Psalms 81

¹To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

Psa 81:1-16. Gittith--(See on Psa 8:1, title). A festal Psalm, probably for the passover (compare Mt 26:30), in which, after an exhortation to praise God, He is introduced, reminding Israel of their obligations, chiding their neglect, and depicting the happy results of obedience. 1. our strength--(Psa 38:7).

²Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

2. unites the most joyful kinds of music, vocal and instrumental.

³Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

3. the new moon--or the month. the time appointed--(Compare Pr 7:20).

⁵This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

5. a testimony--The feasts, especially the passover, attested God’s relation to His people. Joseph--for Israel (Psa 80:1). went out through--or, “over,” that is, Israel in the exodus. I heard--change of person. The writer speaks for the nation. language--literally, “lip” (Psa 14:1). An aggravation or element of their distress that their oppressors were foreigners (De 28:49).

⁶I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.

6. God’s language alludes to the burdensome slavery of the Israelites.

⁷Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

7. secret place--the cloud from which He troubled the Egyptians (Ex 14:24). proved thee--(Psa 7:10; 17:3)--tested their faith by the miracle.

⁸Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

8. (Compare Psa 50:7). The reproof follows to Psa 81:12. if thou wilt hearken--He then propounds the terms of His covenant: they should worship Him alone, who (Psa 81:10) had delivered them, and would still confer all needed blessings.

¹¹But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

¹²So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

11-12. They failed, and He gave them up to their own desires and hardness of heart (De 29:18; Pr 1:30; Ro 11:25).

¹³Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

¹⁴I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

¹⁵The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.

¹⁶He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

13-16. Obedience would have secured all promised blessings and the subjection of foes. In this passage, “should have,” “would have,” &c., are better, “should” and “would” expressing God’s intention at the time, that is, when they left Egypt.