Psalm 78 vs 17-31 - They continued to sin

Read: Psalm 78 vs 17-31

Yesterday we were looking at the first part of Psalm 78 and its account of God’s provision for His people bringing them out of slavery in Egypt and setting them on a journey towards the Promise Land. Today we pick up the story in vs 17. This verse begins with the word ‘but’. God had rescued His people and provided for them time and again but … in spite of this these rescued people, these saved people, continued to sin.

The place where this all happened was the ‘wilderness’ (vs 17). A wilderness is a dry place, a lifeless place, a place with no water. We need to be honest and admit that when our experience of life is dry we can easily lose our focus on God and we can easily begin to doubt His goodness. This is what happened to the Israelites. They began to ask: 

‘Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?’ (19)

Yes, they knew he had brought them this far, but the obstacles and challenges now up ahead just seemed too big, too many, to really believe that God could keep on giving them what they needed. At this point Psalm 78 tells us that God was ‘furious’ with the people. That’s a frightening thought. What was it that touched such a nerve in the one who is ‘slow to anger and abounding in love’? (Nehemiah 9:17)

God was angry because His saved people did not believe in Him (in His character as their rescuer) nor did they trust that His deliverance was all they needed (vs 22). Digging into these Old Testament stories there is so much to learn. At the cross God has provided for our salvation. In Christ we step into each new day saved, rescued. But do we believe that He goes ahead of us as the One who continues to provide, are we willing to keep trusting that He knows our needs and knows how best to deliver us?

The life of faith is a daily life of trust. Today our Saviour asks us to keep trusting and to keep following.

Prayer: Father God thank you for Your gift of salvation. Please help me to keep believing in You and to keep trusting that You know all our needs and that You are our deliverer.