Reflections on Psalm 81

Psalm 81 (Contemporary English Version)

1. (By Asaph for the music leader.) Be happy and shout to God who makes us strong! Shout praises to the God of Jacob.
   
2. Sing as you play tambourines and the lovely sounding stringed instruments.
   
3. Sound the trumpets and start the New Moon Festival. We must also celebrate when the moon is full.
   
4. This is the law in Israel, and it was given to us by the God of Jacob.
   
5. The descendants of Joseph were told to obey it, when God led them out from the land of Egypt. In a language unknown to me, I heard someone say:
   
6. "I lifted the burden from your shoulder and took the heavy basket from your hands.
   
7. When you were in trouble, I rescued you, and from the thunderclouds, I answered your prayers. Later I tested you at Meribah Spring.
   
8. "Listen, my people, while I, the Lord, correct you! Israel, if you would only pay attention to me!
   
9. Don't worship foreign gods or bow down to gods you know nothing about.
   
10. I am the LORD your God. I rescued you from Egypt. Just ask, and I will give you whatever you need.
    
11. "But, my people, Israel, you refused to listen, and you would have nothing to do with me!
    
12. So I let you be stubborn and keep on following your own advice.
    
13. "My people, Israel, if only you would listen and do as I say!
    
14. I, the LORD, would quickly defeat your enemies with my mighty power.
    
15. Everyone who hates me would come crawling, and that would be the end of them.
    
16. But I would feed you with the finest bread and with the best honey until you were full."

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Psalm 81 is another of Asaph's psalms, but is very different from those of his preceding it. It's occasion does not arise from a time of trouble but from one of Israel's festivals. Some think it was the Passover celebration, others think it was the Festival of Trumpets. The psalm seems to have two purposes which many religious songs over the centuries have had: to praise God and to instruct the people. God instructed Israel to use the festivals to teach their children about Him. This could certainly be a design of this psalm. The first seven verses of the psalm recount Israel's instructions to "blow the horn during the new moon and during the full moon, on the day of our feast." It is a reminder of how God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. There is strict admonition in verses 8-10 not to bow down to any foreign gods, and in verses 11-12 the regret that Israel did not heed this admonition. Therefore, God "gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans." The remaining verses tell how God would care for Israel if she would only follow His ways. He would subdue their enemies and cause them to prosper.

Why do we not follow God as He desires us to? Usually it is because we want to follow our own plans. We think we know what will make us happy. But as pointed out in this psalm, God knows that the road to destruction for His people is to allow them to follow their own plans. God knows what will make us happy better than do we, and He is more capable of bringing to pass those things that will ensure our happiness than are we. But we don't trust Him with our happiness. We have a better plan and God will let us pursue it. But unfortunately our plans will not get us what we desire. Instead of happiness, too often they bring us sorrow.