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"A Song for a Festival"
Psalm 81.1-10
Good News Translation (GNT)
"Hebrew Title: By Asaph."
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1 Shout for joy to God our defender; sing praise
to the God of Jacob!
2 Start the music and beat the tambourines;
play pleasant music on the harps and the
lyres.
3 Blow the trumpet for the festival, when the
moon is new and when the moon is full.
4 This is the law in Israel, an order from the
God of Jacob.
5 He gave it to the people of Israel when he
attacked the land of Egypt. I hear an unknown
voice saying,
6 "I took the burdens off your backs; I let you
put down your loads of bricks.
7 When you were in trouble, you called to me,
and I saved you. From my hiding place in the
storm, I answered you. I put you to the test at
the springs of Meribah.
8 Listen, my people, to my warning; Israel, how
I wish you would listen to me!
9 You must never worship another god.
10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out
of Egypt. Open your mouth, and I will feed
you."
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Commentary taken from 'word-on-the-web'
supplied by Scripture Union
'A Song for a Festival'
Psalm 81.1-10
Have you ever heard a song or poem, or even a turn of phrase, and thought it sounded familiar?
Much of what God had to say to Israel through Isaiah should have sounded acutely familiar, as her poets and song-writers, like Asaph around the time of David, had been communicating similar messages for generations.
If you have time, read through this psalm again and notice the many themes and phrases that parallel ideas from Isaiah 46-55.
We will hint at some of them.
The historical backdrop to the psalm is the Exodus.
There is, first, an exuberant expression of joyful (and musical!) celebration of God's affirmation of the nation's foundations.
It seems to have been a liturgical introduction to worship on the occasion of one of Israel's Exodus-related festivals, possibly the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36;
(see JL Mays, Psalms, Interpretation, J Knox Press, 1994, p266).
However, the content not only embraces the positive aspects of their history but also includes reminders of less worthy dimensions of their past.
While God had actively rescued them from Egypt, they had not been an obedient and grateful people.
They had been warned against worshipping foreign gods and urged to recognise the saving actions of the Lord, but instead they had gone their own destructive way.
A recurring theme is the counterpoint between God speaking and the people failing to listen.
While this is illustrated historically, it also provides a relevant lesson for later generations.
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