PSALMS LESSON 79

     We will continue our verse by verse study of chapter 78 of
Psalms. Psalms 78:50 "He made a way to his anger; he spared not their
soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;"

     In the last lesson, we were discussing how the Lord brought the
children of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand through 10 plagues.
God had given the Pharaoh ample time to respond to His request and
when he did not respond positively, God had to take drastic measures.
The continued disobedience of the Pharaoh and his people angered God.
Even though God destroyed them with this plague, He was justified in
doing it, because they were weighed in the balance and found wanting.

     Psalms 78:51 "And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of
[their] strength in the tabernacles of Ham:"

     This smiting of the firstborn even struck in Pharaoh's home.
Pharaoh's first born son died that night. Throughout Egypt, the
firstborn died. Some of Ham's descendents settled in Egypt, perhaps
this is why tabernacles of Ham was used in the verse above.

     Psalms 78:52 "But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and
guided them in the wilderness like a flock."

     We know that an estimated 3 million people left Egypt following
Moses {their shepherd}. After they began their journey, God led them
by a cloud and a fire. Those counted as God's family are called sheep
many places in the Bible. One very important time is when Jesus
separates the sheep from the goats.  The sheep go to heaven and the
goats go to hell.

     Psalms 78:53 "And he led them on safely, so that they feared not:
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies."

     This is speaking of the children of Israel walking through the
opening in the Red Sea on dry land, and when their enemies pursued the
enemy was drowned.

     Psalms 78:54 "And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary,
[even to] this mountain, [which] his right hand had purchased."

     This, perhaps, is speaking of His holy land. The mountain being
the mountain where the temple would be built. The mountain would be
mount Zion. It was the land that God had promised Abraham. This land
was not won by the Israelites, but by the Right Hand of God.

     Psalms 78:55 "He cast out the heathen also before them, and
divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to
dwell in their tents."

     Some people, looking at this, might say that God was cruel to
cast the heathen out, but God had given them ample time to repent, and
they did not. Notice that it was God that cast them out of this land.
Each of the twelve tribes of Israel had an allotted land that they
were to live in. This inheritance that they received was forever. Some
would try to say today that they should give up some of this land, but
the Bible says it belongs to the 12 tribes and their descendents
forever.  To read more about the dividing of the land, read Joshua
chapter 13 through chapter 19.

     Psalms 78:56 "Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God,
and kept not his testimonies:"

     It seems that all this that the Lord had done for them was not
enough. They still did not obey God and keep the law He had given
them.

     Psalms 78:57 "But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their
fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow."

     Sometimes I feel so sorry for God. He has done so much for them,
and He loves them so much, but they still are rebellious and do things
displeasing to Him. A deceitful bow is one that you cannot depend on
to shoot accurately. Sometimes to your own injury, the bow will bend
in use, and cause the one using it harm. Isn't this just what these
people are doing to God? They are turning on Him and breaking His
heart. Sometimes I am sure that God felt that He would have been
better off if He had not chosen them. We Christians better not point a
finger at them, without pointing back at ourselves, as well. Not to
stay with the faith that we had in the Lord is one of the things that
upsets the Lord worse than anything. I have said it so many times, but
it is true. To know God in His fullness, and then to be unfaithful to
Him is very dangerous. The 6th chapter of Hebrews tells us a great
deal about this. Do not let other things become more important to you
than God is.

     Psalms 78:58 "For they provoked him to anger with their high
places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images."

     The one thing that He just could not overlook is the worship of
other gods. Exodus 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the
LORD, whose name [is] Jealous, [is] a jealous God:"  God had a
specific place for them to worship Him.  The groves and high places
had never been pleasing to God. It was really idolatry.

     Psalms 78:59 "When God heard [this], he was wroth, and greatly
abhorred Israel:"

     Abhorred, in this particular instance, means despised. This is
really spiritual adultery. They have sinned against God. Again,
Christians, we must do it God's way, not our way. To worship God in
any other way than the way He chose would be spiritual adultery.

     Psalms 78:60 "So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the
tent [which] he placed among men;"

     God had dwelt in the midst of His people in the most holy place
in the tabernacle. He is so angry with these people that He can not
stand their presence, so He leaves the most holy place.

     Psalms 78:61 "And delivered his strength into captivity, and his
glory into the enemy's hand."

     This is speaking of the ark of the covenant falling into enemy
hands. Of course, the ark was an earthly house for the power and
presence of God. We find in the following Scripture that really no
house can contain God. II Chronicles 2:6 "But who is able to build him
an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him?
who [am] I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn
sacrifice before him?"  The presence of the Light is in all churches
who profess Jesus Christ as Lord today. What a sad day it would be for
His presence to leave because of the worldliness we have brought into
our churches.

     Psalms 78:62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was
wroth with his inheritance.

     Thirty thousand of the Israelites were killed in the battle where
they lost the ark. I Samuel 4:10  "And the Philistines fought, and
Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there
was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand
footmen." I Samuel 4:11 "And the ark of God was taken; and the two
sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain."  When God left their
presence, they could not win the battle. God's anger would not allow
Him to help them. They must be taught a lesson.

     Psalms 78:63 "The fire consumed their young men; and their
maidens were not given to marriage."

     So many of the young men were killed in battle that there were no
men for the maidens to marry.

     Psalms 78:64 "Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows
made no lamentation."

     The Scripture, from 1 Samuel above, told us that 2 sons of Eli
died. This does not mean that the widows did not grieve for them, it
means they had no body to bury. The bodies were left on the
battlefield.

     Psalms 78:65 "Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and]
like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine."

     This sleeping of the Lord was in the spiritual sense. He just
wasn't paying any attention to their problems for a while to make them
realize what they had done. You might even say God allowed this to
happen to them in punishment for their idolatry. God never completely
turns His back. Just as we see here, He said it is enough and He will
now fight for them again.

     Psalms 78:66 "And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he
put them to a perpetual reproach."

     It seems that the Lord struck them from the back and drove these
Philistines away. The battle between Israel and the Philistines ran on
for years. Goliath {the giant} was a Philistine.

     Psalms 78:67 "Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and
chose not the tribe of Ephraim:"

     The natural thing for Him to do would be to choose Joseph's
inheritance to dwell in, since Joseph was Israel's favorite. Possibly,
it was just because He loved mount Zion so much. It is God's privilege
to reject whoever He chooses and, also, to choose whoever He will,
without having to explain to us.

     Psalms 78:68 "But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which
he loved."

     I still believe this was the holy mountain which God loved.

     Psalms 78:69 "And he built his sanctuary like high [palaces],
like the earth which he hath established for ever."

     This is speaking prophetically of the temple that Solomon built
in Jerusalem. This beautiful temple was the envy of the whole world.

     Psalms 78:70 "He chose David also his servant, and took him from
the sheepfolds:"

     David was a shepherd boy when Samuel anointed him. I Samuel 16:13
"Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of
his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day
forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah."

     Psalms 78:71 "From following the ewes great with young he brought
him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance."

     Jesus is, of course, the great Shepherd. David is called from the
humble job of a sheepherder to feed God's people. One of the greatest
teachings in the Bible is how God takes those who the world thinks is
not capable of doing a job and God shows him, or her, how to do the
job the way He would have it done. The people, who can really get
something done for God, are those who know they can not do the job,
unless God leads them every step of the way. David had not trained to
be king.  God made him king. David was humble enough that God could
show David how He wanted the job done.

     Psalms 78:72 "So he fed them according to the integrity of his
heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands."

     Remember, the anointing and the Spirit of God which came upon
David. David was successful at these jobs God had given him to do,
because God was working through David. Even though David sinned, he
loved God in his heart. He repented and God forgave him.
                             Questions 79

1.  The Egyptians were weighed in the balance and found _____.
2.  How many plagues were put on Egypt?
3.  Why did the smiting of the firstborn touch Pharaoh?
4.  What does the statement, tabernacles of Ham, mean?
5.  God's people went forth like _____.
6.  They were guided in the wilderness like a _____-.
7.  How many of the Israelites were there in Egypt, estimated?
8.  What is verse 53 speaking of?
9.  The border of God's sanctuary was where?
10. Who divided the territory for the Israelites?
11. What is the name of the mount in the holy land that is God's
    mountain?
12. Why was it not cruel for God to cast out the heathen?
13. How long was the holy land given to the 12 tribes of Israel?
14. Where, in the Bible, do we find the details of the dividing of the
    land?
15. What does verse 57 compare their unfaithfulness to?
16. What is a deceitful bow?
17. Where do we find the Scriptures that warn unfaithful Christians?
18. What had they provoked God to anger with?
19. Quote Exodus chapter 34 verse 14.
20. What does the word abhorred mean?
21. Where had God dwelt to be near His people?
22. What was His strength speaking of?
23. What was the ark?
24. Give the Scripture from 2 Chronicles chapter 2 verse 6.
25. Where is the Light of God?
26. Why would this Light leave the church?
27. How many Israelites lost their lives in the battle where the ark
    was lost to the enemy?
28. Who were the 2 sons of Eli who died in this battle?
29. Why were their maidens not given in marriage?
30. Why did the widows not make lamentation?
31. Was the Lord asleep?
32. What does the Scripture mean, smote them in their hinder part?
33. Who was the famous giant of the Philistines?
34. What does the author believe influenced the Lord to choose Judah
    over Joseph?
35. What is verse 69 speaking of prophetically?
36. What was David doing when God called him?
37. What happened to David when Samuel anointed him?
38. How was David {being untrained} able to do the work God had for
    him to do?
39. Even though David sinned, what was always right about him?
40. He repented and God _______ him.