Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 81

Something special happens when God’s people gather to worship Him in spirit and truth. In Psalm 81 the people have come to worship.

Psalm 81:1-3

Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!  Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.  Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.

As the people sang and praised God in remembering how He had rescued them, they began to hear His Word.

Psalm 81:6-7
“I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.  In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

As Christians, we can relate, for our God has delivered us from the bondage of sin. Yet, like Israel, we slip back into old ways and habits.

Psalm 81:8-10
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!  There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.  I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Israel had a problem with idols and so do we. Ours are things like money, possessions, sports, and even people. Peruse Facebook and you will see; many have set themselves up as an idol.

Psalm 81:11-12

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”

The primary problem in the Christian life is that we do not read the Bible. If we do, we twist it to say what we want it to say. God speaks through His Holy Word. Listen and obey.

Psalm 81:13-15
Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!  I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.  Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.

I believe God still looks upon us and says, “Oh, that my people would listen to me.”

Psalm 81:16
“But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Are you hungry? Are you so thirsty that you feel as if you cannot take another step? Then go to the rock. God gave Israel water from a rock. They could have had more; they could have had honey if they would have listened to Him and obeyed. Jesus is our rock. He will satisfy our hunger and our thirst. He will give us honey. Honey never rots or goes bad.

Go to the rock today, my friend. Go to Jesus and eat and drink.