb 4:11. Maschil of Asaph.
Source: Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706–21; Romans–Revelation completed by Nonconformist ministers). Public domain. Digital text: Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org).
Psalms 78 (ASV)
American Standard Version (public domain)
Tell to the Coming Generation
1Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4We 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. 5For 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; 6That the generation to come might know [them], even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell [them] to their children, 7That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep his commandments, 8And 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. 9The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle. 10They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law; 11And they forgat his doings, And his wondrous works that he had showed them. 12Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. 13He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as a heap. 14In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire. 15He clave rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths. 16He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers. 17Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert. 18And they tempted God in their heart By asking food according to their desire. 19Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 20Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people? 21Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; And a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also went up against Israel; 22Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation. 23Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven; 24And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven. 25Man did eat the bread of the mighty: He sent them food to the full. 26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; And by his power he guided the south wind. 27He rained flesh also upon them as the dust, And winged birds as the sand of the seas: 28And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations. 29So they did eat, and were well filled; And he gave them their own desire. 30They were not estranged from that which they desired, Their food was yet in their mouths, 31When the anger of God went up against them, And slew of the fattest of them, And smote down the young men of Israel. 32For all this they sinned still, And believed not in his wondrous works. 33Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, And their years in terror. 34When he slew them, then they inquired after him; And they returned and sought God earnestly. 35And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their redeemer. 36But they flattered him with their mouth, And lied unto him with their tongue. 37For their heart was not right with him, Neither were they faithful in his covenant. 38But he, being merciful, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath. 39And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. 40How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, And grieve him in the desert! 41And they turned again and tempted God, And provoked the Holy One of Israel. 42They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary; 43How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan, 44And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink. 45He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them. 46He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust. 47He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost. 48He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts. 49He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil. 50He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence, 51And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, To this mountain, which his right hand had gotten. 55He 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. 56Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies; 57But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. 58For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images. 59When God heard [this], he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel; 60So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men; 61And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary’s hand. 62He gave his people over also unto the sword, And was wroth with his inheritance. 63Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song. 64Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation. 65Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. 66And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach. 67Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim, 68But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which he loved. 69And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established for ever. 70He chose David also his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds: 71From following the ewes that have their young he brought him, To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. 72So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.