Psalm 78
What's a Maskil?
Why Do I Care?

In last week's introduction, I pointed out many types of Psalms. If you have the Exploring the Bible quarterly, there's a good list of types near the front of the book. I don't know what kind this is, maybe three kinds (at least).

1 – The heading says “a Maskil to Asaph.” WE have no clue as to who Asaph was. We have several clues as to what a maskil is. First, the root word means to instruct. So a maskil would be an instruction – or a group of them. Those instructions seem to be largely from the Pentateuch, so this was Divine teaching – or Word, or Torah. Most of the Bible is presented within itself as the Word of the Lord, so that's a good point to make. It's Scripture.

2 – It's an historical Psalm. (NOT hysterical, like Isaiah 60:6).
I've heard a lot of people say they don't like history. Well, to understand the Bible, you have to understand history – you don't have to like it, you just have to learn it. A huge chunk of the Bible is the history of Israel and of God's actions in relating to Israel. Several Psalms recount a summary of Israel's history as a source of faith. The reasoning is this: God has worked in history, in your history. Therefore, you can expect Him to act again today, so trust Him.

3 – It's a wisdom Psalm. The quarterly author chooses this one. The word “maskil” supports it. It's a teaching Psalm that exalts wisdom and warns of the need for it.

Basic Ideas:

1 – Teach the next generations Biblical history. Hand down the religious traditions of the ancestors. This is how the world works if you have the eyes of faith to see it. To make that teaching contemporary, we need to share our own personal history with God with the next generation or two. The fact that I have seen God working repeatedly in my life is one strong reason for believing He was working that way in Israel.

2 – The author repeats the most common pattern underlying much of the theology of the OT. We saw that most clearly a couple of years ago when we studied the Book of Judges. Twelve times the pattern repeats itselve, focused on each of the 12 tribes and a charismatic (God appointed) leader from that tribe. First Israel sins, then gets into trouble in battle and is often dominated by a foreign nation. Next, they realize they have sinned, and an angry Yahweh has allowed this enemy to trouble them as punishment. Israel then repents, and Yahweh provides a deliverer . Israel then behaves itself until the cycle begins once more.

3 – He aksi enumerates God's blessings as being a source for their trust and praise. If the Lord did all this for them, why not be thankful and obedient to His laws. Remember a purpose of the maskil is to instruct and point the reader back to the wisdom teachings from God.

4 – Versses 32 &34 both say, “when He killed them...” meaning the extreme punishment from God that did at last get their attention. In OT times, Hebrew thought made no distinction between God's active will and His permissive will, as we often do. Many find it hard to deal with after believing in a God of grace and love to find He can also be a God of wrath. One prof of mine suggested the wrath is the flip side of God's love. It is His reaction to the rejection of His love. We understand when we hear the old saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” We can easily see that if we reject human love, that love can turn to fury. And yet none has been more gracious to us than God – to the point of sending His Son. So if we reject that salvation, what else is left?

5 – Indeed the miracle in the eyes of the Psalmist is not the wrath, but His salvation. Verse 40 says that even though Israel repeatedly followed the cycle of disobedience, God also repeatedly followed the cycle of forgiveness. He punished them through captivity in Babylon (v 61)but by v 65 the Lord again becomes the Champion of Israel.

6 – Moreover, God chose the tribe of Judah to carry on His covenant in v 68. From Judah He raised up David and on Mt Zion He built His temple.

Note that many Psalms, especially the longer ones, change direction at least once. The Psalm Jesus quoted on the cross, 22:1, begins in agony, but ends in victory.

Question: what does this Psalm have to you with us today? With YOU?