Salmos 78:1-8

WARNINGS BASED ON THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL'S REBELLIONS

"The history of Israel is here recapitulated from the leading forth out of Egypt through the time of the Judges down to David, with the practical application for that age (and all ages) that they should cleave faithfully to Jahve, more faithfully than the rebellious generation of their fathers."[1]

In my commentaries on the Pentateuch and Joshua, I discussed in full many of the historical events mentioned in this chapter, and I shall pass over those events briefly in this study.

Many scholars have commented upon the repeated apostasies of Israel throughout its history, a summary of many of these apostasies appearing in this very psalm. Typical of the comments is this one by Maclaren:

"The history of Israel has been one long succession of miracles of mercy, met by equally continuous ingratitude, which has ever been punished by national calamities."[2]

The purpose of this psalm was stated thus by Miller: (1) "Israel is warned not to follow the past pattern of sins as seen in their ancestors (Psalms 78:1-4); and (2) the current generation was warned to provide adequate instruction and guidance to the next generation (Psalms 78:5-8)."[3]

In the commentaries that I have examined, there are two gross errors which should be avoided:

(1) The first of these is the late-dating of this psalm, which, as may be judged by the abrupt ending of it in the reign of David, which was the climax of the rejection of Ephraimitic leadership and the location of the tabernacle at Shiloh (in Ephraim's territory), positively locates the date of it during the reign of David, not afterward.

Psalms 78:9 has been misunderstood, and has been used by some to date the psalm in the days of the divided kingdom. This was the view of Barnes: "The psalm was evidently written after the revolt of the ten tribes, as indicated in Psalms 78:9 where Ephraim is distinguished from Judah."[4] However, Delitzsch warned that the glimpse of the divided kingdom which some find here, "Is capriciously imagined to be in the verse ... The alienation and jealousy between Ephraim and Judah is older than the rupture of the kingdom."[5] Besides that, this psalm was written by Asaph, a contemporary of David.

(2) The other error was stated thus by McCullough: "This psalm uses some of the old traditions ... to teach a religious lesson."[6] This is incorrect, because the palmist's source was not "old traditions," but the written record of the Pentateuch, Joshua, etc. As Delitzsch stated it: "The psalmist here keeps very close to the Torah in his reference to the history of the Exodus, in fact, so close that he must have had it before him in the entirety of its several parts."[7] The foolish canard of the radical critics who deny the mid-fifteenth century B.C. date of the Book of Moses (all five books) is the sole basis for such a comment as that of McCullough.

McCullough's weak efforts to deny the Pentateuchal source of this psalm pointed out that only "six of the ten plagues of Egypt were mentioned."[8] What kind of "proof" is that!

McCaw called this psalm, "One of the four great national Hymns of Israel,"[9] along with Psalms 105; Psalms 106; and Psalms 136.

We shall follow the paragraphing suggested by Leupold.

Psalms 78:1-8

THE PURPOSE OF THE PSALM

"Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old. Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.

We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers,

That they should make them known to their children; That the generations that come might know them, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell them to their children, That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God,

But keep his commandments, And might not be as their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that set not their heart aright, And whose spirit was not steadfast with God."

"Give ear unto my law" (Psalms 78:1). This is a reference to the Torah, the five books of Moses, continually referred to throughout the entire Old Testament as God's "law."

"I will open my mouth in a parable" (Psalms 78:2). Matthew 13:34 quotes the first two verses here as follows: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter the things hidden from the foundation of the world.

That reference makes these verses a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ's using parables as a principal device in his teachings.

We have already noted that the two principal purposes of the psalm are: (1) to give a warning to Israel against their continuing in the unbelieving and rebellious patterns of conduct established by their forefathers; and (2) to provide adequate instruction for the children of each generation. These are evident enough in these verses.

"But keep his commandments" (Psalms 78:7). This is proof enough that the "law" of God mentioned in verse 1 is indeed the Torah, containing the commandments of God.

"They should make them known to their children" (Psalms 78:5-6). This admonition is based upon the classic passage in Deuteronomy 6:6-9. God absolutely requires of believing parents that they should, indeed must, teach their children the way of truth and use every possible influence to persuade them to walk in it.

The silliest and most satanic attitude we have ever encountered in Christian parents is this, "Oh well, we are going to let Johnny make up his own mind!" Indeed, indeed, that is exactly what the Devil would have Christian parents do. If only Satan would be so neutral! The Evil One will exert every pressure possible to persuade children to forsake the faith and wallow in licentiousness.

If Christian parents will only stay out of the situation regarding their child's obedience of the gospel, Satan will almost certainly accomplish his purpose. As Kidner stated it, "The Scriptures have no room for parental neutrality."[10]