Embrace the Word for Wednesday, June 24, 2026
FOR AN AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE
Psalm 81 provides an explanation, from the LORD’s standpoint, for the destruction of the Temple. Psalm 81 is a kind but firm appeal from the LORD to listen to Him. The superscription of Psalm 81 identifies it with Asaph, but offers no historical context: “To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. Of Asaph.” The details of “according to The Gittith,” which was used also in Psalm 8, is most likely a musical instrument or refers to a musical tune. Based on hints from the Psalm itself, the historical context of Psalm 81 is one of Israel’s annual festivals of worship. It is thought by most that the Feast of Tabernacles is the most likely occasion. Psalm 81 has several links with Psalm 80. Both Psalms speak of “Joseph” (80:1; 81:5), and “Egypt” (80:8; 81:10). Psalm 80 is about the people speaking with the hopes that God would listen, while Psalm 81 is primarily God speaking with the instructions that His people would listen. Psalm 81 provides something of an answer to the questions of “why?” and “how long?” from Psalm 80 (80:4,12). Psalm 80 refers to the “bread of tears” (80:5), while Psalm 81 talks of the being fed “with the finest of the wheat” (81:16). Psalm 81 begins with a call to worship the LORD (81:1-5) and concludes with a call from the LORD to listen to Him (81:6-16).
Psalm 81 opens with a series of commands to worship the LORD: “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day” (81:1-3). The call is for jubilant worship as Asaph, speaking on behalf of the LORD, calls for loud singing with joyful shouts, for God is the strength of His people (See Exodus 15:2), who brought Jacob out of Egypt as promised (See Genesis 46:1-4). Alongside the strong singing was to be accompanying instruments to intensify the celebration and delight that was to be expressed. Reminiscent of the blast of the trumpet to commence the start of at least some of Israel’s feasts, Asaph describes the worship to be in conjunction with “the new moon,” “the full moon,” and the “feast day.” These descriptions most likely frame the celebration as the Feast of Tabernacles (See Leviticus 23:23-43; Numbers 29:1-38). Israel’s feasts were divinely appointed celebrations for remembering the LORD’s acts on behalf of His people.
Asaph gives the reason for why Israel was to celebrate the past acts of God on their behalf: “For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob. He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt” (81:4-5b). Referring to the feast described in verses 1-3, Asaph simply refers to it as “it” in verses 4-5. The feasts were to be carried out by order of the LORD, for they were to be understood as “a statute,” “a rule,” and “a decree” from the LORD. Joyous remembering was to be an act of worship, for worship entails responding appropriately to the LORD and His mighty acts. A particular point of remembrance was to be the LORD’s work of rescuing Israel from Egyptian captivity.
The last line of verse 5 seems to set up what will unfold in the rest of Psalm 81. Asaph seems to differentiate what he has just stated as one who was speaking for the LORD, to now being one who would speak from the LORD: “I hear a language I had not known” (81:5c). As a preface to what will be starting in verse 6, Asaph speaking as a prophet from the LORD seems to be explaining that he will be declaring something fresh from the LORD that He urgently wants His people to grasp. Psalm 81:6-16 is God Himself speaking, through the prophetic agency of Asaph. The LORD begins with a short summary of how He rescued His people from slavery in Egypt: “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket” (81:6). The language of verse 6 is the language of Israel’s plight as slaves who were forced to work under miserable conditions burdened with making and carrying bricks. But the LORD heard their cries (See Exodus 2:23-25), and answered: “In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder (81:7a). The LORD delivered Israel from captivity and brought them into the wilderness where He provided for them and protected them. And yet, the LORD tested His people: “I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah” (81:7b). Meribah was a place of testing that would bookend Israel’s wilderness journey. At the outset Israel quarreled with the LORD at a place known as Meribah (See Exodus 17:1-7), and then again toward the end of their forty year journey (See Numbers 20:2-13). Perhaps these two Meribah experiences serve as a brief way to pretty much describe the whole of Israel’s time in the wilderness.
The tragedy of Israel’s quarreling was rooted in Israel’s lack of trust in the LORD. The LORD poignantly identifies the source for their lack of trust: “Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!” (81:8). The summons to “hear, O my people” seems to correspond with Moses summons: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (See Deuteronomy 6:4-5). The LORD admonishes His people—yes, those back at the wilderness, but perhaps even more importantly, those who were watching Jerusalem fall and the Temple be destroyed asking “why?” Israel was wondering why the LORD was not listening to them, but the root of the problem was that they were not listening to God. The LORD presses further. A lack of listening to the LORD indicates the presence of false gods: “There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god” (81:9, echoing Exodus 20:2). The LORD is emphatic: “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” (81:10). Just as the LORD provided food and water for His people throughout their wilderness journey, the LORD redirected His people to “open your mouth wide,” that is, listen to Him. If the LORD’s people would have only sought Him, listening to His Words, they would have been fully satisfied in trusting Him.
The LORD is eager to pour out His blessings on His people generously, but when His people refuse to listen, they are chastened. When we open our mouths (and hearts) to other gods, asking them to fill us, such unbelief towards the LORD renders us incapable of receiving the LORD’s blessings. The LORD explains the consequences of not listening to the His Word: “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” (81:11-12). The LORD began by stating, “O Israel, if you would but listen to me!” (81:8); but now he states the fact of the matter: “But my people did not listen to my voice.” Notice the clarification on what the LORD meant by not listening—they would not submit to Him. In other words, Israel technically heard what the LORD said; the matter was not a literal auditory impairment. The trouble was “their stubborn hearts.” Thus, the consequence was that Israel got their wish. They preferred to listen to their own hearts, so the LORD granted them that wish. But what seemed like true freedom—the opportunity to be left alone and so provide one’s own counsel—always proves to be shackles and sorrows. But note, the source of such misery is from within the counsels of the human heart.
The LORD graciously directs His people back to Himself: “Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!” (81:13). Once again simply note the parallel between “listen to me,” and “walk in my ways!” Listening to the LORD is a spiritual matter of submission, not merely an auditory matter. The LORD offers two promises for any and all who would act on God’s Words. First, the LORD promises protection for His people: “I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever” (81:14-16). The LORD will gladly turn His displeasure from His people and crush His people’s adversaries. Second, the LORD promises provision: “But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (81:16). Borrowing from promises found in Deuteronomy 32:13-14, which speak of “the very finest of the wheat,” and “honey out of the rock,” the LORD promises to fully satisfy His listening people.
As we reflect on Psalm 81, we can consider first of all what God said concerning His Son at the Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (See Matthew 17:5). The tragedy of Psalm 81 is the tragic condition of the human heart and its refusal to listen to God’s Word. Moses warned of the need for a radical change of heart: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn” (See Deuteronomy 10:16). Ezekiel promised that a radical change of heart would be foundational in the New Covenant: “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (See Ezekiel 11:19-20). These realities occur because of the saving work of Christ. All who turn and trust in Jesus simply evidence the reality of the new birth implanting a new heart: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (See 1 John 5:1a). Thus, even listening to, submitting to, and walking in the ways of the Lord is not meritorious but gracious. And the grace that instills in us hearts to trust in Christ, also provides for us all the other blessings that Christ has obtained for His people: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (See Ephesians 1:3). The LORD’s desire expressed in Psalm 81 is now a reality in Christ: “Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!”
That’s all for Embrace the Word for Wednesday, June 24, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Friday, June 26, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 82.