Psalm 81

Willful Hearts

Posted on by Betsy

Many years ago when my kids were little, we vacationed here on the Outer Banks and spent most of our days at the beach. I remember a day when after getting the umbrella up, the chairs laid out and the towels and sand toys distributed, I left to go on my usual solo walk. About a mile out I saw a dolphin’s body that had washed ashore which was a very upsetting sight. When I returned, I mentioned it to my husband. Immediately my oldest asked to go see it. Knowing how disturbing this would be to her little eyes, I told her no. She returned to playing in the sand behind our chairs in the shade of the umbrella, and my husband and I returned to our books. About ten minutes later, I realized she was gone. Sure enough, she had decided to walk down the beach to see the dolphin for herself, regardless of my answer. It was possibly the most terrifying five minutes of my life as we frantically searched the beach until we found her. I asked her what she was doing, walking away like that, and she retorted that she hadn’t liked my answer, so she decided to go find the dolphin anyway. Kids!

And yet we often treat God the same way. We don’t like his answers, so we stubbornly charge off on our own to satisfy our needs. Even though in our minds we know that God provides everything good for us, we still follow our own willful hearts and ignore his advice and warnings.

Psalm 81 addresses this problem.

Psalm 81 (Common English Bible)

I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up from Egypt’s land.
    Open your mouth wide—I will fill it up!

11 But my people wouldn’t listen to my voice.
    Israel simply wasn’t agreeable toward me.
12 So I sent them off to follow their willful hearts;
    they followed their own advice.
13 How I wish my people would listen to me!
    How I wish Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would subdue their enemies in a second;
    I would turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would grovel before me,
    and their doom would last forever!
16 But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”

This psalm was written by Asaph for a festal event such as the Feast of Tabernacles where the wilderness journey was recounted and a reading of the Law occurred. This section tells the story of Israel’s stubborn refusal to hear and obey that Law, and the consequences of that behavior. Clearly God allowed them to walk away to pursue their own agendas, knowing that it was the only way they would learn the bitter reality of disobedience.

God longs to satisfy us with honey from the rock if only we would listen to his counsel. What is God telling you today? Is he telling you to stop something? Start something? Come back to him?

Don’t walk away anymore. It will only lead to heartache. Open your mouth wide and God will fill it with goodness.

Walk in God’s Ways by Kathy Schumacher

The Loud Family

Posted on by Betsy

I once dated a young man in college who came to my house for Thanksgiving to meet my parents. As soon as we walked in the front door I yelled, “I’M HOOOOME!” From the basement my father bellowed, “I’LL BE RIGHT UUUUP!” and my mother shouted, “I’M COMMMMING!” from a back bedroom. As my date rubbed his ears he quietly said, “Good Lord. I’m dating the Loud Family.” He married me anyway. Truth be told, my father was a wonderful baritone in a Barbershop Chorus and my Mom was a school business administrator who volunteered as the band announcer. We were a family who was trained to be heard. It is no wonder that I ended up in the pulpit.

Psalm 81 encourages us to join the Loud Family. With words like “out loud, shout, and open mouths,”we get the clear message that our response to God should be forthright and audible.

Psalm 81 was written by Asaph for a festal event, most likely the Feast of Tabernacles. This celebration commemorated God’s saving act of bringing the Hebrew nation out of slavery in Egypt. Part of remembering the wilderness journey included a reading of the Law and an invitation to renew the covenant they made to be God’s people. It was good for them to recall and renew. Can you remember a time when God lifted a burden from your shoulders? Do you give loud praise for your deliverance? It is good for us to remember and renew as well.

Psalm 81:1, 6-10
1Rejoice out loud to God, our strength!
    Shout for joy to Jacob’s God!

6 “I lifted the burden off your shoulders;
    your hands are free of the brick basket!
7 In distress you cried out, so I rescued you.
    I answered you in the secret of thunder.
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

The celebration included a warning. Having been tested and trained during the hard journey, God now reminded them that they were prohibited from taking on the false idols of their neighbors. So in addition to the instruction to shout out loud, they were also told to listen.

I think it must be quite a challenge for God to get our attention, given the cacophony of noise we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. Do you spend time in deliberate silence each day, just listening? It is the best way to know God.
8 Listen, my people, I’m warning you!
    If only you would listen to me, Israel.
9 There must be no foreign god among you.
    You must not bow down to any strange deity.
10 I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up from Egypt’s land.
    Open your mouth wide—I will fill it up!

We are assured that God hears us in our loud cries for deliverance and deserves our loud proclamations of praise. And in the silence of presence, God will speak words of instruction and hope for the future. Open your mouth wide, and let God fill you with words of wonder, awe, and reverence today. Then go and shout it from the rooftop.

Get Loud by Becca Ziegler