Psalms 78:1-72 - Exposition

The psalm is, as the title also declares, one of "instruction." It seeks to keep the people faithful to David and his house, and to check their tendency to place themselves under the leadership of the tribe of Ephraim, by recalling the whole course of God's dealings with Israel in the past, from the time of the sojourn in Egypt to the establishment of David's kingdom. It also seeks to keep them faithful to God, by showing how all their past calamities and sufferings had arisen out of their unfaithfulness ( Psalms 78:8 , Psalms 78:10 , Psalms 78:22 , Psalms 78:32 , Psalms 78:37 , etc.).

The psalm divides itself merely into a preface or introduction ( Psalms 78:1-8 ), and a continuous narrative ( Psalms 78:9-72 ).