43 How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;
44 So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.
45 He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.
46 He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.
47 He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.
48 Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.
49 He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.
50 He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease.
51 He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;
52 But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.
53 He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.
54 And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;
55 Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place.
56 But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;
57 Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.
58 They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.
59 When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;
60 So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;
61 And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.
62 He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.
63 Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.
64 Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.
65 Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.
66 His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.
67 And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.
69 And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.
70 He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;
71 From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.
72 So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 78
Commentary on Psalms 78 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 78
This psalm is historical; it is a narrative of the great mercies God had bestowed upon Israel, the great sins wherewith they had provoked him, and the many tokens of his displeasure they had been under for their sins. The psalmist began, in the foregoing psalm, to relate God's wonders of old, for his own encouragement in a difficult time; there he broke off abruptly, but here resumes the subject, for the edification of the church, and enlarges much upon it, showing not only how good God had been to them, which was an earnest of further finishing mercy, but how basely they had conducted themselves towards God, which justified him in correcting them as he did at this time, and forbade all complaints. Here is,
As the general scope of this psalm may be of use to us in the singing of it, to put us upon recollecting what God has done for us and for his church formerly, and what we have done against him, so the particulars also may be of use to us, for warning against those sins of unbelief and ingratitude which Israel of old was notoriously guilty of, and the record of which was preserved for our learning. "These things happened unto them for ensamples,' 1 Co. 10:11; Heb. 4:11.
Maschil of Asaph.
Psa 78:1-8
These verses, which contain the preface to this history, show that the psalm answers the title; it is indeed Maschil-a psalm to give instruction; if we receive not the instruction it gives, it is our own fault. Here,
Psa 78:9-39
In these verses,
Psa 78:40-72
The matter and scope of this paragraph are the same with the former, showing what great mercies God had bestowed upon Israel, how provoking they had been, what judgments he had brought upon them for their sins, and yet how, in judgment, he remembered mercy at last. Let not those that receive mercy from God be thereby emboldened to sin, for the mercies they receive will aggravate their sin and hasten the punishment of it; yet let not those that are under divine rebukes for sin be discouraged from repentance, for their punishments are means of repentance, and shall not prevent the mercy God has yet in store for them. Observe,