78:1-4 The Psalmist uses this Psalm as an opportunity to perpetuate God's reputation as a faithful Father. Having personally experienced the strength of God and His wonderful works, promises kept, the Psalmist teaches us the character of our God. Once we know God, it is natural and easy for us to love Him. When we come to love God, we begin to trust God. Our whole lives change when that happens.
78:5 In Genesis, we read of the beginning of God's relationship with humanity through Abraham's family. He chose a small and humble people to teach His way to, that their lives with God might draw all others in. Abraham had Issac and Issac had Jacob; Jacob became a father to twelve sons. Each of those twelve sons became tribes of Israel, the name God gave Jacob.
78:6-8 The children of the tribes of Israel were taught of God's commandments, statutes and judgement from birth. They were raised in the way of God, rather than the way of the world. God promised that if the tribes would adhere to His philosophy of righteousness, their lives would prosper.
78:9-11 But the children of Israel were not steadfastly faithful to their covenant with God. They rejected His teaching and neglected His presence. They forgot Him and became like the world at that time: selfish, arrogant, greedy, violent.
78:12-16 Yet God remained faithful; He continued to perform rescue missions and miracles all for their benefit. He led and covered them. He provided for and planned for them. He rewrote their story of oppression to one of freedom and victory.
78:17-20 But still the people forgot God. They did not remain grateful. They did not acknowledge God. They doubted Him.
78:21-25 Their negligence hurt God; still He provided. Manna from the heavens, when they had no food. Comfort from His own heart when they had none.
78:26-31 He continued to provide for their needs: food and safety. He also attended to their desires; for God cares about our joy. But they were ungrateful, unfaithful, and disobedient. They began to corrode their covenant with God.
78:32-33 Sin, futility and fear filled their lives because of their unrighteous behavior. God teaches us the way of righteousness so that we are innocent, productive and brave. He wants us to rise to our potential and fulfill the great purpose He chose for us. A life of unrighteousness always leads to that which depletes us.
78:34-39 Although God remained steadfastly faithful, the people's faith ebbed and flowed. They were faithful and they were not. They repented and then they sinned. The listened and then they ignored. God's compassionate heart loved them anyway. God was merciful, as He still is, and forgave because of our weaknesses.
78:40-51 God was faithful, compassionate and merciful and His people continued to break His heart. This ancient Psalm is still relevant today. Humans continue to provoke God to anger, and limit Him in their minds with doubt.
These verses reiterate the story of Exodus; God arranged for the children of Israel's freedom. He displayed His power and established Himself as God.
78:52-55 God frees His children, as He did in the time of Exodus, and then He leads us home. To Him. To righteousness. To peace and joy. We are like sheep, dependent and humble, and He is our wise and nurturing Shepherd. We are never lost or alone. He drives our enemies away while we guides and teaches and loves us.
78:56-64 The children of Israel's behavior continued to descend into wickedness and God decided that only discipline would restore them. They had wasted and abused their freedom; they had resold themselves to sin. They became slaves once again to their own desires and to wickedness.
Their return to captive humbled them; their children were born into captivity and thus their arrogance was pulled out of them as generations in captivity passed. They had to start new; once freed, they could resume their covenant with God with new commitment.
It is better if we remain faithful to God, but if not, it is crucial that we make and stick to, new commitments. God is faithful and merciful; He continues to accept and claim and love us. His discipline is meant to instruct us, better us, clear our eyes so that we can see that path we are meant to be on. The path He designed for us.
78:65-66 God is always capable of defeating our enemies. The children of Israel were not in captivity because they were conquered. They were in captivity because God decided they needed discipline. God allowed them to be taken captive, as they had willingly sold themselves as slave to sin.
God is able to free us. Over and over again if we need it. Once and for all if we are faithful. The only enemy we need to worry about is faithlessness because when we are unrighteous, we render ourselves vulnerable to sin and wickedness. But as faithful children, we have the full and impenetrable protection of our Father.
78:67-71 God reestablished His covenant with His children and chose David as their leader on earth. He chose a young and humble boy and raised Him to be a wise and faithful man. God fitted David for leadership because David was continually faithful. He always listened and learned and valued God's advice and instruction.
78:72 God raises us, His children to have integrity of heart. He raises us to be skillful guides, to help Him protect His flock. We learn those lessons from Him when we have attentive and kind hearts. We must be receptive to the instruction of our Father.
