Psalms 81
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Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
6 I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
15 The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 81:1-16
Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. Of Asaph.
1Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2Raise a song; sound the tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
3Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
4For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule of the God of Jacob.
5He made it a decree in Joseph
when he went out over the land of Egypt.
I hear a language I had not known:
6“I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7In 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
8Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11“But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
13Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14I would soon subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
15Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 81:1-16
Psalm 81
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of Asaph.
1Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
2Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
play the melodious harp and lyre.
3Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4this is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5When God went out against Egypt,
he established it as a statute for Joseph.
I heard an unknown voice say:
6“I removed the burden from their shoulders;
their hands were set free from the basket.
7In your distress you called and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not worship any god other than me.
10I 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.
12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
13“If my people would only listen to me,
if Israel would only follow my ways,
14how quickly I would subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!
15Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
and their punishment would last forever.
16But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
There is a beautiful promise nestled in today’s reading: “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!” (verse 13).
God longs to rescue us. Can you hear the longing in His tone? And even though the Israelites had rejected God, he still calls them “My people.” In Matthew 23:37 Jesus implored his people, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
Have you heard the voice of Jesus imploring you to allow him to share your life? To comfort you and protect you, much like a mother hen cares for her chicks? Jesus often refers to himself as our caretaker. He calls himself, “The good Shepherd.” He says, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.”
Chicks. Lambs. Reminders that Jesus wants to protect and cherish you. He longs to hold you close to Him, and to stand between you and your foes.
Kimberly Bobenhausen
Southern Adventist University, Tennessee USA (as of this writing)
