EP 48. "Learning from History" (Psalm 78)

The children of Israel had much to learn from their own history. The failures of the Exodus generation should have served as a constant reminder of the need to be loyal to God. Tragically, the cycle of rebellion persisted but Psalm 78 seeks to break that cycle with some important historical lessons.
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Transcript

Learning from History

Remembering and learning from history is necessary for those who desire not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Anyone who has lived long enough to gain some years and experience can look back at poor decisions made in one’s past with regret and a determination not to do it again. Groups of people and even nation states can and should do likewise so the they are ever learning, growing, and improving.

God also wants His people to learn from their history. The Exodus generation disobeyed God when they rejected His plan to occupy Canaan. Their faithlessness became the cause of their death in the wilderness. About 40 years later, their descendants were poised to accomplish what their fathers had failed to do, but God wanted them this new generation to remember what had happened. Moses, therefore, taught Israel a song about God, His accomplishments, and the failures of their fathers in Deuteronomy 32. After Moses recited the song it says:

Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess” (Deut 32:44-47).

The apostle Paul also wanted believers to learn from history. When writing to the Corinthians about the dangers of idolatry, he retold the old story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt which was quickly followed by their apostasy. He concluded his remarks by saying: “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us” (1 Cor 10:11).

Psalm 78 is like Deuteronomy 32 and 1 Corinthians 10. It is an epic poem about Israel’s past and especially the nation’s relationship with God. All the while it emphasizes “the vital importance of faithfulness and obedience rather than rebellion and defiance.”

One thing readers of Psalm 78 will notice is its length. At 72 verses, it is the second longest psalm in the Psalter after Psalm 119. It is also addressed to a group of people and stylized as a teaching psalm according to 78:1. Thus, it is possible this was a psalm used at the Temple to retell Israel’s history in a way that would prompt greater loyalty to YHWH. Finally, it is important to remember the content of Book III of the Psalter. Book III is dealing with a troubling time in Israel’s history perhaps intended to reflect the era of the Divided Kingdom. Idolatry was a constant blight upon the nation during this time period, so the need to learn from the past and train subsequent generations towards loyalty to God was vitally important. 

A maskil of Asaph.

My people, hear my teaching;
 listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth with a parable;
 I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

things we have heard and known,
 things our ancestors have told us.

We will not hide them from their descendants;
 we will tell the next generation
 the praiseworthy deeds of YHWH,
 his power, and the wonders he has done (78:1-4).

The truths handed down from the ancestors are not to be recounted just for the sake of hearing them and feeling good. Remembering the past is not merely a recollection of historical events. It is a deliberate retelling for edification and growth. This is why the story of Israel is described as a “parable” (78:2). The story of YHWH’s deeds and Israel’s failures will illuminate necessary truths for this generation and those yet to come.

He decreed statutes for Jacob

and established the law in Israel,

which he commanded our ancestors

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.

Then they would put their trust in God

and would not forget his deeds

but would keep his commands.

They would not be like their ancestors—

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose hearts were not loyal to God,

whose spirits were not faithful to him (78:5-8).

Retelling the story, teaching children God’s ways, and reminding the people of past mistakes should prevent future generations from disloyalty and rebellion.

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.

They forgot what he had done,

the wonders he had shown them.

He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

He divided the sea and led them through;

he made the water stand up like a wall.

He guided them with the cloud by day

and with light from the fire all night.

He split the rocks in the wilderness

and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

he brought streams out of a rocky crag

and made water flow down like rivers (78:9-16).

Verse 9 repudiates Northern Israel. “Ephraim” was the north’s largest and most influential tribe so a reference to the “men of Ephraim” means Northern Israel’s leaders (78:9). This is evidence that the historical backdrop is the Divided Kingdom era. Even though God delivered Israel during the Exodus, the northmen are rebuked for forsaking God’s covenant and refusing His instructions.

But they continued to sin against him,

rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.

They willfully put God to the test

by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God;

they said, “Can God really

spread a table in the wilderness?

True, he struck the rock,

and water gushed out,

streams flowed abundantly,

but can he also give us bread?

Can he supply meat for his people?” (78:17-20).

This refers to Israel’s grumbling in the desert which quickly proceeded the Sea crossing. The people complained to Moses and Aaron saying, “If only we had died by YHWH’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (Ex 16:2-3).

When YHWH heard them, he was furious;

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.

Human beings ate the bread of angels;

he sent them all the food they could eat.

He let loose the east wind from the heavens

and by his power made the south wind blow.

He rained meat down on them like dust,

birds like sand on the seashore.

He made them come down inside their camp,

all around their tents.

They ate till they were gorged—

he had given them what they craved.

But before they turned from what they craved,

even while the food was still in their mouths,

God’s anger rose against them;

he put to death the sturdiest among them,

cutting down the young men of Israel (78:21-31).

In spite of God’s bountiful provisions of manna and quail, the people continued to grumble and rebel causing numerous occasions where God struck out against them.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

So he ended their days in futility

and their years in terror.

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.

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.

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 (78:32-39).

There were times when God desired Israel’s total destruction like after the Golden Calf incident. However, God’s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness prompted Him to spare the people and restrain His wrath. In verse 39, God remembers the frailty and weakness of the human race. David wrote that YHWH “knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (103:14).

How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

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 signs in Egypt,

his wonders in the region of Zoan.

He turned their river into blood;

they could not drink from their streams.

He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

and frogs that devastated them.

He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

their produce to the locust.

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.

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.

But he brought his people out like a flock;

he led them like sheep through the wilderness.

He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;

but the sea engulfed their enemies.

And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,

to the hill country his right hand had taken.

He drove out nations before them

and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;

he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes (78:40-55).

Why did the people continually rebel against God? Why did they test Him again and agin? Why did they grieve YHWH? Because they “did not remember his power” (78:42). They forgot about the plagues. They forgot about the sea crossing. They forgot about the conquest of Canaan. 

But they put God to the test

and rebelled against the Most High;

they did not keep his statutes.

Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,

as unreliable as a faulty bow.

They angered him with their high places;

they aroused his jealousy with their idols.

When God heard them, he was furious;

he rejected Israel completely (78:56-59).

Attention seems to turn here from the Exodus generation and their grumbling to more recent events. Northern Israel has likely come back into focus. Like the Exodus generation, the northern kingdom was disloyal, faithless, and unreliable (78:57). The people of Southern Judah need to learn from their unbelieving kin in the north just as much as from the ancient ancestors. 

[God] abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent he had set up among humans.

He sent the ark of his might into captivity,

his splendor into the hands of the enemy.

He gave his people over to the sword;

he was furious with his inheritance.

Fire consumed their young men,

and their young women had no wedding songs;

their priests were put to the sword,

and their widows could not weep (78:60-64).

When Joshua divided the land, the tabernacle was setup in Shiloh. Eventually, Shiloh was destroyed and the ark went into the wilderness for 70 years. The parallel seems to be focused on the impending danger of exile. Perhaps Northern Israel has already been destroyed by the Assyrians. The Kingdom of Judah now stands alone, but maybe they think that since the ark is in the Temple, God will always protect Jerusalem. The reminder about Shiloh should be a wake-up call that the ark’s presence is no guarantee of divine protection.

Then YHWH awoke as from sleep,

as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.

He beat back his enemies;

he put them to everlasting shame.

Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,

he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;

but he chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which he loved.

He built his sanctuary like the heights,

like the earth that he established forever.

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 (78:65-72).

With every warning and lesson from the past, there is also God’s faithful promise of blessing for those who learn to be loyal. While it is true that Shiloh was destroyed and the ark was lost for a season, God woke up and took action on behalf of His people. He chose the tribe of Judah to take the reigns of leadership. He designated beloved Zion as the place where the Temple would be built. He raised up David, the shepherd boy, and made him king. David led with integrity and skill, and then, just like that, the epic poem abruptly ends.

While it seems likely that Psalm 78 was written well after the reign of David, concluding the poem with the establishment of the Jerusalem Temple and enthronement of David is intended to remind Israel of God’s salvific work and abiding presence. In spite of Israel’s dark past—its rebellion in the wilderness, the destruction of Shiloh and temporary loss of the ark, and most recently, the collapse and destruction of the northern kingdom—God is still with the people. His presence abides in the Temple and His king reigns from Jerusalem as His earthly representative. That means there is still hope for the future, but that hope can only become a reality if the people of Judah learn from history, pledge their total allegiance to God, and teach their children these important lessons.

In Psalm 77, the author wonders whether or not God is who He claimed to be when He revealed His nature to Moses: “YHWH, YHWH, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Ex 34:6-7). In view of the suffering of God’s people, the psalmist asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again?

Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

Has his promise failed for all time?

Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7-9).

In many ways, Psalm 78 answers these heart-felt questions by observing those many occasions in Israel’s past where God forgave His rebellious people and showered them with love and grace. However, both the psalmist and all the people likewise need to understand God’s vantage point in their relationship. Like a betrayed and aggrieved husband, God must surely be growing tired of Israel’s infidelity. This is an important point in reading and applying the message of Psalm 78 today. God’s people share a special relationship with Him, and like all relationships, the needs and feelings of both sides need to be considered. Thus, as Tanner observes:

We too need to see the relationship from the side of God to understand the life-long relationship we share with God and to understand as this psalm teaches that God is involved and wrapped up in a very real way in this relationship with us.

God is committed. The question is, how committed with believers be in return? Will Christians learn from their history of faithlessness and rebellion? Will those hard-learned lessons be diligently passed on to future generations? As the apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians: “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us…” (1 Cor 10:11).