Life is hard—there’s no way around it. The longer we live, the more challenging it can become. A reality we make even more difficult when we choose to lead a life that pursues our own will instead of God’s. So, when you feel like life is beating you down or the consequences of the choices you’ve made it life seem to hard to bear, take a moment and read Psalm 78.
The psalm provides a historical retelling of God’s interactions with the children of Israel. It highlights all the instances of their rebellion against God and God’s faithfulness to help them even after He disciplines them. In the first half of the Psalm, Asaph uses phrases like “stubborn and rebellious generation,” “generation whose heart was not steadfast whose spirit was not faithful to God,” “refused to walk according to his law,” “forget His works and wonders,” and “they sinned still more against him” to describe the children of Israel. Asaph describes how God punished the children of Israel for their wickedness, and though they would briefly return to Him, they repeatedly complained and turned away from Him time and time again. Most of the Psalm is a back and forth of Asaph describing the children of Israel’s rebellious heart and God’s punishment and mercy.
It is in the midst of one of those sections that Asaph writes:
In spite of all this, they still sinned;
despite his wonders, they did not believe.
So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror.
When he killed them, they sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.
During one of their punishment cycles, the children of Israel returned to God and sought Him earnestly. They repented of their rebellion. They remembered God was their rock and redeemer. And, because of that decision, God quieted His wrath and showed them mercy.
Sadly, for the children of Israel, the very next verse reveals that their hearts and minds did not remain true to God. For the remainder of the Psalm, Asaph describes the recurring cycle of Israel’s sin and God’s unwavering faithfulness and mercy, even during His discipline.
For us, the lesson of Psalm 78 is clear. God doesn’t want this life to be hard. He wants to help us as much as He can. Yet, that help and deliverance is contingent upon an obedient heart and mind. If our hearts stray from the will of God, God will discipline us to try to bring us back to Him. It is up to us how we take that discipline. Will we be like the children of Israel and only turn to God for a short while or will we truly remember that God is our rock and redeemer? If we always remember God is our rock – then He will never be moved. God’s rock never moves; it is our memory lapses that moves us off of the rock of God. So, remember – God is your rock and redeemer. #Remember
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