Psalms 82:1

 Psalms 82:1 says, A Psalm of Asaph.  This is identified as another psalm of Asaph, then verse one says, God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.  Matthew Henry says this psalm was written to the magistrates, especially those of Israel.  God stood and still stands in the congregation of the mighty, the ultimate authority over all.  Anyone else is a false god, and the one true God judges them.  Matthew Henry says the magistrates were sometimes referred to by the word for a god, but whoever these gods were, God judged them.  We must acknowledge that God is the ultimate authority over everything.  Verse two asks, How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.  Asaph asked how long these magistrates would judge unjustly and accept, or even delight in, those who were wicked over those who were just.  The courts today often seem to side with the wicked, and we as Christians may wonder how long God will allow this to continue, but we know that one day God will judge everyone by His righteousness.  Verse three, Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.  The magistrates were called on to defend the poor and fatherless and to do justice to the afflicted and needy.  In courts today, the poor and needy are often likely be punished more severely instead of being treated with compassion.  Verse four adds, Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. God called on the magistrates to deliver the poor and needy from the hand of the wicked.  We need impartial judgement in the courts today, so that even the poorest can receive the same justice as the richest, all guided by God's righteousness.  Verse five states, They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.  God said that the partiality of the magistrates toward the rich and even the wicked threw all of the earth out of course.  The people in power are expected to judge impartially, and when they don't, all of God's creation is affected.   Verse six adds, I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.  When referred to as gods, the magistrates were to act as representative of God and stand in His place.  They were His children by creation and were to act like it by following His guidance in the courts.  Verse seven says, But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.  These magistrates were just mortal men and would die like anyone else.  No matter how powerful rulers or justices may feel today, they are but mortal men who one day will die.  Verse eight adds, Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.  Asaph calls on God to arise and judge the earth, and one day His final judgment will come. 

Psalms 81:1

Psalms 81:1 says,To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. This is identified as another psalm of Asaph, then verse one says, Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.  Once again, the people of Israel are called on to sing praises to God.  We as followers of Christ today should do the same thing.  Verse two adds, Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.  Verse three continues, Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.  Several musical instruments were called for to be used in the worship of God along with the singing.  Music, and musical instruments, has always been a part of the worship of God. Verse four states, For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.  Asaph said God ordained this type worship, so we should not think that it is wrong today.  Verse five adds, 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.  In Egypt, the people of Israel were under the power of a people whose language they did not understand, even though they had gone there at the invitation of Joseph.  If we go out into the world, we may at times find ourselves under the power of people who do not speak the language of God, even if they start out friendly to us.  Verse six continues, I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.  Just as God removed the burden of physical slavery from the people then, He removes us from the burden of spiritual slavery today, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seven declares, 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.  Asaph said that God had heard His people when they called on Him in times of trouble and provided for their needs, which He still does for Christians today.  That is why we should always sing praises to Him.  Verse eight adds, Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;  God said if the people of Israel would listen to Him that He would testify, or speak the truth, to them.  It is always our choice, even as Christians, whether we listen to the voice of God or not.  Verse nine says, There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.  Like the people of Israel then, as followers of Christ today we are to allow no false gods in our lives, and anything that becomes more important than God becomes a false god.  Verse ten adds, I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.  God reminded the people of Israel that He was the God Who had delivered them out of Egypt and that He had and would meet their needs as long as they remained faithful to Him. As Christians, God is the God Who had delivered us out from under the power of the sinful world, and He will meet our needs as long as we put our faith in Him.  Verse eleven adds, But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.  God then said that the people of Israel, His chosen people, would not listen to His voice.  We need to always listen to God and follow His leadership if we are to live successful Christian lives today.  Verse twelve continues, So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.  God said that when the people of Israel refused to listen to Him, He gave them up to their own lusts and they followed their own ways instead of God's ways.  As followers of Christ, we need to make sure that we don't get so far away from God that He just leaves us to our own understanding.  Verse thirteen declares, Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!  God said that it would have been great if His people had listened to Him and walked in His ways.  As Christians, we must do the same thing today.  Verse fourteen adds, I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.  God said that if the people of Israel had followed Him in faith that He would have soon subdued their enemies, and He will still do so for the followers of Christ today spiritually.  Verse fifteen continues, The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.  Asaph said those who hated God should have submitted themselves to Him instead of fighting against Him, and if they had their time of power would have lasted forever.  God can easily destroy all those who deny or fight against Him,  but He reaches out to them with the gospel of Christ instead.  Verse sixteen concludes, He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.  God still stands ready to meet the needs of all who will put their faith in Jesus Christ today and live under the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

Psalms 80:12

Psalms 80:12 asks, Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?  Asaph asked why God had broken down His protective hedge from around Israel.  He should have known the reason, and that was because of the rebellion of the people of Israel against God's laws.  If we feel that we have lost God's protection, we need to see if we have become rebellious to His laws and His will for our life.  Verse thirteen says, The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.  Asaph said the vine of Israel as they had been referred to was being destroyed by the boar and the wild beast.  The people of Israel were being attacked by more than one group.  If we lose God's protective hand today, we may be attacked by more than one group of people who oppose Him, which is why it is so important that we as followers of Christ remain faithful to Him.  Verse fourteen adds, Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;  The psalmist asked for God to look down from heaven and behold and visit the vine of Israel. We know that God never leaves His people, even if they fail to live up to their part of the covenant, but we may have to at times call on Him to help us out of a bad situation that we have gotten our self into.  Verse fifteen continues, And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.  Asaph gave God credit for building the vineyard, the nation of Israel, and we must give God the credit for our salvation today.  It can come from nowhere else.  Verse sixteen concludes, It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.  Asaph said the nation of Israel was in very bad shape, but God already knew this and it was because of their rebellion against Him that they were in this condition.  Verse seventeen states, Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.  Though this could apply to God restoring an earthly king to power in Israel, we know that it ultimately refers to Jesus Christ, the One Who God made the source of salvation forever.  Verse eighteen adds, So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.  God does quicken us, or make us spiritually alive, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse nineteen continues, Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.  If we are to be saved, we must turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Psalms 80:1

Psalms 80:1 says,To the chief Musician upon ShoshannimEduth, A Psalm of Asaph.  After the introduction and instructions, verse one says, Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.  God is referred to as the Shepherd of Israel, which made them His sheep.  We often look down on people and refer to them as sheep, but we are called to be the sheep of God's pasture as Christians. Verse two adds, Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.  The psalmist calls on God to display His great strength in the presence of all His people.  God's power should be evident today to all His people, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  God is never asleep or slumbering, so we never have a need to believe that we have to wake Him up.  Verse three continues, Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.  Asaph called on God to turn to them again, but he should have called on the people of Israel to turn to God again.  God never deserts His people, so if we are feeling that He has, we need to ask what we have allowed to come between Him and us.  Verse four states, O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?  Asaph felt that God was angry at the prayers of His people, but we can be certain that as long as we pray for God's will to be done in our lives and in the world that He will never be angry.  If we pray simply asking God for what we want and for His blessings or if we pray without any conviction that God does hear and answer our prayers, the we should not be surprised if He is upset with us.  Verse five adds, Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.  Asaph said that God had given His people bread that they ate with tears and that they drank tears in great measure.  I believe their sorrow was due to their own lack of faith though.  If we live in sorrow today as followers of Christ, I believe it is because we do not put all our faith in God, but instead allow material things to determine our happiness.  Verse six continues, Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.  Asaph said the people of Israel had become a strife and a source of amusement to their neighbors.  As Christians, we may become a source of strife to those who do not believe in God, and they may even find our faith amusing, but it should not be because we profess to live for God while following the standards of the world.  Verse seven concludes, Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.  Asaph then asked that God turn them again so that they might be saved.  As followers of Christ, if we have lost the joy of our salvation and maybe even allowed sin back into our life, we need to turn again to God, but once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we have everlasting salvation.  We do not have to be saved again.  Verse eight says, Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.  Asaph said that God had rescued the people of Israel, bringing them out of Egypt and giving them the promised land.  As Christians, God has brought us out of the sinful world spiritually and gives us a place in the promised land of Heaven.  Verse nine adds, Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.  Asaph said that God planted Isreal in the land that He gave them and that He gave them plenty of room to grow.  One day, we will be planted in the promised land, where there is room for everyone who accepts the salvation of Jesus Christ.  Verse ten continues, The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.  Asaph said that the vine of Israel, God's people who were brought out of Egypt, had covered the land that He promised them.  As Christians, we are to be the branches of the Vine, Jesus Christ, and are to spread His word into all the world.  Verse eleven concludes,  She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.  Asaph said that God's people were victorious even over people across the sea and the rivers, and as God's people today, we should reach out to all the world with the message of Christ so that those who accept Him can be a part of His kingdom. 

Psalms 79:1

Psalms 79:1 says, A Psalm of Asaph. This is identified as a psalm of Asaph, then verse one says, O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.  Asaph spoke of the capture of God's temple by the heathen, those people who did not believe in God.  Even if church buildings are damaged or destroyed today, that does not mean that God's people have been defeated.  Verse two adds, The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.  Not only had the temple been defiled, but many off God's people had been killed and not buried.  Even if we are killed for our faith today, as followers of Christ, we are not defeated.  We have everlasting life with God in heaven once we leave this life.  Verse three continues, Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.  Asaph said that the blood of the people of Israel, God's chosen people, flowed like water in the streets of Jerusalem, and there was no one left to bury them.  Even if we were to reach that point in the world today, where the blood of Christians flows in the streets like water, the world still has not defeated us.  Verse four concludes, We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.  God's people had become a reproach to those around them, and we may be reaching that point in the world today, where people question the authority of God and look down on those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse five asks, How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?  The psalmist asked how long would God be angry with them, but we must realize that not everything bad that happens to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ is a result of God's anger, and we should not question or blame God when bad things happen to us.  Verse six declares, Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.  The people of Israel called on God to pour out His wrath on those who did not believe in Him, but this should not be our attitude today.  We are not in the vengeance business, but in the love and mercy of God business.  We need to simply let God deal with those who do not believe in Him and even those who attempt to destroy the followers of Christ, in His way and in His time.  Verse seven adds, For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.  The heathen had destroyed Jacob, or God's people, and laid waste to His dwelling place.  Still, Jacob and his descendants were still God's people, no matter how much it may have seemed that they had been defeated by the heathen of the world.  No matter what happens to us in this lifetime, as long as we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we have everlasting life with God.  Verse eight continues, O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.  The psalmist asked God to not remember their former iniquities, and when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, all our iniquities are washed away by His blood.  Verse nine says, Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.  Asaph asked God, Who was their salvation, to help the people of Israel and deliver them and purge their sins for His glory.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, our sins are purged, and we should live our life to bring glory to God.  Verse ten adds, Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed. Asaph said that the heathen questioned where God was when His people were being destroyed.  People today equate material success or failure as being a sign of God's people being blessed by God or not, but we do not serve God for material success.  We serve Him for spiritual salvation, which has nothing to do with how rich or poor we are in the world.  Verse eleven continues, Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;  God always is with those who put their faith in Him, even if they die for their faith.  Verse twelve states, And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.  Asaph called on God to punish the enemies of Israel sevenfold.  Again, it is not up to us to ask God to destroy those who are our enemies because of our faith in Him, but we are called on to love and pray for their salvation.  Verse thirteen adds, So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.  We as Christians, the sheep of God's pasture, need to give Him the thanks and praise for all generations, no matter what is happening in the world around us. 

Psalms 78:56

Psalms 78:56 says, Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:  Even though God had freed the people of Israel from Egypt and had provided for them in the wilderness, they tempted and provoked God by not keeping His commandments.  As Christians, God has freed us from the power and penalty of sin and provides for our needs, so we should not be surprised if He is provoked if we fail to follow His commandments.  Verse fifty-seven adds, But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.  The people of Israel were just as unfaithful as their fathers, or ancestors, had been, in spite of God's goodness to them.  We cannot be a true follower of Christ and be the same as those who came before us who did not believe in God.   Verse fifty-eight continues, For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.  Asaph said the people of Israel, God's chosen people, began to worship idols.  We need to make sure that we don't allow anything in our life to become an idol, something more important to us than God.  Verse fifty-nine states, When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:  When God heard the people of Israel worshipping idols, He was upset and greatly abhorred Israel.  We should expect no less today if those who call themselves Christians do not worship God alone and do not keep His commandments.  Verse sixty adds, So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;  Asaph said because of their idolatry that God forsook the people of Israel and His tabernacle at Shiloh.  If we are to be a Christian nation today, we cannot forsake God and worship idols or other gods and still expect Him to bless us.  Verse sixty-one continues, And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.  Because of their idolatry, God removed His protection from them and allow their enemies to have power over them.  As followers of Christ, we have power over sin, but if we turn away from God, we should not be surprised if we find ourselves back under the power of sin. Verse sixty-two continues, He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.  Just as God gave the people of Israel over to the power of the sword of other nations, He will likewise remove His protective hand from us today, as a nation or an individual, if we begin to once again chase after idols.  If we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, I don't believe we lose our inheritance of everlasting life, but we may find ourselves defeated spiritually in daily situations and without the joy of our salvation.  Verse sixty-three says, The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.  Their young men died by fire and the young women had no one to marry, so their was no one to continue God's work in the future.  If we lose one generation who fail to believe in Jesus Christ, then there will soon be no one to carry on His work and share the gospel with the world.  Verse sixty-four adds, Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.  Even the priests, the religious leaders, were killed because of their lack of obedience to God.  We as Christians are a priesthood of believers, and we must live under the authority of God's word, even if we are killed for our faith, but we should never die because of our lack of faith in God and His promises.  Verse sixty-five declares, Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.  Verse sixty-six adds, And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.  God never really has to awake from sleep, but if we as those who are called a Christian nation turn away from God, we will awaken His wrath against us.  Verse sixty-seven continues, Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:  God turned away from those who did not follow Him but chased idols instead.  He will do the same today with us as a nation if we start chasing after idols.  Verse sixty-eight says, But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.  God did not reject all of His people, but only those who had first rejected Him.  God established a new place of worship.  God establishes a new sanctuary, or place to worship, in the heart of every believer today, and we can never go back to any place or anything that we worshipped before and still be effective witnesses for Christ.   Verse sixty-nine adds, And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.  As God built His sanctuary in the high places then.  His sanctuary is in the high places of heaven today, where it can never be corrupted.   Verse seventy states, He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:  The people had chosen Saul to be their leader, but God chose David.  I believe that God expects those that He allows to come to power today to be guided by His principles, especially in a country that calls itself a Christian nation.   Verse seventy-one adds, From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.  David was called to power by God to take care of God's people, the sheep of His pasture.  Verse seventy-two continues, So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.  David ruled Israel according to the integrity of his heart.  We need leaders today who lead according to the integrity of their heart, and I believe that this integrity can only come from God.

Psalms 78:40

Psalms 78:40 says, How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!  Asaph asked how often did the people of Israel provoke God in the wilderness.  As followers of Christ today, we need to make sure that our lack of faith or rebellion against God's law does not provoke Him.  Verse forty-one adds, Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.  After God had shown them His mighty power and delivered them from Egypt, the people of Israel still wanted to turn back to Egypt, and their lack of faith limited God's ability to work through them.  Our lack of faith will never limit God's power, but it will limit what He can do through us.  Verse forty-two continues, They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. The people of Israel, who were called to be God's people, soon forgot what He had done for them when He delivered them.  We must never forget what God did for us as Christians when He saved us through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross.  Verse forty-three states, How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:  Asaph then begins to remind the people of the many signs of His power that God showed in Egypt.  The only real sign that should matter to us as Christians, though there are signs of God's power and majesty all around, is the sign of God's grace presented on the cross of Jesus Christ.  Verse forty-four adds, And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.  Asaph now begins to list the many plagues that God sent on the Egyptians because the pharaoh refused to let the people of Israel leave.  He started by referring to God turning their rivers into blood.  Even if we are imprisoned for our faith today, God has already secured our everlasting freedom from sin and the powers of this world if we put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse forty-five continues, He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.  These next few verses are a listing of the plagues God sent against the Egyptians, here speaking of the flies and frogs.  Verse forty-six says, He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.  Then came the plague of the caterpillars and locust destroying their crops.   Verse forty-seven adds, He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.  God then destroyed their vines of the Egyptians with hail and their sycomore trees with frost.   God didn't need an army to defeat the Egyptians, but He used the forces of nature to do so.  We don't need to look to any power in the world today to defeat God's enemies, because He has already defeated them by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and we as followers of Christ must never forget that fact.  Verse forty-eight continues, He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.  Asaph said God also destroyed the cattle and sheep of Egypt with hail and thunderbolts.  Again, forces of nature.  Verse forty-nine states, He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.  When the pharaoh still refused to let God's people go, God's anger was cast against him and the people of Egypt, and He sent angels against him and the people of Egypt.  The angels were said to be evil angels, but they were not evil in their nature, but their purpose was to punish the people of Egypt for their refusal to obey God.  Those who refuse to accept the salvation of Jesus Christ will on day face the anger of God.  Verse fifty adds, He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;  Then verse fifty-one continues, And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:  The final plague of God was the death of the first born children of Egypt, which finally at least temporarily caused the pharaoh to let the people of Israel go, but even then he soon changed his mind.  Unless people truly accept the sovereignty of God, they may temporarily give in to His authority, but they will never do so forever.  We can only submit to God's authority by accepting salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty-two declares, But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.  Asaph said God brought His people out of Israel like sheep and led them as His flock.  We as Christians are called the sheep of God's pasture, but we too often do not want to see ourselves as a humble sheep.  Verse fifty-three adds, And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.  We need to allow God to lead us today and leave the fate of our enemies up to Him. Verse fifty-four continues, And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.  Asaph said that God brought the people of Israel to the promised land, which He had purchased for them.  God brings those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord to the promised land,which He purchased for us as Christians by the blood of Christ on the cross.   Verse fifty-five concludes, He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.  Just as God cast out the enemies of Israel then, He has cast out all of our enemies from the promised land of heaven for the followers of Christ.