Psalm 78
78
Tell the Coming Generation
A Maskil#78:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of #Ps. 50, title Asaph.
1 # [Isa. 51:4]; See Ps. 49:1; 50:7 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 # Cited Matt. 13:35; See Ps. 49:4 I will open my mouth #[Num. 21:27]in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3things that we have heard and known,
that our #See Ps. 44:1fathers have told us.
4We will not #Job 15:18 hide them from their children,
but #[Ex. 12:26, 27; 13:8, 14; Deut. 11:19; Josh. 4:6, 7; Joel 1:3] tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and #ver. 11, 32the wonders that he has done.
5He established #Ps. 19:7; [Ps. 81:5] a testimony in #Ps. 147:19Jacob
and appointed a law in #Ps. 147:19Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6that #ver. 4; Ps. 102:18the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget #Ps. 77:12 the works of God,
but #Ps. 105:45keep his commandments;
8and that they should not be #2 Kgs. 17:14; 2 Chr. 30:7; Ezek. 20:18 like their fathers,
#
Ex. 32:9; 33:3; Deut. 9:7, 24; 31:27; Jer. 5:23 a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation #ver. 37; Job 11:13whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9The Ephraimites, armed with#78:9 Hebrew armed and shooting the bow,
# ver. 57 turned back on the day of battle.
10They #[2 Kgs. 17:15]did not keep God’s covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.
11They #See Ps. 106:13 forgot his works
and #ver. 4the wonders that he had shown them.
12In the sight of their fathers #ver. 43; See Ex. 7-12; Ps. 72:18 he performed wonders
in the land of Egypt, in #ver. 43; Num. 13:22; Isa. 19:11, 13; Ezek. 30:14the fields of Zoan.
13He #Ps. 136:13; Ex. 14:21 divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters #Ex. 15:8stand like a heap.
14 # See Ps. 105:39 In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a fiery light.
15He #ver. 20; Ps. 105:41; 114:8; Ex. 17:6; Isa. 48:21split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16He made streams come out of #Num. 20:8, 10, 11the rock
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17Yet they sinned still more against him,
# ver. 40, 56; Deut. 9:22; Isa. 63:10 rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18They #ver. 41, 56; Ps. 95:9; 106:14; Deut. 6:16; 1 Cor. 10:9tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19They spoke against God, saying,
# [Ex. 16:3; Num. 11:4; 20:3; 21:5] “Can God #See Ps. 23:5spread a table in the wilderness?
20 # ver. 15, 16 He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?”
21Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
#
Num. 11:1
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
22because they #ver. 8, 32, 37did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.
23Yet he commanded the skies above
and #Gen. 7:11; [Mal. 3:10]opened the doors of heaven,
24and he #Ex. 16:4 rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them #Ps. 105:40; [John 6:31]the grain of heaven.
25Man ate of the bread of #Ps. 103:20 the angels;
he sent them food #[ver. 29]in abundance.
26He #Num. 11:31caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27he rained meat on them like #[Gen. 13:16] dust,
winged birds like #[Gen. 22:17]the sand of the seas;
28he #Ex. 16:13; Num. 11:31let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29And they #Num. 11:19, 20 ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they #Num. 11:4, 34craved.
30But before they had satisfied their craving,
#
Num. 11:33; [Job 20:23] while the food was still in their mouths,
31the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed #Isa. 10:16 the strongest of them
and laid low #ver. 63the young men of Israel.
32In spite of all this, they #See Num. 14; 16; 17 still sinned;
# ver. 22; Num. 14:11 despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33So he made #Num. 14:29, 35; 26:64, 65 their days #Ps. 39:5vanish like#78:33 Hebrew in a breath,#78:33 Or vapor
and their years in terror.
34When he killed them, they #Hos. 5:15sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35They remembered that God was their #Deut. 32:4, 15, 31 rock,
the Most High God their #Ex. 15:13; See Ps. 74:2redeemer.
36But they #Isa. 29:13; Ezek. 33:31 flattered him with their mouths;
they #Isa. 57:11lied to him with their tongues.
37Their #ver. 8 heart was not #Ps. 51:10steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38Yet he, being #Ex. 34:6 compassionate,
#
Num. 14:20
atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39He #[Ps. 103:14; Job 10:9] remembered that they were but #Gen. 6:3 flesh,
#
Job 7:7
a wind that passes and comes not again.
40How often they #ver. 17, 56; Ps. 107:11 rebelled against him in the wilderness
and #[Eph. 4:30] grieved him in #Ps. 106:14the desert!
41They #See ver. 18 tested God again and again
and provoked #See Ps. 71:22the Holy One of Israel.
42They #Judg. 8:34did not remember his power#78:42 Hebrew hand
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
43 # For ver. 43-51, see Ps. 105:27-36 when he performed his #Ex. 7:3; [Ps. 106:22]; Acts 7:36 signs in Egypt
and his #Ex. 4:21; 11:9, 10 marvels in #See ver. 12the fields of Zoan.
44He #See Ex. 7:17-24turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45He sent among them swarms of #See Ex. 8:21-24 flies, which devoured them,
and #See Ex. 8:2-14frogs, which destroyed them.
46He gave their crops to #See Ex. 10:12-15the destroying locust
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47He destroyed their vines with #See Ex. 9:23-25hail
and their sycamores with frost.
48He gave over their #See Ex. 9:19-21cattle to the hail
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49He let loose on them his burning anger,
wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of #Ex. 12:13, 23; [2 Sam. 24:16]destroying angels.
50He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
51He struck down every #Ex. 12:29; [Ps. 105:36; 135:8; 136:10] firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of #Ps. 105:23, 27; 106:22Ham.
52Then he led out his people #See Ps. 77:20like sheep
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 # [Ex. 14:19, 20] He led them in safety, so that they #[Ex. 14:13] were not afraid,
but #Ex. 14:27, 28; 15:10the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54And he brought them to his #Ex. 15:17 holy land,
#
Isa. 11:9; 57:13; [Ps. 68:16] to the mountain which his right hand had #Ps. 74:2won.
55He #See Ps. 44:2 drove out nations before them;
he #Josh. 23:4; [Ps. 135:12; 136:21, 22; Acts 13:19]apportioned them for a possession
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56Yet they #ver. 18; Judg. 2:11, 12 tested and #ver. 40rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies,
57but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
they twisted like #Hos. 7:16; [ver. 9]a deceitful bow.
58For they #Deut. 31:29 provoked him to anger with their #Lev. 26:30; Deut. 12:2; 1 Kgs. 11:7; 12:31; Ezek. 20:28 high places;
they #Num. 25:11; Deut. 32:16, 21; Judg. 2:12 moved him to jealousy with their #Deut. 7:5, 25; 12:3idols.
59When God heard, he was full of #ver. 62; Ps. 106:40; Deut. 3:26wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60He #1 Sam. 4:11; Jer. 7:12, 14; 26:6 forsook his dwelling at #Josh. 18:1Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61and delivered his #Ps. 132:8; [Ps. 63:2; 96:6] power to captivity,
his #[1 Sam. 4:21]glory to the hand of the foe.
62He #[1 Sam. 4:10] gave his people over to the sword
and #ver. 59vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 # [Ps. 79:5; 89:46] Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no #[Jer. 7:34]marriage song.
64Their #1 Sam. 4:11 priests fell by the sword,
and their #Job 27:15widows made no lamentation.
65Then the Lord #Ps. 73:20; See Ps. 35:23awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66And he #[Ps. 40:14]put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67He rejected the tent of #Ps. 80:1; 81:5Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he #Ps. 87:2loves.
69He #See 1 Kgs. 6built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70He #1 Sam. 16:12, 13chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71from #2 Sam. 7:8 following the nursing ewes he brought him
to #2 Sam. 5:2; [Ps. 28:9] shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his #1 Sam. 10:1inheritance.
72With #Ps. 101:2; 1 Kgs. 9:4 upright heart he shepherded them
and #[Ps. 77:20]guided them with his skillful hand.
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Psalm 78
78
Psalm 78
A maskil of Asaph.
1My people, listen to my teaching.
Pay attention to what I say.
2I will open my mouth and tell a story.
I will speak about things that were hidden.
They happened a long time ago.
3We have heard about them and we know them.
Our people who lived before us have told us about them.
4We won’t hide them from our children.
We will tell them to those who live after us.
We will tell them what the Lord has done that is worthy of praise.
We will talk about his power and the wonderful things he has done.
5He gave laws to the people of Jacob.
He gave Israel their law.
He commanded our people who lived before us
to teach his laws to their children.
6Then those born later would know his laws.
Even their children yet to come would know them.
And they in turn would tell their children.
7Then they would put their trust in God.
They would not forget what he had done.
They would obey his commands.
8They would not be like their people who lived long ago.
Those people were stubborn. They refused to obey God.
They turned away from him.
Their spirits were not faithful to him.
9The soldiers of Ephraim were armed with bows.
But they ran away on the day of battle.
10They didn’t keep the covenant God had made with them.
They refused to live by his law.
11They forgot what he had done.
They didn’t remember the wonders he had shown them.
12He did miracles right in front of their people who lived long ago.
At that time they were living in Egypt, in the area of Zoan.
13God parted the Red Sea and led them through it.
He made the water stand up like a wall.
14He guided them with the cloud during the day.
He led them with the light of a fire all night long.
15He broke the rocks open in the desert.
He gave them as much water as there is in the oceans.
16He brought streams out of a rocky cliff.
He made water flow down like rivers.
17But they continued to sin against him.
In the desert they refused to obey the Most High God.
18They were stubborn and tested God.
They ordered him to give them the food they wanted.
19They spoke against God. They said,
“Can God really put food on a table in the desert?
20It is true that he struck the rock, and streams of water poured out.
Huge amounts of water flowed down.
But can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
21When the Lord heard what they said, he was very angry.
His anger broke out like fire against the people of Jacob.
He became very angry with Israel.
22That was because they didn’t believe in God.
They didn’t trust in his power to save them.
23But he gave a command to the skies above.
He opened the doors of the heavens.
24He rained down manna for the people to eat.
He gave them the grain of heaven.
25Mere human beings ate the bread of angels.
He sent them all the food they could eat.
26He made the east wind blow from the heavens.
By his power he caused the south wind to blow.
27He rained down meat on them like dust.
He sent them birds like sand on the seashore.
28He made the birds come down inside their camp.
The birds fell all around their tents.
29People ate until they couldn’t eat any more.
He gave them what they had wanted.
30But even before they had finished eating, God acted.
He did it while the food was still in their mouths.
31His anger rose up against them.
He put to death the strongest among them.
He struck down Israel’s young men.
32But even after all that, they kept on sinning.
Even after the wonderful things he had done, they still didn’t believe.
33So he brought their days to an end like a puff of smoke.
He ended their years with terror.
34Every time God killed some of them, the others would seek him.
They gladly turned back to him again.
35They remembered that God was their Rock.
They remembered that God Most High had set them free.
36But they didn’t mean it when they praised him.
They lied to him when they spoke.
37They turned away from him.
They weren’t faithful to the covenant he had made with them.
38But he was full of tender love.
He forgave their sins
and didn’t destroy his people.
Time after time he held back his anger.
He didn’t let all his burning anger blaze out.
39He remembered that they were only human.
He remembered they were only a breath of air
that drifts by and doesn’t return.
40How often they refused to obey him in the desert!
How often they caused him sorrow in that dry and empty land!
41Again and again they tested God.
They made the Holy One of Israel sad and angry.
42They didn’t remember his power.
They forgot the day he set them free
from those who had treated them so badly.
43They forgot how he had shown them his signs in Egypt.
They forgot his miracles in the area of Zoan.
44He turned the river of Egypt into blood.
The people of Egypt couldn’t drink water from their streams.
45He sent large numbers of flies that bit them.
He sent frogs that destroyed their land.
46He gave their crops to the grasshoppers.
He gave their food to the locusts.
47He destroyed their vines with hail.
He destroyed their fig trees with sleet.
48He killed their cattle with hail.
Their livestock were struck by lightning.
49Because he was so angry with Egypt, he caused them to have great trouble.
In his great anger he sent destroying angels against them.
50God prepared a path for his anger.
He didn’t spare their lives.
He gave them over to the plague.
51He killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
He struck down the oldest son in every house in the land of Ham.
52But he brought his people out like a flock.
He led them like sheep through the desert.
53He guided them safely, and they weren’t afraid.
But the Red Sea swallowed up their enemies.
54And so he brought his people to the border of his holy land.
He led them to the central hill country he had taken by his power.
55He drove out the nations to make room for his people.
He gave to each family a piece of land to pass on to their children.
He gave the tribes of Israel a place to make their homes.
56But they tested God.
They refused to obey the Most High God.
They didn’t keep his laws.
57They were like their people who lived long ago.
They turned away from him and were not faithful.
They were like a bow that doesn’t shoot straight.
They couldn’t be trusted.
58They made God angry by going to their high places.
They made him jealous by worshiping the statues of their gods.
59When God saw what the people were doing, he was very angry.
He turned away from them completely.
60He deserted the holy tent at Shiloh.
He left the tent he had set up among his people.
61He allowed the ark to be captured.
Into the hands of his enemies he sent the ark where his glory rested.
62He let his people be killed by swords.
He was very angry with them.
63Fire destroyed their young men.
Their young women had no one to marry.
64Their priests were killed by swords.
Their widows weren’t able to weep.
65Then the Lord woke up as if he had been sleeping.
He was like a warrior waking up from the deep sleep caused by wine.
66He drove back his enemies.
He put them to shame that will last forever.
67He turned his back on the tents of the people of Joseph.
He didn’t choose to live in the tribe of Ephraim.
68Instead, he chose to live in the tribe of Judah.
He chose Mount Zion, which he loved.
69There he built his holy place as secure as the heavens.
He built it to last forever, like the earth.
70He chose his servant David.
He took him from the sheep pens.
71He brought him from tending sheep
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob.
He made him the shepherd of Israel, his special people.
72David cared for them with a faithful and honest heart.
With skilled hands he led them.
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