Salmos 78

Tell the Coming Generation

A Maskil#78:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of #Ps. 50, title Asaph.

1 *[Isa. 51:4]; See Ps. 49:1; 50:7Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

2 *Cited Matt. 13:35;See Ps. 49:4I will open my mouth *[Num. 21:27]in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

3 things that we have heard and known,

that our *See Ps. 44:1fathers have told us.

4 We will not *Job 15:18hide them from their children,

but *[Ex. 12:26,27;13:8,14;Deut. 11:19;Josh. 4:6,7;Joel 1:3] tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

and *ver. 11, 32the wonders that he has done.

5 He established *Ps. 19:7;[Ps. 81:5] a testimony in *Ps. 147:19Jacob

and appointed a law in *Ps. 147:19Israel,

which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

6 that *ver. 4;Ps. 102:18the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget *Ps. 77:12the works of God,

but *Ps. 105:45keep his commandments;

8 and that they should not be *2 Kgs. 17:14;2 Chr. 30:7;Ezek. 20:18like their fathers,

*Ex. 32:9;33:3;Deut. 9:7,24;31:27;Jer. 5:23a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation *ver. 37;Job 11:13whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The Ephraimites, armed with*78:9 Hebrew armed and shooting the bow,

*ver. 57turned back on the day of battle.

10 They *[2 Kgs. 17:15]did not keep God’s covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law.

11 They *See Ps. 106:13forgot his works

and *ver. 4the wonders that he had shown them.

12 In the sight of their fathers *ver. 43;See Ex. 7–12;Ps. 72:18he performed wonders

in the land of Egypt, in *ver. 43;Num. 13:22;Isa. 19:11,13;Ezek. 30:14the fields of Zoan.

13 He *Ps. 136:13;Ex. 14:21divided the sea and let them pass through it,

and made the waters *Ex. 15:8stand like a heap.

14 *See Ps. 105:39In the daytime he led them with a cloud,

and all the night with a fiery light.

15 He *ver. 20;Ps. 105:41;114:8;Ex. 17:6;Isa. 48:21split rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

16 He made streams come out of *Num. 20:8,10,11the rock

and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him,

*ver. 40, 56;Deut. 9:22;Isa. 63:10rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18 They *ver. 41, 56;Ps. 95:9;106:14;Deut. 6:16;1 Cor. 10:9tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

19 They spoke against God, saying,

*[Ex. 16:3;Num. 11:4;20:3;21:5] "Can God *See Ps. 23:5spread a table in the wilderness?

20 *ver. 15, 16He struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?"

21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;

*Num. 11:1a fire was kindled against Jacob;

his anger rose against Israel,

22 because they *ver. 8, 32, 37did not believe in God

and did not trust his saving power.

23 Yet he commanded the skies above

and *Gen. 7:11;[Mal. 3:10]opened the doors of heaven,

24 and he *Ex. 16:4rained down on them manna to eat

and gave them *Ps. 105:40;[John 6:31]the grain of heaven.

25 Man ate of the bread of *Ps. 103:20the angels;

he sent them food *[ver. 29]in abundance.

26 He *Num. 11:31caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,

and by his power he led out the south wind;

27 he rained meat on them like *[Gen. 13:16] dust,

winged birds like *[Gen. 22:17]the sand of the seas;

28 he *Ex. 16:13;Num. 11:31let them fall in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings.

29 And they *Num. 11:19,20ate and were well filled,

for he gave them what they *Num. 11:4,34craved.

30 But before they had satisfied their craving,

*Num. 11:33;[Job 20:23]while the food was still in their mouths,

31 the anger of God rose against them,

and he killed *Isa. 10:16the strongest of them

and laid low *ver. 63the young men of Israel.

32 In spite of all this, they *See Num. 14;16;17still sinned;

*ver. 22;Num. 14:11despite his wonders, they did not believe.

33 So he made *Num. 14:29,35;26:64,65their days *Ps. 39:5vanish like*78:33 Hebrew in a breath,*78:33 Or vapor

and their years in terror.

34 When he killed them, they *Hos. 5:15sought him;

they repented and sought God earnestly.

35 They remembered that God was their *Deut. 32:4,15,31rock,

the Most High God their *Ex. 15:13;See Ps. 74:2redeemer.

36 But they *Isa. 29:13;Ezek. 33:31flattered him with their mouths;

they *Isa. 57:11lied to him with their tongues.

37 Their *ver. 8heart was not *Ps. 51:10steadfast toward him;

they were not faithful to his covenant.

38 Yet he, being *Ex. 34:6compassionate,

*Num. 14:20atoned for their iniquity

and did not destroy them;

he restrained his anger often

and did not stir up all his wrath.

39 He *[Ps. 103:14;Job 10:9] remembered that they were but *Gen. 6:3flesh,

*Job 7:7a wind that passes and comes not again.

40 How often they *ver. 17, 56;Ps. 107:11rebelled against him in the wilderness

and *[Eph. 4:30] grieved him in *Ps. 106:14the desert!

41 They *See ver. 18tested God again and again

and provoked *See Ps. 71:22the Holy One of Israel.

42 They *Judg. 8:34did not remember his power*78:42 Hebrew hand

or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,

43 *For ver. 43-51, see Ps. 105:27-36when he performed his *Ex. 7:3;[Ps. 106:22]; Acts 7:36signs in Egypt

and his *Ex. 4:21;11:9,10marvels in *See ver. 12the fields of Zoan.

44 He *See Ex. 7:17-24turned their rivers to blood,

so that they could not drink of their streams.

45 He sent among them swarms of *See Ex. 8:21-24flies, which devoured them,

and *See Ex. 8:2-14frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He gave their crops to *See Ex. 10:12-15the destroying locust

and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with *See Ex. 9:23-25hail

and their sycamores with frost.

48 He gave over their *See Ex. 9:19-21cattle to the hail

and their flocks to thunderbolts.

49 He let loose on them his burning anger,

wrath, indignation, and distress,

a company of *Ex. 12:13,23;[2 Sam. 24:16]destroying angels.

50 He made a path for his anger;

he did not spare them from death,

but gave their lives over to the plague.

51 He struck down every *Ex. 12:29;[Ps. 105:36;135:8;136:10] firstborn in Egypt,

the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of *Ps. 105:23,27;106:22Ham.

52 Then he led out his people *See Ps. 77:20like sheep

and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 *[Ex. 14:19,20] He led them in safety, so that they *[Ex. 14:13] were not afraid,

but *Ex. 14:27,28;15:10the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 And he brought them to his *Ex. 15:17holy land,

*Isa. 11:9;57:13;[Ps. 68:16] to the mountain which his right hand had *Ps. 74:2won.

55 He *See Ps. 44:2drove out nations before them;

he *Josh. 23:4;[Ps. 135:12;136:21,22;Acts 13:19]apportioned them for a possession

and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56 Yet they *ver. 18;Judg. 2:11,12tested and *ver. 40rebelled against the Most High God

and did not keep his testimonies,

57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;

they twisted like *Hos. 7:16;[ver. 9]a deceitful bow.

58 For they *Deut. 31:29provoked him to anger with their *Lev. 26:30;Deut. 12:2;1 Kgs. 11:7;12:31;Ezek. 20:28high places;

they *Num. 25:11;Deut. 32:16,21;Judg. 2:12moved him to jealousy with their *Deut. 7:5,25;12:3idols.

59 When God heard, he was full of *ver. 62;Ps. 106:40;Deut. 3:26wrath,

and he utterly rejected Israel.

60 He *1 Sam. 4:11;Jer. 7:12,14;26:6forsook his dwelling at *Josh. 18:1Shiloh,

the tent where he dwelt among mankind,

61 and delivered his *Ps. 132:8;[Ps. 63:2;96:6] power to captivity,

his *[1 Sam. 4:21]glory to the hand of the foe.

62 He *[1 Sam. 4:10] gave his people over to the sword

and *ver. 59vented his wrath on his heritage.

63 *[Ps. 79:5;89:46] Fire devoured their young men,

and their young women had no *[Jer. 7:34]marriage song.

64 Their *1 Sam. 4:11priests fell by the sword,

and their *Job 27:15widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the Lord *Ps. 73:20;See Ps. 35:23awoke as from sleep,

like a strong man shouting because of wine.

66 And he *[Ps. 40:14]put his adversaries to rout;

he put them to everlasting shame.

67 He rejected the tent of *Ps. 80:1;81:5Joseph;

he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which he *Ps. 87:2loves.

69 He *See 1 Kgs. 6built his sanctuary like the high heavens,

like the earth, which he has founded forever.

70 He *1 Sam. 16:12,13chose David his servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

71 from *2 Sam. 7:8following the nursing ewes he brought him

to *2 Sam. 5:2;[Ps. 28:9] shepherd Jacob his people,

Israel his *1 Sam. 10:1inheritance.

72 With *Ps. 101:2;1 Kgs. 9:4upright heart he shepherded them

and *[Ps. 77:20]guided them with his skillful hand.