Psalm 78

Psalm 78, Learning from God’s Faithfulness to His Rebellious People

Psalm 78 is titled “Maschil of Asaph,” meaning a contemplation or instruction of Asaph. Asaph was the great singer and musician connected with Israel’s worship during the days of David and Solomon. 1 Chronicles 15:17, “So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah, and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah.” 1 Chronicles 15:18, “And with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, the porters.” 1 Chronicles 15:19, “So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of brass.” 1 Chronicles 16:5, “Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps, but Asaph made a sound with cymbals.” 1 Chronicles 16:6, “Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.” 1 Chronicles 16:7, “Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.”

Asaph’s ministry was prophetic in its musical function. 1 Chronicles 25:1, “Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals, and the number of the workmen according to their service was.” 2 Chronicles 29:30, “Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.”

Psalm 78 is the longest of the historical psalms. Its great burden is that history must not be wasted. Israel must remember what God has done, teach it to the next generation, and avoid repeating the unbelief, rebellion, forgetfulness, and idolatry of their fathers. The psalm is brutally honest about Israel’s failure, yet it is also full of God’s patience, mercy, discipline, provision, covenant faithfulness, and sovereign choice. It does not flatter God’s people. It tells the truth so that future generations may set their hope in God and not forget His works.

A. Introduction, Learning from the Past and Teaching for the Future

Psalm 78:1 through Psalm 78:4, Gaining the Attention of the People of God

Psalm 78:1, “Give ear, O my people, to my law, incline your ears to the words of my mouth.”

Psalm 78:2, “I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old.”

Psalm 78:3, “Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.”

Psalm 78:4, “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”

Psalm 78 begins as instruction. Asaph calls the people to listen, “Give ear, O my people, to my law.” This is not casual advice. It is covenant instruction. The people must incline their ears, meaning they must listen as disciples, with humility, seriousness, and readiness to obey. Careless hearing will not do. A man who listens only to criticize, mock, pass time, or confirm his own opinions is not listening in the biblical sense.

Asaph says, “I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old.” The word translated “parable” refers to instruction by comparison, wisdom, proverb, or carefully framed teaching. “Dark sayings” does not mean mystical secrets available only to a spiritual elite. It refers to truths that require thoughtful consideration. Israel’s history is not merely a record of events. It is a moral and theological lesson.

Matthew connects Psalm 78:2 to the teaching ministry of Jesus. Matthew 13:34, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spake he not unto them.” Matthew 13:35, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” This shows that biblical history, wisdom, and parable all find their highest fulfillment in Christ, the supreme Teacher.

Asaph says these things were “heard and known” and handed down by the fathers. He is not inventing new doctrine. He is preserving received truth. The people of God are always responsible to receive the truth faithfully and transmit it faithfully. He then says, “We will not hide them from their children.” Parents and leaders must not hide God’s works from the next generation through silence, laziness, distraction, or unbelief.

The content to be passed down includes “the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.” The next generation must learn that God is worthy of praise, that His strength is supreme, and that His works in history are wonderful. Christian parents, pastors, teachers, and churches must still do this. Children need more than morality. They need the story of God’s mighty works, His creation, His judgment, His redemption, His providence, His covenant faithfulness, His Son, His cross, His resurrection, and His coming kingdom.

History must be taught as the record of God’s works. The psalm is not centered on Israel’s greatness. It is centered on God’s greatness despite Israel’s repeated failure. Those who forget God’s works are sure to fail in their own.

Psalm 78:5 through Psalm 78:8, Teaching One Generation to Avoid the Errors of Previous Generations

Psalm 78:5, “For 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.”

Psalm 78:6, “That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children.”

Psalm 78:7, “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”

Psalm 78:8, “And 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.”

God established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. One of God’s greatest gifts to Israel was His Word. Paul later said that this was one of Israel’s chief privileges. Romans 3:1, “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?” Romans 3:2, “Much every way, chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”

God did not give His Word to Israel so that one generation would possess it and let it die. He commanded the fathers to make it known to their children. This was already commanded in the law. Deuteronomy 6:6, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” Deuteronomy 6:7, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:8, “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.” Deuteronomy 6:9, “And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

The chain of instruction is generational. The fathers teach the children, those children arise and declare the truth to their children, and the testimony of God continues. A generation that refuses to teach its children is not neutral. It is disobedient. Scripture has no room for parental neutrality in the things of God.

The purpose is clear, “That they might set their hope in God.” The goal of biblical instruction is not merely information. It is faith. Children must learn to hope in God for themselves. They must not merely inherit religious vocabulary. They must know the works of God, remember them, and keep His commandments.

The warning is equally clear. They must not be like their fathers, “a stubborn and rebellious generation.” Their fathers had been given light, miracles, covenant, law, provision, protection, and warning, yet they refused steadfast obedience. The issue was the heart. They “set not their heart aright,” and their spirit was not faithful to God. External religion without a faithful heart will not preserve a people.

Psalm 78:9 through Psalm 78:11, Preview and Overview, Losing the Spiritual Battle

Psalm 78:9, “The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.”

Psalm 78:10, “They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law.”

Psalm 78:11, “And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.”

Ephraim was one of the larger tribes of Israel and often became symbolic of the northern kingdom’s backsliding and apostasy. The reference may not point to one specific military defeat, but to Israel’s broader spiritual failure. They were armed and carrying bows, yet turned back in the day of battle. They had equipment but lacked faithfulness.

This is a strong picture of spiritual defeat. God gives His people resources for battle, but they must use them. The New Testament teaches the believer to take up the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:13, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Israel turned back because they did not keep God’s covenant, refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works. Forgetfulness was not merely mental. They remembered the facts historically, but forgot them practically. They did not trust, obey, love, or serve the God whose power and goodness they had seen.

Many believers are defeated the same way. Some turn back before the battle begins. Some turn back as soon as resistance appears. Some turn back after the first wound. Some turn back when the battle becomes long. The warning is plain, available weapons do not help the man who refuses to use them.

B. Stubborn, Rebellious Israel in the Exodus from Egypt

Psalm 78:12 through Psalm 78:16, God Brought Israel Out of Egypt, Through the Sea, and Gave Water in the Wilderness

Psalm 78:12, “Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.”

Psalm 78:13, “He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through, and he made the waters to stand as an heap.”

Psalm 78:14, “In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.”

Psalm 78:15, “He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.”

Psalm 78:16, “He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.”

Asaph begins recounting the exodus. God did marvelous things in Egypt, in the field of Zoan. Zoan was a major city in the northeastern Nile Delta, associated with Egypt’s power. God demonstrated His superiority in the very land of Israel’s bondage.

God divided the sea and caused Israel to pass through. Exodus 14:21, “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.” Exodus 14:22, “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”

God then led them by the cloud in the day and the fire by night. Exodus 40:36, “And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys.” Exodus 40:37, “But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.” Exodus 40:38, “For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” The cloud shaded, guided, and assured them. The fire gave light and testified that God was present even in the darkness.

God also gave water in the wilderness. He split the rocks and gave them drink in abundance. This happened more than once, including at Rephidim and Kadesh. Exodus 17:6, “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Numbers 20:11, “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice, and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

The point is plain. God delivered, guided, protected, and supplied. He did not merely bring Israel out of Egypt and leave them to die. He shepherded them through impossible circumstances.

Psalm 78:17 through Psalm 78:20, Israel’s Stubborn, Rebellious Response to God’s Wonderful Works

Psalm 78:17, “And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.”

Psalm 78:18, “And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.”

Psalm 78:19, “Yea, they spake against God, they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?”

Psalm 78:20, “Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed, can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?”

Despite all God had done, Israel “sinned yet more.” This is the tragedy of unbelief. Blessing did not soften them. Miracles did not cure them. Deliverance did not make them faithful. They provoked the Most High in the wilderness.

They tested God in their hearts by asking meat for their lust. Hunger itself was not sin. The sin was demanding according to lust, despising God’s provision, and doubting God’s care. God had given them manna, but they wanted the food of their fancy. Numbers 11:4, “And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting, and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?” Numbers 11:5, “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.” Numbers 11:6, “But now our soul is dried away, there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”

Their question was a direct insult to God, “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” They had seen the sea divided, the cloud and fire, water from the rock, and yet they questioned whether God could provide bread and meat. The words were wrongly placed. The believer must not say, “Can God?” as though God’s power is doubtful. The believer should say, “God can.”

Their unbelief was irrational because the evidence of God’s power was already before them. They asked whether He could give bread while standing in the history of the Red Sea and drinking water from the rock. This is the sin of forgetting God’s past faithfulness when facing present need.

Psalm 78:21 through Psalm 78:25, God’s Anger with the Unbelief and Mistrust of Israel

Psalm 78:21, “Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth, so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel.”

Psalm 78:22, “Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.”

Psalm 78:23, “Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven.”

Psalm 78:24, “And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.”

Psalm 78:25, “Man did eat angels’ food, he sent them meat to the full.”

God heard Israel’s unbelieving words and was angry. Their complaint came into His ears. This matters because many treat ingratitude, testing God, and doubting His power as small sins. God did not. Their unbelief insulted Him.

Verse 22 identifies the root, “Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.” Unbelief and mistrust were central offenses. They did not trust God’s power, goodness, care, or salvation. The issue was not merely that they wanted meat. The issue was that they doubted God.

Yet their unbelief stood against the background of God’s generosity. He had commanded the clouds above, opened the doors of heaven, rained down manna, and given them the corn of heaven. Manna was not ordinary food. It was supernatural provision from God. Exodus 16:14, “And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.” Exodus 16:15, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna, for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.”

Asaph calls it “angels’ food.” This does not mean angels need food as men do, but that the food was heavenly in origin and excellent in quality. They ate to the full, yet complained. The sin was not lack of provision. The sin was lack of trust.

John 6 shows that people in Jesus’ day repeated the same spirit when they sought miraculous bread from Him without receiving Him as the true bread from heaven. John 6:31, “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” John 6:32, “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.” John 6:33, “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” John 6:35, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Psalm 78:26 through Psalm 78:31, The Sending of Fowl for Meat

Psalm 78:26, “He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven, and by his power he brought in the south wind.”

Psalm 78:27, “He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.”

Psalm 78:28, “And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.”

Psalm 78:29, “So they did eat, and were well filled, for he gave them their own desire.”

Psalm 78:30, “They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,”

Psalm 78:31, “The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.”

God answered their demand by sending quail. Numbers 11:31, “And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.” God brought the east and south wind and rained flesh upon them like dust.

They ate and were filled because God gave them their own desire. That line is sobering. Sometimes the worst judgment is for God to give a rebellious people exactly what they demand. Their craving was not holy hunger. It was self willed lust. God gave them what they wanted, and it exposed them.

While the meat was still in their mouths, judgment came. Numbers 11:33, “And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.” Lust fulfilled did not satisfy. It brought death. There is more true satisfaction in mortifying sinful desire than in feeding it.

Psalm 78:32 through Psalm 78:39, A Merciful Response to Great Sin

Psalm 78:32, “For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.”

Psalm 78:33, “Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.”

Psalm 78:34, “When he slew them, then they sought him, and they returned and enquired early after God.”

Psalm 78:35, “And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.”

Psalm 78:36, “Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.”

Psalm 78:37, “For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.”

Psalm 78:38, “But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not, yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.”

Psalm 78:39, “For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.”

Verse 32 is one of the saddest statements in the psalm, “For all this they sinned still.” After deliverance, provision, correction, manna, quail, and judgment, they still sinned. They did not believe God’s wondrous works. They did not learn from mercy or wrath.

God consumed their days in vanity and their years in trouble. The unbelieving wilderness generation came out of Egypt but did not enter Canaan. Numbers 14:22, “Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice.” Numbers 14:23, “Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it.” Numbers 14:24, “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went, and his seed shall possess it.”

When God slew them, they sought Him. Affliction made them religious, but often only superficially. They remembered that God was their rock and redeemer, yet flattered Him with their mouth and lied with their tongues. Their words sounded right, but their hearts were not steadfast. Mouth worship without heart faithfulness is detestable to God.

Then comes the great mercy of God, “But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not.” God had every right to destroy them, but many times He turned His anger away. He did not stir up all His wrath. This is the patience of God. Though not mentioned directly in the psalm, the historical record shows Moses interceding for the people, standing in the gap.

God also remembered that they were flesh, “a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” Their weakness did not excuse their sin, but it moved God’s compassion. It is gracious of God to make man’s frailty an argument for mercy.

Psalm 78:40 through Psalm 78:55, From Egypt to Canaan, Israel’s Failure to Remember the Power of God

Psalm 78:40, “How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!”

Psalm 78:41, “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”

Psalm 78:42, “They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.”

Psalm 78:43, “How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan.”

Psalm 78:44, “And had turned their rivers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drink.”

Psalm 78:45, “He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.”

Psalm 78:46, “He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.”

Psalm 78:47, “He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.”

Psalm 78:48, “He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.”

Psalm 78:49, “He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.”

Psalm 78:50, “He made a way to his anger, he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence.”

Psalm 78:51, “And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.”

Psalm 78:52, “But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.”

Psalm 78:53, “And he led them on safely, so that they feared not, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.”

Psalm 78:54, “And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.”

Psalm 78:55, “He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.”

Asaph returns again to Israel’s provocation in the wilderness. They grieved God in the desert and tempted Him repeatedly. Verse 41 says they “limited the Holy One of Israel.” In the absolute sense, no creature can limit the Creator. Yet when God chooses to work in connection with human faith and obedience, unbelief can hinder the blessing and work of God among His people. Matthew 13:58, “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

Their great failure was forgetfulness. They did not remember His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy. The exodus was the great Old Testament display of God’s saving power. In the New Testament, the supreme demonstration of God’s power is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Ephesians 1:19, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” Ephesians 1:20, “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

Asaph recounts the plagues of Egypt as signs and wonders in Zoan. God turned the rivers into blood, sent flies and frogs, gave crops to caterpillars and locusts, destroyed vines with hail, and gave cattle to hail and fiery thunderbolts. These plagues were not random. They displayed God’s supremacy over Egypt and its false gods. The Nile was judged. The creatures they revered became plagues. The sky, crops, cattle, and firstborn all came under the hand of the LORD.

The final plague was the death of the firstborn. Egypt refused to release God’s firstborn, Israel. Exodus 4:22, “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” Exodus 4:23, “And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me, and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.” God then struck Egypt’s firstborn. Exodus 12:29, “And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.” Exodus 12:30, “And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.”

Yet God made His own people go forth like sheep. He guided them like a flock, led them safely, overwhelmed their enemies in the sea, brought them to His holy border, drove out the nations before them, divided the land as an inheritance, and made Israel dwell in their tents. The contrast is striking. The wolves were judged. The sheep were gathered and led. God humbled the oppressors and delivered the oppressed.

C. Stubborn, Rebellious Israel in the Promised Land

Psalm 78:56 through Psalm 78:64, The Terrible Tragedy at Shiloh

Psalm 78:56, “Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.”

Psalm 78:57, “But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers, they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.”

Psalm 78:58, “For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.”

Psalm 78:59, “When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel.”

Psalm 78:60, “So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men.”

Psalm 78:61, “And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.”

Psalm 78:62, “He gave his people over also unto the sword, and was wroth with his inheritance.”

Psalm 78:63, “The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not given to marriage.”

Psalm 78:64, “Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.”

Israel’s rebellion did not end when they entered the land. They still tested and provoked the Most High God and did not keep His testimonies. They turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers. They were like a deceitful bow, a weapon that appears useful but fails when needed. A crooked bow sends the arrow off target. Israel failed to fulfill the purpose for which God chose them.

In the wilderness, their characteristic sin was discontent. In Canaan, their characteristic sin became idolatry. They provoked God with high places and graven images. The very land whose idolaters Israel was supposed to judge became the place where Israel adopted idolatry. This moved God to jealousy because covenant love does not treat spiritual adultery lightly.

God heard and was angry. He greatly abhorred Israel and forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh. This refers to the tragedy recorded in 1 Samuel 4, when Israel tried to use the ark as a religious charm while living in disobedience. The Philistines defeated Israel, killed the priests Hophni and Phinehas, and captured the ark.

1 Samuel 4:10, “And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent, and there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.” 1 Samuel 4:11, “And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.”

Asaph says God delivered His strength into captivity and His glory into the enemy’s hand. This refers to the ark, the visible symbol of God’s covenant presence. When Eli’s daughter in law heard the news, she named her child Ichabod. 1 Samuel 4:20, “And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.” 1 Samuel 4:21, “And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel, because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.” 1 Samuel 4:22, “And she said, The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken.”

The losses were devastating. Young men were consumed. Maidens were not given in marriage because war had brought death and social devastation. Priests fell by the sword. Widows made no lamentation, either because grief was too overwhelming or death came so suddenly that normal mourning was shattered. This is what happens when a people presume upon holy things while refusing holy obedience.

Psalm 78:65 through Psalm 78:66, God’s Triumph After Shiloh

Psalm 78:65, “Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.”

Psalm 78:66, “And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts, he put them to a perpetual reproach.”

God appeared to have allowed His glory to be carried away, but He was not defeated. The psalm says, “Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep.” This does not mean God had literally been sleeping. It means that after a period in which God seemed inactive, He acted decisively.

The picture of a mighty man shouting by reason of wine is not an image of drunken weakness. It is the image of a warrior stirred and strengthened for battle. God rose against His enemies.

The story is found in 1 Samuel 5. The Philistines placed the ark in the temple of Dagon, but God humiliated their idol. 1 Samuel 5:2, “When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.” 1 Samuel 5:3, “And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.” 1 Samuel 5:4, “And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold, only the stump of Dagon was left to him.”

God also struck the Philistines with a shameful plague. 1 Samuel 5:6, “But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.”

God demonstrated that He could defend His own glory even when His people had failed to honor Him. Israel had neglected His glory, but God guarded it Himself. The enemies were put to perpetual reproach.

Psalm 78:67 through Psalm 78:72, The Hopeful Choice of Jerusalem and David

Psalm 78:67, “Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.”

Psalm 78:68, “But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.”

Psalm 78:69, “And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.”

Psalm 78:70, “He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.”

Psalm 78:71, “From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.”

Psalm 78:72, “So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.”

Psalm 78 ends with hope. God rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose Ephraim as the permanent center of worship. Instead, He chose Judah and Mount Zion, which He loved. There are new beginnings with God. Shiloh was abandoned, but Zion was chosen. Judgment did not mean the end of God’s covenant purposes.

God built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He established. His worship would be centered in Zion. This choice points forward to Jerusalem’s importance in redemptive history and ultimately to the Messiah who would come from Judah.

God also chose David His servant. David was an unlikely choice in human terms. He was taken from the sheepfolds, from following ewes great with young. He was a shepherd before he was king. This was not accidental. God trained David to lead people by having him care for sheep. The shepherd king was God’s chosen instrument to feed Jacob His people and Israel His inheritance.

David shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. This is a beautiful summary of godly leadership. Integrity of heart speaks of inward sincerity, faithfulness, and uprightness before God. Skillfulness of hands speaks of competence, wisdom, ability, and practiced leadership. Godly leadership requires both character and skill. Integrity without skill may be sincere but ineffective. Skill without integrity is dangerous.

Yet David himself was not the final shepherd. This points to David’s greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. David’s heart had real integrity, but Christ’s heart is perfect. David guided Israel with great skill, but Christ leads His people with flawless wisdom. Jesus is the final Shepherd King. John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” Hebrews 13:20, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” Hebrews 13:21, “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Psalm 78 therefore ends not with Israel’s failure, but with God’s faithful choice. Israel’s record is shameful, but God’s persistent goodness is hope. He teaches the next generation, judges unbelief, forgives in compassion, delivers by power, disciplines idolatry, defends His glory, chooses Zion, and raises up a shepherd king. The final hope is not in Israel’s faithfulness but in God’s faithfulness, fulfilled ultimately in Christ.