The Psalms of Asaph Lesson 5 Psalms 78, 80, and 81

The Psalms of Asaph Lesson 5 Psalms 78, 80, and 81 The primary background and theme for Asaph s Psalms 78, 80 and 81 are all the same. After the death of Solomon and before the invasion of the Egyptians, the nation was split in two (928 BC). These three Psalms were written about that time and dealt with what happened to the Northern Kingdom. The split itself was God s judgment on Solomon and his line and gave the kingship of the Northern Kingdom to Jeroboam and his line. However, once Jeroboam had the kingship he departed violently from God s will and law by setting up a rival temples, feasts, and priesthoods from that which was ordained by the Law of Moses. The story of the splitting of the Kingdom is related in 1 Kings: The LORD s Promise to Rehoboam 1 Kings 11:26-38 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah. Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph. About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon s hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon s father, did. But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes. I will take the kingdom from his son s hands and give you ten tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. I will humble David s 1 / 27

descendants because of this, but not forever. The Fulfillment of the Promise to Rehoboam 1 Kings 11:39-12:19 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon s death. As for the other events of Solomon s reign--all he did and the wisdom he displayed--are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king. Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you. Rehoboam answered, Go away for three days and then come back to me. So the people went away. Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. How would you advise me to answer these people? he asked. They replied, If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants. But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. He asked them, What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, Lighten the yoke your father put on us? The young men who had grown up with him replied, Tell these people who have said to you, Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter --tell them, My little finger is thicker than my father s waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions. Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, Come back to me in three days. The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men and said, My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions. So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse s son? To your tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David! So the Israelites went home. But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. So, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. The Apostasy of Jeroboam 2 / 27

Jeroboam had been specifically instructed by the LORD through Ahijah the prophet that Jerusalem was the place He had chosen for His name: 1 King 11:36 I (the LORD) will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. The Law of the LORD commanded that the offerings and the Feasts were only to be observed at one place: Deuteronomy 12:13-14 Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you. But Jeroboam decided to violate these express commands as the following verses record: 1 Kings 12:26-33 Jeroboam thought to himself, The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam. After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. [a] Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. One he set up in Bethel, [b] and the other in Dan. [c] And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there. Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. 3 / 27

2 Kings 17:21-23 When he (the LORD) tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. This apostasy is referred to in Psalms 78, 80, and 81. All three Psalms speak of Ephraim or Joseph as failing to live up to God s Covenant which Jeroboam did by setting up a Temple and worship completely apart from God s law. The Northern Kingdom was often described by the appellation Ephraim or Joseph since Ephraim was by far the most influential tribe in the Northern Kingdom, and the name Joseph refers to both Ephraim and Manasseh together, the two largest tribes of the Northern Kingdom. Psalms 78:9-10 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God s covenant and refused to live by his law. Psalms 78:67-69 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephrai m ; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary [d] like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. Psalms 80:1-2 Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Psalms 81:5 He established it as a statute for Joseph when he went out against Egypt, where we heard a language we did not understand. Psalm 78 4 / 27

A maskil of Asaph. This Psalm was written by Asaph, obviously after the partition of the Kingdom between Rehoboam (Solomon s son) and Jeroboam. It is called a maskil. The word maskil means instructing. The title denotes a song enforcing some lesson of wisdom or piety. In Psalm 78 Asaph appealed to the people, especially the people of Jeroboam, to remember God s faithfulness and not to abandon His Covenant (verse 10). The rival system of worshipping the LORD, which was invented by Jeroboam, was forever afterward described as the great sin of Jeroboam. [e] The Northern Kingdom never turned away from this great sin and it was the cause of their ultimate destruction. Psalms 78:1 O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. This was the voice of Asaph, inspired by the Holy Spirit, trying to remind the people of Israel the lessons they could learn from their history. Psalms 78:2-3 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old-- [f] what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. When he mentioned parables Asaph was talking about the spiritual lessons taught by many of the physical facts of the history of Israel. Most of the things mentioned were written down in the historical Books of Moses, Joshua, and Judges. Some had been handed down verbally. Psalms 78:4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He not only mentioned the importance of teaching the scriptures to each succeeding generation, but also the importance of handing down our personal testimonies to our children. Psalms 78:5-6 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he 5 / 27

commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. The same truths and scriptures and laws of worship were to be handed down to each generation. Psalms 78:7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. It was then each new generation s responsibility to follow the same laws. Psalms 78:8 They would not be like their forefathers-- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. The purpose was to provide a hope for each new generation that they would be faithful to God. So far, no generation had ever fully lived up to that hope. Psalms 78:9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; The territory of the tribe of Ephraim was where Jeroboam set up his capital (1 Kings 12:25). It was also his native tribe (Kings 11:26). The name Ephraim was often used as another name for the Northern Kingdom. It was the most prosperous and numerous of the northern tribes. The actions described here were a metaphor for their turning back from the spiritual battle with evil. Psalms 78:10 they did not keep God s covenant and refused to live by his law. This refers to the apostasy that Rehoboam led Ephraim into by departing from the worship 6 / 27

and priesthood prescribed by God s covenant and Law which we studied in the introduction. Psalms 78:11 They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. Jeroboam and his followers seemed to have disregarded the whole history of the LORD s dealings with Israel. Psalms 78:12 He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. Zoan (also called Tanis) was a major Egyptian city in the northeastern part of the Nile River Delta. It was part of the region where the Egyptians had lived, while the Israelites had lived in Goshen, to just to the east. It had been in the Egyptian regions that the LORD had sent the plagues recorded in Exodus. Psalms 78:13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. This describes how the LORD had divided the Red Sea and shepherded them through it as also described in Exodus 14:21-29. Psalms 78:14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. This is the story also told in Exodus 13: Exodus 13:21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 7 / 27

Psalms 78:15-16 He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers. The word rocks is plural because this happened twice. First it happened on the way to the real Mt. Sinai in Arabia at Horeb in Exodus 17:4-8. The second time it happened at Kedesh about 39 years later on their way into the land after forty years of wandering in Numbers 20:1-13. Psalms 78:17 But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. Throughout the forty years and even just before the LORD allowed them to cross the Jordan, they rebelled against Him. Psalms 78:18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, Can God spread a table in the desert? When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people? When the LORD heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. This records when the LORD first began to provide them with manna six mornings a week for forty years as recorded in Exodus 16:1-36. Psalms 78:26-31 He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power. He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore. He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved. But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths, God s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young 8 / 27

men of Israel. This records what occurred almost exactly a year later, after they had left Mt. Sinai and were on their way to the Promised Land with the LORD s blessing. At that time they complained about the manna and the LORD rained quail down on them. [g] This is described in Numbers 11:1-35. Psalms 78:32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. In spite of all of God s warnings, they never learned to trust in Him. This was in spite of miracle after miracle. Psalms 78:33 So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. As a result, all the men of all the tribes in the census, which did not include the tribe of the Levites, were condemned to die in the desert. Psalms 78:34-35 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. Time after time, when the LORD would discipline them they would make a show of repentance. Psalms 78:36-37 But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. 9 / 27

But their subsequent actions would show that they were only trying to lie to the LORD. Psalms 78:38-39 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return. In spite of their blasphemous lies, the LORD was always merciful. Psalms 78:40-43 How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland! Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power-- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan. They never were willing to trust in what the LORD had done as a surety of what the LORD was about to do. Psalms 78:44 He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams. One of the miracles He had performed in the land of the Egyptians was turning the rivers into blood as recorded in Exodus 7:16-24. Psalms 78:45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. This recalled two of the plagues the LORD sent on Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to free the Israelites. These were recorded in Exodus 8:1-14 and Exodus 8:20-31. Psalms 78:46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. 10 / 27

This recalled the plague of locusts that the LORD sent on Egypt recorded in Exodus 10:3-19. Psalms 78:47-48 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. This recalled the plague of rain and hail that the LORD sent on Egypt recorded in Exodus 9:13-34. Psalms 78:49-51 He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility-- a band of destroying angels. He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. These verses seem describe the last great plague which happened on the night of the First Passover. This was recorded in Exodus 11 and 12. Psalms 78:52 But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert. In contrast to the Egyptians who had defied the LORD, whose firstborn had been destroyed on the night of the Passover, the LORD delivered the Israelites who had followed His simple instructions for the Passover. Psalms 78:53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. He took them across the Red Sea, and again destroyed the Egyptians who continued to defy Him. 11 / 27

Psalms 78:54 Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country to this mountain his right hand had taken. The NIV translation to the hill country is literally in the original Hebrew, to this mountain. That is also the translation rendered in the KJV, ASV, Darby and Amplified. Here Asaph took the listeners from the distant past of the Exodus to the present of the time he was writing about 400 years later. This mountain referred to Mt. Zion, the mountain on which Asaph had served for so long, in Jerusalem. Although Asaph may not have realized it at the time, the right hand of the Lord referred prophetically to Jesus Christ who purchased Mt. Zion, by dying there on the cross. Jerusalem was the place of worship which the people of Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom had forsaken against the LORD s command. Psalms 78:55 He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. Asaph recalled to them the stories of the LORD s provision in giving the land to them in the time of Joshua. These were recorded in the Book of Joshua. Psalms 78:56 But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. [h] They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. [i] Asaph recalled to them the stories of how Israel had continually forgotten the LORD after He had given them the land. These were recorded in the Book of Judges. Psalms 78:59-61 When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men. He sent [the ark of] his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. 12 / 27

This recorded a more recent history which had occurred within the lifetimes of people Asaph might have known in his own youth. This recalls how the Ark fell into the hands of the Philistines and was absent from the Tabernacle for almost a hundred years until the Temple was built. The removal was recorded in 1 Samuel 4. Psalms 78:62-64 He gave his people over to the sword; he was very angry with his inheritance. Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs; their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep. At that time, the LORD gave them over to the power of the Philistines who dominated them until the time of Saul about half a century later. Psalms 78:65-66 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine. He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame. This recalled the years of Saul and David when the LORD gave Israel victories over their neighbors. Psalms 78:67-68 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, [j] which he loved. Finally, Asaph recalled for the benefit of the Northern Kingdom, that the LORD had chosen the line of David, out of the tribe of Judah, as the ancestry of the Messiah to come. This was recorded in 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17. He had also chosen Jerusalem as the place to put His name. That was where His Temple was to be. The command was recorded in Deuteronomy: Deuteronomy 12:4-6 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there 13 / 27

for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. Besides the LORD s specific instructions to Jeroboam by Ahijah in 1 King 11:36, the LORD s choice was also made clear as recorded in 1 Kings: 1 Kings 8:6-7, 10-11 The priests then brought the ark of the LORD s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. -- When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. Psalms 78:69a He built his sanctuary like the heights He established His Holy Place to be exalted, The Hebrew word translated by the NIV as built is ה נ ב {bä nä'} which can equally be translated established. The Hebrew word translated sanctuary is the word ש ד ק מ {mik däsh'} ם רו which is best translated Holy Place although sanctuary is acceptable. The Hebrew word {rüm} which is translated by the NIV as like the heights is actually the qal active participle of a verb that means to be exalted. Although I suppose arguments could be made for the choices made by the NIV, a different translation makes much more sense in the context of this Psalm. I believe that translation of this phrase should be He established His Holy Place to be exalted. In other words, the Temple built in Jerusalem was the one God sanctioned. Asaph was challenging Jeroboam s choice to build a rival temple with idols at Bethel and Dan as contrary to the revealed will of the LORD. Psalms 78:69b like the earth that he established forever from eternity. [k] Jerusalem s choice had actually been established from eternity past. Jerusalem s importance 14 / 27

in the LORD s plan had actually been marked out in human history from the time of the Garden of Eden and the sacrifice of Isaac. It was confirmed by subsequent history as the location of Christ s death, burial, and resurrection. Psalms 78:70-72 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. Asaph again reminded them that the spiritual legacy of Israel would come through David, even though, at that time, in the wake of Solomon s idolatrous rule, it looked doubtful. In John 4:20-22 Jesus and the Samaritan woman discussed the same issues related to Samaria s (the Northern Kingdom) revolt from the worship and promises of God. [l] John 4:19-22 Sir, the woman said, I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. Jesus declared, Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. God set up the Tabernacle worship and Aaronic and Levitical priesthood by His sovereignty to demonstrate His grace and to foreshadow both the person and character of Christ. When the Northern Kingdom abandoned them they not only abandoned God s word, but they abandoned the promise of the Messiah, who would only come through the tribe of Judah (the Jews). Psalm 80 For the director of music. To the tune of The Lilies of the Covenant. Of Asaph. A psalm. 15 / 27

This was written by Asaph. The context makes it clear that this was after the devastation of the breaking up of Israel between the northern tribes and the southern tribes. The title of the tune which it was to be sung to was The Lilies of the Covenant. The covenant in question was the Davidic Covenant which promised that a son of David would rule forever and would also be the Son of God. 2 Samuel 7:11a-14b The LORD declares to you (David) that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, [m] I will raise up your seed after [n] you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house (Temple) for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. [o] The lily is also connected with the promise of the Messiah to Israel as in Hosea 14:7 and Song of Songs 2:1. So, from the title of the tune, we should not be surprised to see that the Psalm concerns itself with the Davidic Covenant. Psalms 80:1a Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, Asaph addressed his prayer to the LORD by His name Shepherd of Israel. This was a name that Old Testament prophecy gave to Jesus Christ from His birth as the Gospel of Matthew affirms: Matthew 2:6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel. [p] In verse 1, Asaph referred to the descendants of Joseph, which focused his thoughts on the two tribes descended from Joseph, which were 16 / 27

Ephraim and Manasseh. He also referred to the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant, which was in the Temple in Jerusalem. That was the Temple which the Northern Kingdom had abandoned. The Northern Kingdom was dominated by those two large tribes, and their King was an Ephraimite. Psalms 80:1b-2a shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Ephraim and Manasseh were the tribes descended from Jacob by his beloved wife Rachel through their first son Joseph. Benjamin was also descended from Jacob and Rachel. Benjamin had been the beloved brother of Joseph. In the settlement of the land, the three tribes were settled next to each other. In the splitting of the Kingdom, Ephraim and Manasseh had gone with the Northern Kingdom, and Benjamin had split between the two. The western half around Jerusalem had gone with the Southern Kingdom, and the eastern half around Jericho had gone with the Northern Kingdom. Psalms 80:2b Awaken your might; come and save us. The Hebrew word translated save is ה ע ו ש י {yesh ü' ä}, which is the name of Jesus, who would be the fulfillment of the great promise and destiny of Israel. Asaph recognized that the salvation of all the tribes depended on the one promise which was only portrayed at the Temple in Jerusalem, and by the feasts and rituals the LORD Himself had instituted. Psalms 80:3 Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. He pleaded for the LORD to restore their unified worship so that they might understand the gracious salvation that the Temple described. Psalms 80:4 O LORD God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people? Asaph knew that he and many of the believers that he knew had been praying for the reconciliation of the people of Israel to the Law of the LORD for some time, but things had seemingly gone from bad to worse. After the apostasy of Solomon, Asaph had no doubt hoped for an improvement under his son Rehoboam. Instead, the Kingdom had been fractured, Rehoboam had not turned to the LORD, the Temple had been partially destroyed and ransacked, and Jeroboam had set up a new form of worship in the North. 17 / 27

Psalms 80:5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful. There had been one grief upon the other. Psalms 80:6 You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us. The enemies of Israel took delight in mocking Israel, which had no doubt suffered from misplaced pride during the golden reign of Solomon. Psalms 80:7 Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Here he repeats his petition of verse 3 except here he addresses God as God Almighty. By this he asserts his confidence that God can do anything. Psalms 80:8-9 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. Here Asaph appealed to the history of the LORD with Israel. Israel was the vine, and the LORD took great pains and displayed His might in the whole era of the Exodus and the initial conquest of the land. Psalms 80:10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. Israel inhabited all the land that the LORD had given to them. Psalms 80:11 It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River. 18 / 27

This described the extent of the Kingdom of Israel under David and Solomon. It stretched all the way from the Mediterranean, where the Philistines had been conquered, to the Euphrates River, the eastern border of the subjugated Arameans. Psalms 80:12 Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes? This described Jerusalem and Judah after the Egyptians under Shishak had withdrawn. It would seem to indicate that the Egyptians had followed the usual practice of departing conquerors by tearing down the walls of cities they might want to visit again. The walls were undoubtedly rebuilt as the first order of business as soon as the Egyptians were gone. Psalms 80:13 Boars from the forest ravage it and the creatures of the field feed on it. This would seem to indicate that raiding parties from Israel s neighbors ( boars from the forest ) were quick to take advantage of Judah s defenseless state as soon as the Egyptians had left. Psalms 80:14a Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Asaph renewed his appeal to God to see what was happening and act to deliver them. Psalms 80:14b-15 Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself. He appealed to God on the basis of the great destiny that the LORD had promised His vine, Israel. The name Israel means Prince of God. Here Israel is called a root, a vine, and the son you have raised up for yourself. Asaph clearly had finally come to understand the true meaning of the Abrahamic Covenant and Davidic Covenant. The promised Messiah was to come through Israel, Judah, and David s line. 19 / 27

Psalms 80:16 Your vine [q] is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish. But Asaph was concerned. How could the Covenants and promises be kept by the immutable and faithful God if Israel was destroyed? Psalms 80:17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. He appealed for the LORD s faithful fulfillment of bringing the man at your right hand. Jesus Christ would be that man as Ephesians tells us: Ephesians 1:18-21 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ [r] when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Jesus Christ was also the son of man. He called Himself the son of man over 70 times in the Gospels besides in the verse below: John 3:13-15 No one [s] has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Psalms 80:18 Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. Asaph pledged that, if the LORD would fulfill His covenant, the people would trust in Him. Psalms 80:19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Asaph repeated his appeal of verses 3 and 7 for the third time. He knew that without Judah, and Jerusalem there would be no salvation. As Jesus Himself told the Samaritan woman whose people also reverenced a different Temple and worship: 20 / 27

John 4:21-22 Jesus declared, Believe me, woman, [t] a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Jesus (Yeshua), whose name means salvation, would be the Son God raised up for himself. Only in Jesus Christ would the face of God shine upon the people of Israel and the world! Psalm 81 For the director of music. According to gittith. Of Asaph. This Psalm was written by Asaph. Like Psalm 80, it focused on the tribes of Joseph (verse 5). Of all the Psalms the focus on Joseph is unique to the Psalms of Asaph, who mentions him in his Psalms 77, 78, 80, and 81. The implication in each seems to be the distress over the separation of the worship of the tribes of Joseph which was initiated by the great sin of Jeroboam. It must have been very painful to Asaph, who had been in charge of the music at the Temple in its early years, and seen all the tribes coming, to see its abandonment by the northern tribes now. So, by the context, this Psalm was written late in Asaph s life, after the death of Solomon, the partition of the kingdom, and the invasion of the King of Egypt with the ensuing devastation and looting of the Temple in Jerusalem. The superscription also indicates that the Psalm was to be sung to the music of a gittith [u] which seems to have been a type of small hand held harp. This musical instruction also occurs in Psalms 8 and 84. This Psalm and the other two, both by tradition and content of the Psalm were usually sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem and the Temple for the Feasts, so it was useful that the instrument could be easily carried along as it was played. Psalms 81:1 Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! Although it was a time of oppression and adversity among the people of the LORD, Asaph called on them to rejoice in their relationship with the LORD and acknowledge that He was still their strength. 21 / 27

Psalms 81:2 Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre. In his mind s eye, Asaph could see the Temple orchestra playing as the pilgrims entered the Temple. He had been in charge of the music in Jerusalem for many years, first at the Ark, and later at the Temple. Psalms 81:3 Sound the ram s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast; The time of year that Asaph had in mind was evidently during the seventh month, which began with the Feast of Trumpets at the New Moon (Leviticus 23:24), continued with the Day of Atonement on the tenth day (Leviticus 23:27), and continued with the Feast of Tabernacles [v] on the fifteen day (Leviticus 23:34-36). By its very nature, this time emphasized the importance of all of Israel gathering before the LORD and His presence over the Ark. Psalms 81:4 this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. This was a command for all of Israel instituted by God himself. At that time Rehoboam had taken on himself the place of overruling the Laws of God. Psalms 81:5a He established it as a statute for Joseph [w] when he went out against across Egypt, This was a command instituted for all the tribes of Joseph from the very beginning of the Exodus. I have adjusted the NIV s translation of against for the Hebrew ל ע {al) to an acceptable alternate meaning of across. Clearly, we know from Exodus that the tribes of Joseph did not go against Egypt, only across and out of it. It was the LORD who went against the chariots of Egypt at the Red Sea. Psalms 81:5b I hear a voice I had not known. (NRSV) This is the literal translation as given by the New Revised Standard Version. It marks a break in the Psalm where the meditations of Asaph 22 / 27

were interrupted by the voice of the LORD. It is the LORD who is speaking in the verse below, as you shall see. Psalms 81:6 He says, [x] I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. The LORD recalled His history with Israel. First He set them free from their bondage in Egypt where they were forced to make and carry bricks for the Egyptians. Psalms 81:7a In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; This recalled their panic at the Red Sea when they saw the Egyptians approaching and the cloud of the LORD protected them as they safely crossed over: Exodus 14:10, 19-20 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. --- Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Psalms 81:7b I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah This recalled when the LORD tested them with the sight of the dry waterless desert they were about to cross and then opened a rock where millions of gallons flowed out (Exodus 17). Psalms 81:8 Hear, O my people, and I will warn you-- if you would but listen to me, O Israel! The LORD then shifted His attention to the generations of Israel during Asaph s time. The LORD had shown His capacity to protect and supply many times, but the people of Israel never learned. 23 / 27

Psalms 81:9 You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. This had been His first command, given in the hearing of their fathers at the Mountain: Exodus 20:3-5a You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them. Psalms 81:10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. If they would worship Him alone, the LORD promised to supply all their needs. He had proved He could do it. Psalms 81:11 But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. But, even from the first, the people of Israel would not submit to be blessed by the LORD. Psalms 81:12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. This states again the important principal that the LORD will never overrule the volition of the human heart. Psalms 81:13 If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, The LORD s Law was not for His glory, but for the benefit of the people of Israel. Yet, with predictable results, they insisted on playing the part of God and writing laws for themselves to determine what was good and what was evil. Like their ancestors, this is what the generation of Asaph s day was doing. 24 / 27

Psalms 81:14 how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Besides supplying their needs, the LORD would protect them from their enemies. Psalms 81:15 Those who hate the LORD would will cringe before him, and their punishment would will last forever. This is an acceptable alternate translation of the imperfect tense of the verbs here and perfectly reflects the fate at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) of those who hate the LORD Psalms 81:16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. This is a picture of the LORD s perfect provision of those who trust in Him. The Psalm concludes with a promise that if Israel would trust in God they would be fed with honey from the rock. Christ is the rock, and honey is God s provision. The manna that God provided was also a picture of Christ (John 6:32-58). It also tasted like honey (Exodus 16:31). [a] [b] Genesis 28:22 was undoubtedly claimed as authority to set up the Temple at Bethel. [c] A Temple at Dan had existed since the time of the Judges and had only discontinued use after the Kingship of Saul (Judges 18:30-31). [d] Jeroboam built a rival temple with idols at Bethel and Dan. (1 Kings 12:29) [e] 1 Kings 12:28-33, 1 Kings 13:33-34, 1 Kings 15:26, 1 Kings 15:34-16:3, 1 Kings 22:52, 2 Kings 3:3, 2 Kings 10:29, 2 Kings 13:2, 2 Kings 25 / 27

13:11, 2 Kings 14:24, 2 Kings 15:9, 2 Kings 15:18, 2 Kings 15:24, 2 Kings 15:28, 2 Kings 17:21-23. [f] This is quoted in Matthew 13:35. [g] They were encamped close to the annual migration routes of quail from their winter feeding grounds in Africa to their spring breeding grounds in central Asia. [h] Remember the reference to Ephraim in verse 9 as armed with bows. [i] Jeroboam had instituted new high places and new idols.1 Kings 12:28-29. [j] David of the tribe of Judah was chosen as the line of the Messiah, and Mount Zion was the place he would come. [k] This is a more literal translation. [l] The Samaritans had their own Priesthood and Temple on Mt. Gerizim as the Northern Kingdom had their own Priesthood and Temples at Bethel and Dan. [m] This is clearly not Solomon, who was appointed King before David was even dead. [n] This is the corrected literal translation. [o] From Hebrews 1:5 there can be no doubt that this refers to Jesus Christ. 26 / 27

[p] Micah 5:2. [q] Isaiah 11:1-4 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-- and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. [r] God s strength is made perfect in weakness. So, the power of God was on display when Jesus Christ made himself like a servant and made Himself obedient unto death. [s] The Greek word used here is @L*g4l which is literally no one. Its use here also indicates the exclusion of angels from this knowledge. This is speaking of a level of communion and understanding that only God the Father shares with God the Holy Spirit and God the Son. [t] The use of the word woman in the vocative in Greek does not have the same connotation of disrespect that it has in current English usage. It would be more akin to my dear lady, or madam. [u] Evidently the Gittith had first been developed by the Gattites (the Philistine people of Gath). [v] The Feast of Tabernacles was also called the Feast of Ingathering in Exodus 23:16 and 34:21. [w] The tribes of Joseph were Ephraim and Manasseh who were the main tribes of the breakaway tribes of Israel who abandoned the temple worship, the great sin which Jeroboam caused them to sin. 1 Kings 12:26-33 They established their own feast days. [x] Not in the Hebrew although implied. 27 / 27