Psalm 81

Sing for Joy ...

 

To the Lord Our Strength

A Psalm of Asaph
           ¹     Sing for joy to God our strength—shout aloud to the God of Jacob
              ²     Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre.
              ³     Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full on the day of
                 our Feast—  
              ⁴    This is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
              ⁵     He established it as a statute for Joseph when he went out against Egypt, where
                 we heard a 
                 language we did not understand.
              ⁶     He says, “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free
                 from the basket.
               ⁷    In your distress you called and I rescued you—I answered you out of a 
                  thundercloud, I tested you at the waters of Meribah.                   Selah

8    “Hear, O my people and I will warn you—if you would but listen to me, O Israel!      

                ⁹     You shall have no foreign god among you. You shall not bow down to an alien god.

¹⁰     I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

¹¹     “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.

¹²     So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

¹³     “If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways,

¹⁴     how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!

¹⁵     Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.

¹⁶     But you will be fed with the finest of wheat—with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

PEOPLE DISOBEY GOD BECAUSE IT SEEMS BEST TO GET THEM WHERE THEY WANT TO GO

Sin deceives us into thinking that we can get what we want apart from God. What did Israel 

want? The comforts of life. It was a bad goal, but a common one among fallen, self-centered
people. God’s Word is clear that we should seek Him first and His kingdom of righteousness,
and He will take care of our comfort needs. But we often get it backwards and seek first our
own fulfillment. Fulfilled potential comes through walking in obedience to God.

God is waiting for us... we need to feel the longing of God’s heart in these verses. He takes no
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that we should turn from our own foolish ways

and live.  Psalm 81 is a lament 'over what might have been' for those who would not trust in the one true
God. God is the strength that protects the faithful—He is the righteous judge over those who put
other things of importance [our idols] before Him.    This is a wasted life. 

Think of the tremendous potential God puts in every life! Our life counts for whatever God’s
purpose is... for every person. It is sad to see a wasted life that refuses to abide in Him.
When we put trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, there is new hope:
— sins are washed away,
— we are a new creature in Jesus Christ,
— and living under the Lordship of Christ, God’s potential is unfolded.

The Apostle Paul is a good example, transformed from a life of hatred and violence into
the greatest missionary leader in the early church.

EVEN RELIGIOUS PEOPLE CAN DISOBEY GOD

The way to avoid a wasted life is to walk in obedience to the Lord. Even though Israel was
God’s chosen people, they continually sinned against Him. In the desert they quarreled with
Moses because of lack of water. But the real quarrel was not with Moses, but with God who was leading them on this journey to the promised land—their inheritance. He provided for them one miracle after another, and still they grumbled and failed to trust Him. 

And so many of us today do the same thing—we grumble about anything that does not go our
way. God has already accomplished the greatest miracle for us by saving us from the
bondage of sin. Yet we forget that He has promised to provide for our daily needs as well?
Complaining is really against God Himself.

WHAT IS THE RESULT?

The result is wasted potential.
God has said, “And I will give them over to the stubbornness of their own heart, to walk in their
own devices” (verse 81:12).     Nothing ... is more to be dreaded than this.   Paul tells us this in
Romans 1:18-32, how God gave wicked people over to their own lustful hearts.

As parents, when our children insist on having their own way, there comes a point when finally
we say, “O.K. Go ahead and do it, but you will pay the price.”  You know that it’s not for their good, but sometimes there is no other choice. The Israelites would not experience His
blessings—because of the stubbornness of many in that generation, they died without ever seeing the promised land.

At this point we need to ask an important question: Why did Israel want to disobey God? 

Why do we choose to disobey God?  If disobedience results in wasted lives, why do it?

Read Ezekiel 18.