Psalm 78:7-10

Psalm 78:7-10

7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The Ephraimites, armed with[b] the bow,
turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.

This psalm recounts the history of Israel from its deliverance from Egypt to the kingship of David. Its negative lesson is that this history not be repeated in the lives of the listeners (verse 8). The positive lesson is that believers be marked by true faith (verse 7). We should not just know the truth about who God is (verse 7) but must trust him from the heart (verses 7 and 8) and show this saving faith through a changed life of obedience (verse 7). Throughout history, many have honored God with external behavior but failed to have converted hearts (Isaiah 29:13; Jeremiah 4:4). Are you just going through the motions of religion, or have you been born again (John 3:1–16)? 

Prayer:

Lord, I can obey you dutifully, but that will not satisfy you. 

You want my heart. But like Paul, I see impulses within me that resist you.

Replace my still-stony heart with a heart of flesh. Help me love you and want you. Amen.

 The “men of Ephraim” are the northern tribes of Israel (verses 9–10) that fell into idolatry (1 Kings 12) and were deported and lost to history (2 Kings 17). The root of their problem was spiritual forgetting (verse 11). Christians too can stagnate because they “forget that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (2 Peter 1:9). The key is to have a heart constantly vitalized by deliberate remembering of the costly sacrifice of Jesus. We must remember that for our sins Jesus was, as it were, forgotten (“Why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46) so that God can now no more forget us than a mother her nursing infant (Isaiah 49:14–16). Remembering that will make you a great heart. 

Prayer: 

Lord, I worry because I forget your wisdom, 

I resent because I forget your mercy, 

I covet because I forget your beauty, 

I sin because I forget your holiness, 

I fear because I forget your sovereignty. 

You always remember me; help me to always remember you. Amen.

The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms - Keller (p. 184-5).