Thoughts for the Day

God’s Appeal to Stubborn Israel
To the leader: of Asaph.

Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob....

I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

‘But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
and turn my hand against their foes.
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
and their doom would last for ever.
I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We looked at the first ten verses of Psalm 81 a few weeks ago (Thoughts 1 August 25), and now we look at the rest of the psalm. We saw how this festal psalm would likely have been sung with all pomp and ceremony for the Feast of Tabernacles (Festival of Booths) which commemorated Israel's 40 year journey in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, and which included a public reading of the Law every seventh year (Deuteronomy 31.10-11). The leader of a Temple choir, Asaph, starts his work with all his resources to hand - trumpets (or perhaps ram's horns), lyres, harps, tambourines and singers.

The first half reminds Israel of how God has helped His people, but in the second half above, God reminds them what happened when they ignored Him and did not listen to Him. God laments their waywardness. Faithful Jews to this day recite the Shema morning and evening, that is: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6.4-9), and we Christians still use it in our worship. We know it as the opening words of the two Commandments Jesus gave us: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

The cantor who leads the psalm denounces the people, then and now, for not listening to God's voice and for choosing to go their own way. God wants to succour His people, He wants an honest relationship with them, but His people do not listen to Him.

Listening is a skill that we too need to learn! We cannot hear what another person is saying, unless we clear our minds of the rubbish; we need to put other things on pause and immerse ourselves in their speech. And it's the same when we listen to God. Instead of always reeling of a 'shopping list' turn to Him we need to first be silent. When other thoughts crowd in, try to turn back again to God. With practice you will see the clarity that can come in to your mind and your subsequent prayers. God says He will "feed us" when we open our hearts to really listen to Him, and when we put all our trust in the one God whose name is Yahweh.

Heavenly Father,
may we continue to praise and thank You
for Your blessings to us throughout our life.
Help us not to take for granted the times
You have supported us when we were in need,
but ever continue to put our trust in You.
Keep our senses attuned to listen for Your voice
amid the clamour of noise from the world
or in the stillness of the night,
and help us to respond as best we can.
Amen.