Psalm 78:1-31
We have three days in Psalm 78, much of it a retelling of Israel’s history. The psalmist wants to impress upon the people two things – their history and God’s commandments given to them at Sinai. So much of Psalm 78 is history, from Exodus and Numbers, fully interspersed with calls to obedience to God’s commandments and Israel’s constant failures in that regard.
With this in mind, I read through today’s verses (1-31), a retelling of Exodus and Numbers events. When I got to the end I read ahead a bit to see where the psalmist was headed next. Sure enough, the “other shoe dropped”: In spite of all this they still sinned and did not believe in His wonderful works. (v. 32) This verse called to mind a New Testament verse: …a sow, after washing , returns to wallowing in the mire. (II Peter 2:22b) A picture of the essence of Israel’s history! Or maybe – our own histories…??!!