Pray and ask God to open your heart to His Word and to
reveal His plan of forgiveness.
Yesterday, we learned from the first verses of Psalm 78 that
we are to teach our children about the Lord, just as He teaches us. The Israelites were commanded to do this so
they would not make the mistakes of their forefathers who were continually in
trouble for not obeying God. Today, we
continue with Asaph’s list of Israel’s sins.
Picking up in verses 17-20, we see that the Israelites
continued to sin against God by complaining rather than trusting God to provide
food and water. Read about five
different instances in the following references: Exodus 15:22-25, 27; Exodus 16:1-18; Exodus
17:1-7; Numbers 20:2-11; Numbers 21:4-5.
Each time the people of Israel complained, God met their need. Yet they complained again the next time. Verses 21-22 tell us that God was angered by
their complaining. Compare these two
verses with Numbers 11:1-3. It is God’s
will that we learn to trust Him daily for our needs…something Jesus also taught
us in His Sermon on the Mount. Read
Matthew 6:11, 25-27, 34.
Verses 23-29 tell us that, though God was angry with them,
He met their needs by sending manna from Heaven and quail. Verse 25 tells us this manna was the bread of
angels and that God provided all the food they could eat. Yet, in spite of this wonderful provision,
they still continued to complain rather than trust Him. Verses 30-31 tell us again of God’s
anger. Read His judgment against them in
Numbers 21:6-9. Notice that in both
Numbers 11:1-3 and Numbers 21:6-9 God did not provide only judgment. He also provided forgiveness for those who
sought it. This is another glimpse of
the Lord Jesus in this Psalm.
Verses 32-39 tell us that in spite of all this, they still
kept sinning in unbelief. A cycle of
sin, judgment, repentance and forgiveness began which continued through the
years. Read verses 36-37 and describe
their sinful nature. Why did God
continue to forgive them? Compare verses
38-39 with Exodus 34:6 and II Peter 3:9.
God understands that we are born in sinful flesh, but it is God’s desire
for all to come to repentance. Write
verse 35 in your journal.
We get an idea of the frequency of their sins in verses
40-41. What effect did this continual
sin have on God? Read verses 42-43 and
identify the reason for Israel’s sin.
Asaph again begins a list of God’s displays of power that were forgotten
by His people. Review these works of God
in the following references:
v44 –
Exodus 7:20-21
v45 – Exodus
8:24, 6
v46 –
Exodus 10:13-15
v47-48 –
Exodus 9:23-26
v49-51 –
Exodus 12:29-30
v52 – Exodus
12:31-36
v53 –
Exodus 13:21-22, 14:21-28
v54-55 - Joshua 1:1-6
What can be learned from the lessons recounted in Psalm 78
about God’s forgiveness? We know that as
humans, we are caught in a cycle of sin and forgiveness. God understands this is our nature. Yet He has provided a way for lasting
redemption through His Son Jesus Christ.
God wants to forgive us but we must call on Him and repent.
Responding to God: Are you guilty of not remembering God’s power
or our redemption? Stop now and ask God
to prevent you falling into this trap. Repent
now, asking forgiveness for any complaining spirit within you and thanking Him
for His daily provision. Commit to
memorizing Psalm 78:35 this week.
Record in your journal ways that God has spoken to you
today.
Further Research: If you would like to learn more about the
significance of manna, use a concordance or online Bible to find all
occurrences of the word manna in the Bible.
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