Generous Living – Psalm 81
There are a number of passages in the New Testament, as well as the Old Testament, which talk about the riches of God. To give just one example, in Philippians 4:19, Paul writes: “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
God has not changed nor have the needs of man changed. In this lesson, we will consider Psalm 81 and the “generous living” that is ours to enjoy, if we will obey the word of God.
THE CALL TO PRAISE (Rejoice!) – STANZA 1 (vss 1-5):
Strophe 1 (vss 1-3): These verses suggests that the immediate context of the psalm is the Feast of Tabernacles. Yes, even today, God calls on us to worship Him, to come into His presence and reflect on His goodness, His kindness, His love, His grace.
Strophe 2 (vss 4-5): The “God of Jacob” phrase takes us back to the time when Jacob went down into Egypt and God promised him that He would be with him (Gen. 46:1-4). It is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1-4) that guides us into God’s presence and we, too, ought to be thankful for this word.
GOD IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED (Remember!) – STANZA 2 (vss 6-10):
Strophe 1 (vss 6-7): The burden refers to Israel’s time in Egypt and the “basket” may refer to their brick-making. Compare Jesus’ call to rest in Matt. 11:28-30.
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WHAT ISRAEL MISSED FOR NOT PRAISING (Repent!) – STANZA 3 (vss 11-16):
Strophe 1 (vss 11-12): God will allow man to believe what he wants to believe and practice what he wants to practice. He’ll just have to pay the price for his selfish choices – Rom. 1:18, 24, 26, 28.
Strophe 2 (vss 13-14): This strophe is about repentance. If Israel would leave the state they were in in verses 11-12, God will again bless them as He had promised before. If we fall into sin, God will reach His hand out to us and invite us to return to Him (1 John 1:7-9).
Strophe 3 (vss 15-16): These are the blessings God will provide to those who listen to and obey His voice (Deut. 32:13-14). This storehouse of riches God wishes to pour out on us are just waiting for us to come to Him and put our trust in Him, obeying His commands.
John Greenleaf Whittier wrote these words: “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’” Those words sadly describe many Christians who have, like Israel, turned their back on the God of their salvation.
We ought to worship God for who He is and obey Him so we might enjoy all of His bounteous gifts He has to share with us.
–Paul Holland
