PSALMS LESSON 76

     We will begin this lesson by giving the 77th Psalm in metre.

                   THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE

                             Chapter 77


Verse 1  "I Cried to God, I cried, he heard; In day of grief I sought
         the Lord; All night with hands stretched out I wept, My soul
         no comfort would accept."
Verse 2  "I thought of God, and was distressed; Complained, yet
         trouble round me pressed; Thou holdest, Lord, my eyes awake;
         So great my grief I cannot speak."
Verse 3  "The days of old I called to mind, The ancient years when God
         was kind; I called to mind my song by night, My musing spirit
         sought for light."
Verse 4  "Will God cast off forevermore? His favor will he ne'er
         restore? Has grace forever passed away? Or, doth his promise
         fail for aye?"
Verse 5  "Hath God forgotten to be kind? His tender love in wrath
         confined? My weakness this, yet faith doth stand Recalling
         years of God's right hand."
Verse 6  "The works of old done by the Lord, Thy wondrous works I will
         record; I'll muse on all thy works so vast, And talk of all
         thy doings past."
Verse 7  "The holy place is thy abode; What god so great as is our
         God? Thy wondrous works thou last made known, Thy strength
         among the people shown."
Verse 8  "Thy arm the sons of Jacob saved, And Joseph's offspring hen
          enslaved. The waters saw thee, God of might, The waters saw
          thee with affright."
Verse 9  "Then troubled was the mighty main; The clouds poured out
         abundant rain; The lowering skies send out a sound, And far
         thy arrows blazed around."
Verse 10 "Thy lightnings flashed, thy thunders pealed, The trembling
         earth in terror reeled; Thou through the sea thy way didst
         keep, Thy path was in the mighty deep.
Verse 11 "Thy footsteps were to all unknown; Thy goodness to thy flock
         was shown. By Moses' and by Aaron's hand Thou didst them
         guide to Canaan's land."

     We will begin now with the verse by verse study of the 77th
Psalm. Psalms 77:1 "{To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of
Asaph.} I cried unto God with my voice, [even] unto God with my voice;
and he gave ear unto me."

     This begins with an earnest prayer to God. It possibly was
repeated more than once, because of the statement, even unto God. We
know also that this was not a silent prayer, but a vocal prayer,
because he says, with my voice. The best part of all is, He  gave ear
unto me. We may pray and pray, until we know God has heard our plea.

     Psalms 77:2 "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore
ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted."

     All believers could take a lesson from this. In his trouble, he
went to God for help. The world has no answers for our problems. Only
God can help us. It seems that the tribulation he was going through
was so terrible, that he did not even get rest from it at night.
Perhaps, he had a severe illness in his body. I would tend to believe
the problem was a spiritual problem, however. When you are sick to
your soul, you can't sleep and your body hurts.

     Psalms 77:3 "I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained,
and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah."

     It appears, to me, that he feels he has done something that
terribly displeased God. Even the thought of God made him grieve the
more. He was aware that God's blessings were for those who had been
obedient. Whatever is wrong, he feels that he has disobeyed God. He
knows to disobey God, brings curses. His spirit was overwhelmed with
grief. This looks like a man well on his way to repentance. He has
admitted he was wrong and is crying out to God to have mercy on him.
We truly must pause and think on this {Selah}.

     Psalms 77:4 "Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that
I cannot speak."

     Perhaps, his sorrow had extended to crying so much that words
would not come to him. Sometimes sorrow and sobbing are so great that
we cannot talk. Even if we could, we would not. This is true depth of
sorrow. This is when there is no peace at all. He would not be able to
sleep, because of his troubled heart.

     Psalms 77:5 "I have considered the days of old, the years of
ancient times."

     Perhaps, he was looking back to better days. These better days,
it seems, were not just his own, but those of his ancestors. Maybe
some answer will come to him from looking back.

     Psalms 77:6 "I call to remembrance my song in the night: I
commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search."

     This appears to be saying that there were better times in the
past. He even remembers a joyous time of singing in the night. He is
talking to himself here. He is telling his broken heart to look back
with him on better times. Then he says, the spirit within him is
searching for better times to remember.

     Psalms 77:7 "Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be
favorable no more?"

     This is a question that many in our day are having to deal with.
They are saying, we belonged to God, and then we got caught up in the
desires of the flesh and sinned against God. Will God have us back?
Certainly He will not, until there is a truly repentant heart. To
repent means to turn completely away from that old sinful life style.
We must be a new creature in Christ. Old things {bad habits} must be
buried, and the new creature that arises must choose to obey God in
all things.

     Psalms 77:8 "Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth [his] promise
fail for evermore?"

     The answer is no. I Chronicles 16:34 "O give thanks unto the
LORD; for [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever."  God has
not, and will not, break a promise. We break the covenant that He
made, when we deliberately sin. His promise, just like his mercy,
endures forever. His promise to us is conditional. If we continue to
disobey God, His promise will not be valid in our life.

     Psalms 77:9 "Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger
shut up his tender mercies? Selah."

     God never forgets to be gracious. God honors His word. He will
not bless us, unless our part of the covenant is kept. He would have
to break His word, and He will not do that. These are ridiculous
questions. God's anger will subside, if he will but repent. Certainly
pause and think on these things.

     Psalms 77:10 "And I said, This [is] my infirmity: [but I will
remember] the years of the right hand of the most High."

     Finally, it seems he has begun to stop this pity party. He is in
poor health, but now he remembers that the Right Hand of God is the
Healer.

     Psalms 77:11 "I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I
will remember thy wonders of old."

     God, who parted the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to cross,
is surely able to help him in his need. Do not forget the miracles in
the past, if you hope to get help now. Just to look back and remember
all the wonderful works of the Lord brings courage and hope.

     Psalms 77:12 "I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of
thy doings."

     Now, instead of moaning about his problems, he will remember all
the miracles God has done for him in the past and tell others of how
great the works of God are.

     Psalms 77:13 "Thy way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary: who [is so]
great a God as [our] God?"

     God is Holy God. The sanctuary teaches of the holiness of God.
The Israelites, more than any people of the world know that there is
no other god like their God. He defamed Pharaoh and all the false gods
of Egypt, when He brought the Israelites out of Egypt with His mighty
Hand.

     Psalms 77:14 "Thou [art] the God that doest wonders: thou hast
declared thy strength among the people."

     The ten plagues that came upon Egypt declare this very thing. The
Israelites celebrated passover every year to remind them of the night
when God made a difference between them and the Egyptians. All the
first-born of the Hebrew children lived and all the first-born of the
Egyptians died. Egypt symbolizes the world. God always makes a
difference between His children and the world.

     Psalms 77:15 "Thou hast with [thine] arm redeemed thy people, the
sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah."

     This is speaking of the divine intervention of God, when He
brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. All of the 12 tribes of
Israel were brought out. Their entire families came out with them.
Joseph had given instructions to bring His body out with them, also. I
believe that is why we see Joseph mentioned separately here. Pause and
think on this.

     Psalms 77:16 "The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee;
they were afraid: the depths also were troubled."

     I believe this is speaking of the presence of God which travelled
with these Israelites, leading the way. We know the Red Sea parted at
the command of God, but the Jordan river opened at the sight of the
ark of the covenant, as well.

     Psalms 77:17 "The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a
sound: thine arrows also went abroad."

     Thundering, and lightning, and rain come on the orders of God.
Many times when God spoke the people mistook it for thunder.

     Psalms 77:18 "The voice of thy thunder [was] in the heaven: the
lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook."

     Isaiah 29:6 "Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with
thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest,
and the flame of devouring fire."  All of the elements of the universe
are at the command of Almighty God.

     Psalms 77:19 "Thy way [is] in the sea, and thy path in the great
waters, and thy footsteps are not known." Psalms 77:20 "Thou leddest
thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron."

     The way of God is past mere mortal finding out. Our desire should
be to walk in the path that He has for us to walk, but to walk in the
path He has for himself to walk is beyond mortal man. Pharaoh found
this out, when he ordered his men to follow in the sea. Moses was
symbolic of the great Deliverer, when he brought God's people out of
Egypt {world}. Jesus Christ is the Great Deliverer of all who believe.
                             Questions 76

1.  How does this Psalm begin?
2.  How do we know this prayer was not a silent prayer?
3.  What is the best part of all in verse 1?
4.  When did he seek the Lord?
5.  Why does the author believe this was a spiritual problem?
6.  The thought of God made him ________.
7.  To disobey God, brings _______.
8.  When does sorrow become so great that it is difficult to speak?
9.  What is verse 5 speaking of looking at?
10. What is he telling his heart in verse 6?
11. What are many in our day doing that relates to verse 7?
12. What does repent mean?
13. How can we cause God's promises to not be valid in our life?
14. What would cause God's anger to subdue?
15. Who is the Healer?
16. What has he finally remembered in verse 11?
17. In verse 12, instead of moaning, he has begun to do what?
18. Thy way, O God, is in the ___________.
19. What does the sanctuary teach us about God?
20. How had God declared His strength among His people?
21. Why is Joseph mentioned separately in verse 15?
22. What led the way for the Israelites?
23. Quote Isaiah chapter 29 verse 6.
24. The way of God is past ______ ______ ___ finding out.
25. What should be the desire of all of us?