PSALMS 78 (3)

0. Introduction

a) Psalms is a great collection of songs and prayers expresses the heart and soul of humanity. In them, the whole range of human experiences is expressed. David and the other writers honestly pour out their true feelings, reflecting a dynamic, powerful, and life-changing relationship with God. The psalmists confess their sins, express their doubts and fears, ask God for help in times of trouble, and praise and worship him.

b) As you read Psalms, let the honesty of the psalmists guide you into a deep and genuine relationship with God.

1. Psalms 78 (3)

a) A Contemplation of Asaph.

2. Theme:

a) Lessons from history. Asaph retells the history of the Jewish nation from the time of slavery in Egypt to David's reign. It was told over and over to each generation so they would not forget God and make the same mistakes as their ancestors.

3. Author:

a) Asaph.

4. Scripture text: Psalms 78:40-55

⁴⁰ How often they provoked Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
⁴¹ Yes, again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They did not remember His power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
⁴³ When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
⁴⁴ Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
⁴⁵ He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And frogs, which destroyed them.
⁴⁶ He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the locust.
⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
⁴⁸ He also gave up their cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery lightning.
⁴⁹ He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.
⁵⁰ He made a path for His anger;
He did not spare their soul from death,
But gave their life over to the plague,
⁵¹ And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
⁵² But He made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
⁵³ And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
⁵⁴ And He brought them to His holy border,
This mountain which His right hand had acquired.
⁵⁵ He also drove out the nations before them,
Allotted them an inheritance by survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.