Story time with Prophet-Psalmist, Asaph.

In this psalm Asaph takes the reader on a recap of Israel’s history with Yahweh. It’s like a highlight reel of a few key moments of their history from the Exodus to time at which Asaph is writing. That’s over 400 years of history.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know how I enjoy getting into the details of a single Hebrew word or even a particular letter. And there are amazing things in the scripture to be discovered at the “microscopic” level. They are insights you’d never know about just from reading.

BUT…

There are also things you can only see from a 30,000 foot view. There are patterns on such a grand scale across the entire Bible that you will not quite perceive from normal reading either. You have to read then summarize and condense. Themes emerge but only if you see the whole big picture.

Let’s play a little game.

😄 Ooo! I love games! What are we playing?

I have 4 pictures below. Guess the objects.

The answers are after the 4th picture so if you don’t want to know til you’ve guessed, scroll slowly…

Ready for the answers?

1. Butterfly wing
2. Dish scrubber
3. Styrofoam
4. Grain of white sugar

My point – besides showing how much styrofoam looks like Mozzarella pearls – is that you can get so close up on something that it’s difficult to perceive what you’re looking at. It’s the same for scripture. So we should always balance our deep dives with broad reading. The broad context helps us understand and appreciate what we’re seeing when we get a single word under the microscope.

🙂 That was fun. But what does it have to do with Psalm 78?

Psalm 78 is the big view; the context.

😌 Oh…Well, it starts off like Paul Revere’s Ride.

Paul Revere’s Ride? Like, “One if by land, two if by sea?”

😌 No. The poem… “Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere…” That’s kinda how it starts. See?

“Listen, my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will tell riddles of old.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Wait. Did you just copy and paste verses into my blog?

😲 (Gasp!) I did, didn’t I! Wow. Didn’t know I could do that.

Don’t get used to it. I think I’ll get back in the driver’s seat, thank you.

😏 Jesus take the wheeeeeeeeel….

Alright. That’s enough. Another word and you’re going to the corner.

🤭

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OUTLINE

Disclaimer: This is MY idea of an outline. It was not handed to me on Sinai. There are generally multiple ways to outline a passage. If you find this helpful, great. If not, no biggie. Feel free to outline as you see fit.

Verses 1-8, The Overview

The opening gives the rationale behind this psalm. It’s rather like an Abstract in an academic research paper that summarizes the purpose and methodology of the study.

It basically says:

• God gave His Law
• We’re supposed to learn it and do it
• Then teach it to the next generation
• So that we won’t sin

Verses 9-12, The Problem

This segment seems to be the catalyst. When it says “Ephraim” here it’s not talking about the specific tribe of Ephraim only. Ephraim in this context is shorthand for all of Israel. More often the scripture will use the names “Jacob” or the name Jacob was given later: “Israel” to refer to the whole nation. Once the kingdom splits it’s more common to see “Judah” used for the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin and “Ephraim” used to mean the whole northern kingdom of 10 tribes.

This section highlights the problem: Israel has fled before its enemies. And the reason for this is because:

1. They did not keep God’s Covenant
2. They forgot His miracles

So Asaph is going to remedy that right now. He sets a history lesson to music.

Verses 13-31, History Lesson 1: Exodus

This section begins with the parting of the Red Sea, mentions the pillars of cloud and fire, but focuses on the many miraculous provisions of food and water in the desert prior to Israel arriving at the Promised Land.

Verses 32-39, History Lesson 2: 40 Years

With just a few lines, Asaph summarizes 40 years of history. The people arrive in Canaan but… giants. And they “refused to trust” the Lord – which was sin. And so the Lord sends them back into the wilderness.

This section wobbles back and forth just like the history of Israel.

• They refused to trust
• They start dying and decide to trust
• They repented and remembered God
• But… they weren’t really sincere
• But… God was merciful and forgave
• But… they still died because… mortal

Verses 40-42, Summary Reflection

These verses feel like Asaph is his hanging his head and shaking it slowly. There is a list of 4 ways Israel effected God’s heart.

1. They rebelled
2. They grieved His heart
3. They tested His patience
4. They provoked Him

And how did that happen?

“They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭42‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Seems like we would do well to remember what the Lord has done. The Holy Spirit keeps highlighting the relationship between a lack of remembering and a lack of trust.

The next section is a remembering – even the details – of how Yahweh miraculously brought this nation out of slavery.

Verses 43-55, History Lesson 3: The Plagues and Conquest

In just a few verses, Asaph summarizes nearly all of Exodus and Joshua. Every single verse is a statement of what God did. It wasn’t coincidence. It wasn’t some other god. And it surely wasn’t THEM. Through the inspired prophet, Yahweh is reminding his people 400 years after the fact, that HE was the one that accomplished these things for them.

Sometimes we can get impatient with Israel. Like, “What’s with you people! How can you forget God!” Let’s not be so quick to cast the first stone. The events of the Exodus were as far back in time from Asaph and the people of that day as the following events are to us:

• Isaac Newton trying to figure out gravity (late 1600s – early 1700s)
• Earliest settlers enter the French territory known as Louisiana (1699)
• America is only a collection of 13 British colonies. (1700)
• Johann Sabastian Bach publishes his first concerto (1704)
• Benjamin Franklin is born (1709)

Those names and places and times feel rather disconnected from us. We don’t sail in wooden sailing ships, wear white wigs and breeches, or fight wars with muskets. You don’t hear of men dueling with rapiers at dawn to settle affairs of honor. But all those things were normal 400 years ago. Books were expensive. Clothes were all hand-sewn. The fastest travel was on horseback.

How many of us can name our ancestors from 4 centuries ago? That’s how far back Asaph is reaching to remind them of their foundation, their laws, and the miraculous events that led to their founding. Do we even understand the culture and values of the people of that time? How have we drifted from many of those earlier values? See? We’re not so different from Israel after all.

Verses 56-64, History Lesson 4: The Judges

It’s not been that long since we read through the book of Judges (if you’ve been reading along). There was a LOT of apostasy that happened in that period. The people got into idolatry until the Lord would hand them over to an oppressive nation.

This portion is interesting and helpful because it casts the event at the end of Judges where the Ark is captured as God “abandoning His dwelling at Shiloh.” That wasn’t an accident. The Lord allowed His ark to be captured. And it was because the people (by and large) were unfaithful.

Verses 65-72, But God…

Thank heavens for “but God…” The Lord came roaring back with the choosing of David and Jerusalem. He drives out the enemies and is setting things to rights.

Oh – yeah – that detail about “Mount Zion” tells us that Asaph is probably writing this in Jerusalem in the Fort of King David at Davd’s Tabernacle. It is very likely that as he is composing and singing this psalm, he is standing before that very ark that was captured then restored. He is looking upon the veiled-in-blue throne of this Almighty God who has done all these things. How could you not be in His presence and remember all He has done?