Psalm 81: Sing for Joy to God

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Psalm 81 Sing for Joy to God!

• Forest Hills Bible Chapel
• 8 June 2008

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Background to Psalm 81

• This Psalm comes from a joyous occasion, such as
  the Feast of Tabernacles, or the New Year, or
  Passover.

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Background to Psalm 81

• The Exodus was Gods redemption of His people.
  The giving of the Law of Moses followed that
  redemption.

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Background to Psalm 81

• The waters of Meribah see Exodus 171-7.

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Psalm 81Sing for joy to God!

• 1 Sing for joy to God our strength
• shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
• 2 Begin the music, strike the tambourine,
• play the melodious harp and lyre.
• 3 Sound the rams horn at the New Moon,
• and when the moon is full, on the day of our
  Feast

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Psalm 81Sing for joy to God!

• 4 this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of
  the God of Jacob.
• 5 He established it as a statute for Joseph
• when he went out against Egypt, where we heard
  a language we did not understand

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Psalm 81Sing for joy to God!

• 6 He says, I removed the burden from their
  shoulders their hands were set free from the
  basket.
• 7 In your distress you called and I rescued you,
  I answered you out of a thunder-cloud I tested
  you at the waters of Meribah.     Selah

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Psalm 81Sing for joy to God!

• 8 Hear, O my people, and I will warn you if you
  would but listen to me, O Israel!
• 9  You shall have no foreign god among you
• you shall not bow down to an alien god.
• 10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out
  of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill
  it.

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Psalm 81Sing for joy to God!

• 11 But my people would not listen to me
• Israel would not submit to me.
• 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
  to follow their own devices.

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Psalm 81Sing for joy to God!

• 13 If my people would but listen to me, if
  Israel would follow my ways,
• 14 how quickly would I subdue their enemies and
  turn my hand against their foes!
• 15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before
  him, and their punishment would last forever.
  16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat
  with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

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The Message of Psalm 81

• Sing for joy to the LORD who has redeemed us
  vv. 1-5
• Its okay to use musical instruments when singing
  praises to the Lord! ?
• The motivation for Gods people to praise His
  name he redeemed them from their enemy.

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The Message of Psalm 81

• God redeemed His people, but they grumbled
  against him vv. 6-7
• What is our response to Gods gracious redemption
  thankfulness, or grumbling?
• Like the people of Israel, we are forgetful and
  have very short memories.

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The Message of Psalm 81

• Gods warnings and Gods promises vv. 8-12.
• God reminds us to listen, not to have other
  gods, because He is the one who redeemed us.
• Open your mouth and I will fill it.
• God gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to
  follow their own devices! See Romans 124, 26, 28

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The Message of Psalm 81

• You can be sure your sin will find you out!
  Numbers 3223
• you can be sure that you will not escape the
  consequences of your sin. NAB
• you can be sure that your sin will track you
  down. The Message.

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The Message of Psalm 81

• Gods promises, and Gods invitation vv. 13-16.
• God calls on His people to listen to His voice
  and follow His ways.

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The Message of Psalm 81

• I call heaven and earth to witness against you
  today, that I have set before you life and death,
  blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that
  you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the
  LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast
  to him, for he is your life and length of days,
  that you may dwell in land that the LORD swore to
  your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
  to give them. Deut 3019-20