An Appeal for Israel’s Repentance
To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph.
“Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute. Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob. 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. “I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets. 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
“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.
“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.”
“Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute. Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day.” It must be incredibly frustrating to be a righteous person watching Israel deteriorate morally and spiritually. Here the psalmist is begging his fellow Israelites to repent and leave their idols, reminding them of God’s requirements for regular worship.
“For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob. 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. “I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets. 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” God has done so much for Israel, delivering the Israelites from slavery and then providing for them as they journeyed through the wilderness for forty years. But the Israelites have short memories and are rejecting the One True Living God.
“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.” God has warned the Israelites of the blessings they will enjoy if they will continue to worship Him faithfully but also of the consequences should they reject Him and neglect His worship.
“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.” Here the psalmist is functioning as a prophet, speaking for the Lord. In these last verses, we glimpse God’s father heart as he grieves over his rebellious children. God knows the horrible consequences His people will suffer unnecessarily due to their hard hearts. If only God’s people would turn to Him, He would help them!
APPLICATION: WHY WORSHIP? Sometimes people complain that they don’t attend church worship services because they’re so boring. My response: Find a different church! Forty years ago, we were living in midtown Memphis; however, we had found a great church about thirty miles away. Our solution: On Sundays we essentially moved to the town where the church was. We would begin with Sunday morning worship services, get lunch, and then hang out at a friend’s house until time for choir practice and Sunday evening service. The services were uplifting, the preaching was excellent, and God was always doing something new in the congregation. Those services gave us the strength to run for the rest of the week. We remain very close to many of the friends we made during that time.
This psalm is both encouraging and also very sad. Worship is a two-way street; we meet with God but God also meets with us. God wants to bless us as we worship Him, and the more we worship, the more we open ourselves up for God to bless us spiritually, emotionally, physically, and in every other aspect of our lives. Tragically, when we refuse to worship, we cut ourselves off from God’s blessings, and God misses us.
What constitutes worship? Worshiping with others encourages us to open ourselves to God. But we can also worship God by ourselves. For much of my professional life, I have had to miss formal worship services because I have found myself at work in the hospital. But I can still worship God and praise Him whenever I have time. You are reading the results of one of my worship activities. I write these Bible studies as a form of worship and because God has called me to do so. Eric Liddle said that when he ran, he felt God’s pleasure. When I write Bible studies, I feel God’s pleasure.
God longs for you to spend time with Him and to worship Him. Your worship activities might look different from other people’s, but as long as you are meeting with God, you are worshiping Him in spirit and in truth.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all who read these words to realize how much You want to meet with them. Help them to turn to You at all times. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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