Psalm 81

I am convinced that virtually every accurate doctrinal truth can be found in the Psalms, without any necessary wrangling or massaging of scriptures to make them work.

Take Psalm 81, for example. This is pretty much a run-of-the-mill kind of psalm, unless of course you rightly consider that the Word of God is, indeed, the Word of God, and that every single word is in place for divine and eternal purpose.

Ps 81:1-16 (NKJ)
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
(Be verbal. Open your mouth. The creative force of the spoken word is pleasing to God, and we of all people have all reasons to be joyful, and to shout)

2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute.
(Who could ever read their Bible and conclude that instruments were out of place in worship? I won’t go there. Whole denominations have done that injustice)

3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day. (The trumpet, the shofar, is key to God’s plan. The holiday (“holy-days”) have divine significance. Always have, always will. BTW – there will be a LAST trumpet – 1 Cor 15:52, so every prior trumpet blast can be regarded as a prophetic act for the Last Trumpet)

4 For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob. (It’s for His people. We are the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by faith in Christ. His statutes are part of our inheritance)

5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony, when He went throughout the land of Egypt, where I heard a language I did not understand. (The mercy and deliverance of God for His people was established in their deliverance from Egypt, and remains today for us)

6 “I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets. (But for the mercy of God, Israel had no prayer or hope. That holds true today. In fact, our jealous/zealous God actually wants it that way)

7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
(Here’s God talking via the words of the psalmist. Call-in-trouble is a huge truth of scripture. Troubled times are good times to call upon God. He will answer His people. Ps 50:15)

(SECRET PLACE OF THUNDER??? So much for God always being a still small voice. Our great God can do, and act, and reveal Himself in any manner He might choose. Let’s not limit Him to subtlety)

(And TESTING? Would God TEST His people? Yes: Ps 7:9, Ps 11:5, Prov 17:3, 1 Thess 2:4. This is one way God proves our love for Him, our motives, our hearts. It is a good thing)

8 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
(Because He loves us, God is WILLING to admonish and correct us, IF we make the choice to listen to Him. So much for predestination. The scriptures are full of accounts of people making the free choice to NOT listen, and they suffered the consequences of their poorly exercised free will).

9 There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god.
(Clear. Paul called covetousness idolatry. Our unsatisfied hunger for anything other than God, becomes a god)

10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
(Once again, a choice. The Mighty Delivered offers to fill the hungry ones, if they choose to open up to Him. Blessed are the hungry, those who refuse to fill themselves with everything but God, every comfort except the Comforter)

11 “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me.
(Oops. This is a reference back to the history of poor choice. God was willing, the people weren’t. Lousy outcome, always. We’re to learn from that – 1 Cor 10:11)

12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.
(God is no chump. My mom used to say: “You make your bed, then you get to lie in it”)

13 “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!
(Here is the heart of the loving Father, crying out for His people to make the right choices. Choose life or choose death. That is always before us)

14 I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries.
(Victory would have been accomplished, had the people complied with God)

15 The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever. (He’ll sort out the hypocrites. He is the eternal and perfect Judge of all men, including us. Rom 14:10 – we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ)

16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.” (Once again, the frustration of “would have”. Biblical accounts of people’s failures COULD HAVE had better outcomes. God’s plans for His people, willingly coming into alignment with His will, is blessing and provision. But God has given each man free choice – to embrace or resist the things of God. That has not changed with the New Testament era. Our God does not change)

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About ez3728

I am a believer in Jesus - that He is the One and Only Messiah of the world. I believe the Bible is the perfect and complete Word of God, and that God is absolutely competent and capable of keeping His Word perfect, undefiled, and uncorrupted. Jesus was born Jewish. So was I. He lived a perfect life, and is worshiped. I live an imperfect life, and I worship Him.
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