Psalm 78 has 72 verses and is the second longest Psalm in the book of Psalms, with
Psalm 119 being the longest with 176 verses. Psalm 78 is called a “History
Psalm” along with Psalms 105, 106, 114, 135, and 136. The German philosopher
Hegel said that the one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from
history. If you study the Bible and church history, you discover that God's people
make that same mistake. As Asaph reviewed the history of his people, he saw a
sad record of forgetfulness, faithlessness, foolishness, and failure, and he
sought to understand what it all meant.
Remember there are eleven Psalms (73-83), that are grouped together written by a man
named Asaph. As we have already learned, not all these men were the same
person. We know there was an Asaph in David’s time, one in Isaiah and King
Hezekiah’s time, and one that was later in the prophet Jeremiah’s time. Many Bible
scholars believe that there is strong indication from the passage the Asaph who
wrote Psalm 78 lived and wrote in Isaiah and Hezekiah’s time.
"Ephraim" in verse 9 probably refers, not to the tribe, but to the Northern Kingdom
(Israel) that had split from Judah and Benjamin when Rehoboam became king (1
Kings 12). The leaders of Israel abandoned the faith of their fathers and
established a religion of their own making, while the people of Judah sought to
be faithful to the Lord.
In this Psalm, it is also possible that Asaph wanted to convey a message to the Northern
Kingdom, an invitation, perhaps, for them to come to Jerusalem and reunite
again with Judah. It appears that Asaph made a careful avoidance of events
after the days of the judges and David, events which would only irritate the
people whose loyalty he was seeking to win. No reference is made either to Saul
because the kingdom had been taken away from him, or to Solomon, because it was
his oppression which had driven the northerners to rebellion in the first
place. Asaph finds his illustrations in the earlier history of Israel before
the division of the kingdom.
In this Psalm, Asaph warned the people of Judah not to imitate their faithless
ancestors or their idolatrous neighbors and disobey the Lord. He admonished
them to know the Scriptures and teach them to their children. Judah had the
temple on Mt. Zion, the covenants, the priesthood, and the Davidic dynasty, and
all this could be lost in one generation (see Judg. 2). Since Israel is a
covenant nation, she has the responsibility of obeying and honoring the Lord,
and this Psalm presents three responsibilities God expected His people to
fulfill.
The title tells us that this is a “Maschil” Psalm, written for instruction, its
great purpose being to hammer home to the conscience of the people of God the
lessons of the past. The message of this Psalm is crystal clear. It speaks with
authority and has a relevant message to the people of God. We ignore the voice
and testimony of history at our peril. God has always involved Himself in human
history, and He always will. The past is the great interpreter of the present
and the great safeguard of the future.
Today, we must remember that these “History Psalms” were written for us! In 1
Corinthians 10, Paul recounts the history of the failures of Israel under
Moses’ leadership. Then he says to us: “Now all these things happened to
them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11).
May the Lord help us to be careful and remain faithful in these last days of the
church age!
God bless!
