Psalm 78

1. Although it is 72 verses in length, this psalm is very simple to present in this “devotional” format. The reason is simple: a vast majority of the verses is simply a poetic recitation of Israel’s history. While we could find devotional thoughts in these stories, that’s not the point of this long poem of Asaph. Because that is the case, there are very few entries in this post. This is not a cop-out; it is, rather, meant to focus your attention on the history.

2. However, there is a lesson to be learned in the listing of all this history. Verses 1-11 are a call to the Israelites to listen to this history. Why? Because of Who God is! He has done all these great and marvelous things in the history of God’s people, so they should show proper homage and listen to this recitation. These verses could be used as the basis for a class or sermon on reasons why we should listen to the words of the Old Testament. It’s not because are under the Old Law, it is because of the God Who gave it!

3. For your own study, this history can be divided into three different sections. I once preached this outline and got many compliments on making this long section of scripture helpful. The three points come from The Outline Bible.

• Israel’s Rebellion (verses 8-12, 17-20, 22, 34-37, 40-41, 43, 56-58)
• Israel’s Retribution from God (21, 30-31, 33-35, 59-64, 67)
• Israel’s Redeption from God (13-16, 23-39, 38-55, 65-66, 68-72)

While I know this may seem like a short post for such a long psalm, the psalm is quite simple to understand, and our focus should remain on the God Who led His people throughout these amazing stories.