Psalm 81-82 Not Just Worship

Psalm 81 was entitled “A Song For The Holiday” but it comes off as anything but cheerful.  God sent a special message that said:

“I took the load off their shoulders … When you were in trouble, you called, and I saved you … I tested you … My people, listen.  I am warning you … please listen to Me … open Your mouth and I will feed you.  But My people did not listen to me; they did not want me.  So I let them go their stubborn way and follow their own advice.  I wish My people would listen to Me; I wish they would live My way.  Then I would quickly defeat their enemies and turn My hand against their foes … I would give You the finest wheat and fill you with honey from the rocks.”

My commentary did a lot of explaining:

“It is delightful to sign praises to God and to pray, but if we want Him to listen to us, we must listen to him… Worship and service go together, and this means we must obey what the Lord commands and not have spiritual deafness … The greatest judgment God can send is to let people have their own way … When we disobey the Lord, not only do we feel the pain of His chastening, but we also miss out on the blessings He so desires to give us.  The Lord gave Israel water out of the rock, but He was prepared to give them honey out of the rocks (Deut 32:13).  He sent manna from heaven, but He would have given them the finest of wheat.  The word if is small, but it carries big consequences.”

Father, I don’t want to feel the pain of Your chastening, nor do I want to miss out on the blessings You have prepared for me.  Keep me from having spiritual deafness.  Don’t simply let me have my own way.  You love me more than I could ever love myself, so don’t let me, through my disobedience, shortchange myself of Your blessings by my own willfulness.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford