Embrace the Word for Wednesday, June 17, 2026

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Psalm 78 traces the history of the relationship between the LORD and Israel. There are over a half dozen Psalms in the Psalter that provide insight into Israel’s history, but Psalm 78 is the longest. In fact, Psalm 78 is second only to Psalm 119 in length. The superscription for Psalm 78 is brief: “A Maskil of Asaph.” The intent of tracing Israel’s history is to offer an opportunity for gaining wisdom. Psalm 78 shares several links with Psalm 77. Both Psalms use the vocabulary of “power” or “might” (77:14; 78:28), as well as “Most High” (77:10; 78:17,35,36), and “right hand” (77:10; 78:54). Each Psalm incorporates the Exodus from Egypt (77:11-20; 78:11-72), as a part of the need to remember the LORD’s wondrous deeds (77:11-12,16-20; 78:4,7,11,12,32,43). Both Psalms speak of the need for the LORD’s people to be shepherded (77:20; 78:52,70-72). Psalm 78 begins and ends with a focus on Ephraim and their rejection (78:1-11,56-72), and in between these two segments, there is a retelling of Israel’s history with a focus on their pattern of testing the LORD and rebelling against Him (78:12-55).

Psalm 78 opens with a call: “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!” (78:1). Interestingly, Psalm 78 and Psalm 77 begin with the same terms, but with a different subject. Whereas Psalm 77 begins with Asaph, speaking on behalf of Israel, asking the LORD to hear him, Psalm 78 begins with Asaph, speaking on behalf of the LORD, directing Israel to hear him. Asaph seeks to retrieve Israel’s past for the benefit of their present: “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us” (78:2-3). Through narrating Israel’s history, particularly summarizing what is more fully developed in Books such as Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and Samuel, Asaph seeks to make a point to the present generation of Israel, in a way much like a parable. As Israel was directed to do, Asaph will recount their history so that one generation will spur another generation to remember the LORD’s faithfulness and honor the LORD as faithful: “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done” (78:4). Asaph uses Psalm 78, in part, to counter any charge that the LORD has forgotten His people, which Psalm 77 entertained: “Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” (See Psalm 77:9). Asaph will show that God had not forgotten Israel, but Israel had forgotten God over and over again. What has provoked the LORD, who is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, to anger, was Israel’s persistent sins of testing the LORD and rebelling against Him.

Asaph explains that the LORD had provided His Word to Israel: “He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children” (78:5-6). The terms “testimony” and “law” are meant to convey the notion that the LORD has given in His Word a range of vital instructions that explain not only what the LORD has done for Israel, but also how Israel was to live. One generation was to know and obey the Word of the LORD and then pass it on to the next generation. This arrangement was explained in the Word itself: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (See Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Asaph explains the desired outcome behind the LORD giving His Word to Israel: “so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God” (77:7-8). The intent of God’s Word is to stir in the hearts of the people and alter their hearts so that Israel would put their hope in God, not forgetting the LORD, but obeying Him. The concern that Asaph expresses is that Israel would continue to possess hearts that would not love the LORD, and display such through their faithlessness. Asaph warns of the tragedy of a stubbornness toward God and rebellion against Him.

Asaph offers an example of stubborn rebellion, that is an unbelieving refusal to seek and submit to the LORD: “The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law. They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them” (77:9-11). The Ephraimites were put forward as a portrait of stubborn rebellion. The selection of Ephraim is not necessarily meant to suggest that they were the only Israelites who were unfaithful; but the name did become a symbol of unbelief in significant ways. Ephraim become one of the twelve tribes of Israel who received an allotment of land. Ephraim along with Manasseh were actually sons of Joseph, thus grandsons of Jacob. Jacob spoke a special blessing over Ephraim (See Genesis 48:14-16). The tribe of Ephraim was a dominant tribe and would come to be counted among the northern tribes who were to break away from Davidic Kingship. Even before that, Ephraim was a tribe that was slow to recognize David as king (See 2 Samuel 2:8-10). In fact, Jeroboam, the first king of the breakaway northern kingdom, and who led them astray with the worship of golden calves (1 Kings 11:26-12:33), was from the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim was a model of unbelief, idolatry, and disobedience. The Prophet Hosea would bring Ephraim into special focus: “Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone. When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame. A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices” (See Hosea 4:17-19).

Asaph turns from pointing out Israel’s stubborn rebellion to provide a historical survey of Israel’s history. This segment of Psalm 78 stretches from verse 12 to verse 55 as Asaph traces the LORD’s faithfulness alongside of Israel’s unfaithfulness starting with the Exodus from Egypt (78:12) through the parting of the Red Sea (78:13-14) into the wilderness (78:15-16) and beyond. All throughout this segment, the LORD’s hand of protection and provision is recounted, while Israel’s posture is exposed: “Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They tested God in their heart” (78:17-18a). Yet Asaph continues recounting the provision of quail and manna (78:18b-20). The LORD both disciplined Israel (78:21-22), while sustaining them (78:23-29); and sometimes He did both at the same time (78:30-31). And while Israel at times seemed to repent in light of the LORD’s discipline and nourishment, it would prove to be disingenuous: “But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant” (78:36-37). Even still, the LORD preserved them: “Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh” (78:38-39a).

Asaph doubles back on his brief history review and restates the contrast between the LORD’s faithfulness and Israel’s unfaithfulness. The retelling starts with a repeat of Israel’s basic posture: “How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel” (78:40-41). As Asaph returns to the Exodus and how the power of God was displayed through the plagues but also in how He enabled Israel to be victorious in possessing the Promised Land (78:44-55), Israel tragically forgot what the LORD had done for them: “They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan” (78:42-43).

With Israel in the Promised Land, Asaph seems to begin his switch back to his focus on Ephraim as a symbol of stubborn rebellion: “Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols” (78:56-58). Once again the terms “tested” and “rebelled” provide the summary. While this summary pertains to Israel, the phrases “did not keep his testimonies” and “deceitful bow” (78:56,57) recalls what Asaph had said earlier about Ephraim (78:9-10). Even the reference to Shiloh, a city in the land of Ephraim that once possessed the Ark of the Covenant (See 1 Samuel 1-3), emphasizes the stubborn rebellion of Ephraim: “When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe” (78:59-61).

Asaph moves toward his conclusion by underscoring that while Ephraim would be rejected, Judah would be preserved: “He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves” (78:67-68). Though great blessing came to Joseph’s son Ephraim, even greater blessings would come through Judah, even as Jacob prophesied: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (See Genesis 49:10). The Temple would be built in Zion: “He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever” (78:69). Moreover, the LORD’s covenant with David would remain: “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand” (78:70-72). Psalm 77 ended with Moses and Aaron’s ministry. Psalm 78 ends with a new shepherd, David. Israel’s heart was not steadfast and thus, they sinned again and again, from generation to generation. But David’s heart was upright, and he points beyond himself to his descendant who would rule forever: “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (See 2 Samuel 7:12-13).

As we reflect on Psalm 78, we can consider how a verse from Psalm 78 speaks of Jesus’ ministry. Matthew’s gospel account records the fact that Jesus used parables as well as to why He used them: “Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (See Matthew 13:10-11). Then Matthew adds a quote from Psalm 78 to emphasize that Jesus spoke in parables: “All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world” (See Matthew 13:34-35, quoting Psalm 78:2-3). What Asaph was doing in Psalm 78, Jesus did through parables. Psalm 78 stresses that Israel was required to remember what the Scriptures recorded concerning God’s mighty acts on their behalf. Forgetting, or failure to remember is rooted in a heart of unbelief, “Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant” (78:37). A heart of unbelief results in and/or evidences itself through a life of stubborn rebellion. Jesus’ parables speak to the same matters of the heart: “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (See Matthew 13:23). A good soil is a heart that receives God’s Word and in believing it bears fruit. In contrast, an unbelieving heart is one that does not have the seed of God’s Word sown into it, but the seed of the serpent: “He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away” (See Matthew 13:24-25).  At the judgment, such seeds sown in to the heart by Satan will be separated from hearts sown with the Word: “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn” (See Matthew 13:30b).

That’s all for Embrace the Word for Wednesday, June 17, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Friday, June 19, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 79.