Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the
glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.
In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt,
in the fields of Zoan.
He divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters stand like a heap.
In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.
He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”
Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,
because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,
and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.
Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.
But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,
the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them
and laid low the young men of Israel.
In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.
So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.
When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.
Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!
They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.
He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.
He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts.
He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of destroying angels.
He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength
in the tents of Ham.
Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid,
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.
He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away
and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places;
they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.
He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.
He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.
Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.
And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.
He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth,
which he has founded forever.
He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his inheritance.
With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.
Gracious God and Heavenly Father,
In this extraordinary psalm, we see the unfaithfulness, disloyalty and disobedience of your people even in the light of your redeeming power and love when you brought about the Exodus from Egypt. We see the stark contrast of a Holy God and sinful man. We pray that you would open our eyes so that we might learn from the past and not be like the rebellious Israelites, but rather that we might truly trust and obey you.
The Israelite slaves witnessed your miraculous parting of the Red Sea and were freed from the bonds of slavery in Egypt, yet they forgot this mighty deed and questioned your ability to feed them in the wilderness, grumbling about the food they missed. They gave in to the temptation to doubt you and your power to save, and yet you provided for them.
When they still did not believe, you struck down many in your anger and some turned to you in repentance. Your people did not continue to keep your commandments, however. Their heart was not steadfast toward you and they tested you again and again. They showed their disloyalty by not remembering your power and all you had done for them when you sent the ten plagues to afflict Pharaoh and the Egyptians and led your people safely out of Egypt.
Finally, the people became idolatrous and did not keep their covenant promise to worship you alone. They provoked you to anger with their high places and moved you to jealousy with their idols. They did not keep your commandments and were punished and rejected.
O LORD, we are just like these people. We are tempted to forget everything you have done for us and to complain about our lot. We forget that you are able to do all things. We so easily disobey you. It is so easy to be selfish and careless and unloving. And yet when we confess and repent, you forgive us, just like you forgave your people Israel. You gave them your faithful King David to lead them. How much more wonderful for us is it that we have your Son, Jesus as our King and loving shepherd. All glory and praise to Jesus who when tempted in the wilderness three times, was able to resist the devil. Unlike the grumbling Israelites, Jesus did not put his God to the test. He refused to create bread when he was hungry, he resisted the temptation to seek power for his own glory, and he remained obedient to his God alone. O LORD, help us to lead lives that are pleasing in your sight. Forgive us our sins. Make us into more faithful servants for your kingdom, help us to show our loyalty to you by remembering all you have done for us, and help us to be increasingly obedient to you, for we ask it in Jesus’ name.
AMEN.