O COME BACK TO THE LORD

PSALM 81

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SCRIPTURE READING IN ENGLISH

1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.

Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

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

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

4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

5 This 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.

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

7 Thou 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.

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

9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

10 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION

The backslider is bidden to come back to the LORD. No matter how difficult the return path may be, there is a way back with the LORD. Come to God's House to be with God's people in corporate worship (v 1-5 ). Come in thanksgiving out of a grateful heart (v 6-7 ). Come and walk again in His ways (v 8-16 ).

Notice in verse 5b ,there is an abrupt change that breaks the flow of thought - "I heard a language that I cannot understand". It is as if the thought is broken with God speaking to Israel to consider His past goodness to them (v 6-7 ).

The psalm begins with the call to worship (v 1-2 ). It was a special occasion "in the new moon", "in the appointed time", and "on the solemn feast day" (v 3 ). Israel is reminded in the solemn feast day characterized by God's deliverance from Egypt (v 5a ). This alluded most likely to the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths reminding them of God's deliverance out of Egypt and their wilderness wondering where they lived in tents with no permanent dwelling place. This is recorded in Leviticus 23:34-44 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD."

It jolts their memory reminding them of God's good hand removing them from the servitude in Egypt providing them a way of escape and provision through the wilderness. "Meribah" means "strife or contention" where the people of Israel murmured against the LORD. Nevertheless, God provided water for them out of the rock in Exodus 17:1-7 ,

Exodus 17:1-7 "And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?"

Would God not provide for them in the wilderness having given them great deliverance from the armies of Egypt by great miracles? The people were faithless and did not trust God. How we need to be reminded to be ever grateful in every situation in life. Rejoice evermore, pray unceasing, in every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Pause and consider.

The people of God are reminded of God's goodness and their faithlessness and rebellion. If they persist in going their own way, God will give them up to their own hearts' lusts (v 12 ). Like the father awaiting to receive the returning prodigal. May we come back to Him where we have fallen, He will surely feed and satisfy you!