Psalms 78

They will never suffer for the truth, but be as a soldier that leaves his colors, and runs over to the enemy's side; he will fight on the Devil's side for pay. 4. Not to be settled in the faith is highly provoking to God: To espouse the truth and then fall away, brings an ill re…

Adore then where you cannot fathom. If God be infinite in all places, then let us not go to limit God (Psalm 78:41). They limited the holy one of Israel.

Take away a king's power and we un-king him; take away the Lord's power and we un-God him: yet how guilty of this are we. Did not Israel question God's power? Can he prepare a table in the wilderness? (Psalm 78:19) they thought the wilderness was a fitter place for making of gra…

Secondly, Take heed of hypocrisy. Judas was first a sly hypocrite, and then a traitor (Psalm 78:37). Their heart was not right with God, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.

He can create strength in weakness; he can create a supply of our wants. What a foolish question was that (Psalm 78:19): Can he prepare a table in the wilderness? Cannot he that made the world do much more?

Their sorrows shall be multiplied, that hasten after another God. Psalm 78:58-59: They moved him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel (verse 60), so that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh.

Let us avoid all sin, especially this sin of idolatry or image worship: It is heinous, after we have entered into a marriage covenant with God, now to prostitute ourselves to an image. Idolatry is spiritual adultery, and God is a jealous God, he will avenge it: Image worship mak…

He shall bless your bread and your water. Esau had the venison, but Jacob got the blessing: while the wicked have their meat sauced with God's wrath (Psalm 78:30-31), believers have their comforts seasoned with a blessing. It was a secret blessing from God made Daniel's pulse no…

A man has a high distrust of God's Providence. Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? (Psalm 78:19). So says the unbeliever, Can God spread a table for me?

If when God's wrath is kindled but a little, and a spark of it flies into a wicked man's conscience in this life, it is so terrible; what will it be when God stirs up all his wrath? (Psalm 78:38.) How sad is it with a soul in desertion! Now God dips his pen in gall, and writes b…

2. From unbelief (Hebrews 3:12): An evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God. (Psalm 78:22): They believed not in God. Verse 41, they turned back — sinners have hard thoughts of God, they think they may pray and hear, yet never the better (Malachi 3:14): they questi…

This may make us submit to God, and say, your will be done; there's kindness in affliction, it is for our spiritual profit. 5. There's kindness in affliction, in that there is no condition so bad but it might be worse; when it is duskish it might be darker; God does not make our…

6th Counterfeit. One may have trouble for sin; yet not be a New Creature. Trouble of spirit may appear, while God's judgments lie upon men; but when these are removed, their trouble ceases (Psalm 78:34): When he slew them, then they sought him, nevertheless they did flatter him…

It is a fearful sin, for a man to go back from that calling, in which God has placed him. When the Israelites abode not patiently, and constantly, with God in the wilderness, but desired to shake off the calling of God, and to return to Egypt, there to sit by the flesh-pots agai…

The mystery of them continued still hid in God (Ephesians 3:9). Hence are the doctrines concerning them called parables and dark sayings (Psalm 78:2). Neither did the prophets themselves see into the depth of their own predictions (1 Peter 1:11, 12).

And in that sense it is derived from Cipper in Pihel which signifies to remove or take away, and consequently to be propitious and merciful in taking away of sin, as also to appease, atone, reconcile, and purge, whereby sin is taken away. See Genesis 32:20, to appease; Proverbs…

And this many have observed, namely, that it answers to [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] but yet have missed in the interpretation of it. [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] is the same with [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] wherewith it is joyned as of the same signification and importance (Psalm…

So Pharaoh more than once repented him in his sins, but never had repentance from them. And so it was expressly with the Israelites themselves (Psalm 78:34, 35, 36, 37). And this kind of repentance ruins not fewer souls than the former total contempt of it.

Let us see one instance more. See (Psalm 106:12, 13) compared with (Psalm 78:35, 37): for in both places he speaks of the same people, and it is said, They believed his Word, and sang his praise: but soon forgot his works; they remembered that God was their Rock, and the High Go…

The next thing to be spoken to is this, namely, the difference between that effect which that faith, which is indeed but a dead faith may have upon sin, and that which a lively faith has in mortifying of sin: for there is in some a work; not only merely legal, or rather, in that…

Secondly, he hears men's prayers in his wrath. Thus he gave the Israelites Quails according to their desire (Psalm 78:29-31). Thus often men curse themselves, and wish that they were hanged or dead: and accordingly they have their wish.

3. The last thing in the method proposed, is the cure of unbelief, God by his mighty power can only cure it (Ephesians 1:19), but the means which we must use may be reduced to two heads, 1 Cautions, 2 Directions. Cautions, 1 Take heed of setting God a task (Psalm 78:20) — Can th…

Where we see that to believe in God, is to believe God to be our God. And (Psalm 78:22) to believe in God and to put trust in him are all one: They believed not in God, and trusted not in his help. And the articles concerning Remission of sins and Life everlasting, do include, a…

There is a twofold distraction or wandering of the heart in duty. (1) Voluntary and habitual (Psalm 78:8): 'They set not their hearts aright, and their spirit was not steadfast with God.' This is the case of formalists, and it proceeds from the lack of a holy bent and inclinatio…

James 2:14, 17 mentions a dead faith which saves not. Thus the Scripture is frequent in the mentioning of a faith that is not saving (Psalm 78:34, 37; Isaiah 48:1-2). 2. We may inquire what sorts of believers those are that miscarry in point of salvation, that do believe but not…

5. In limiting providence. In bounding it to time, manner and other circumstances as they did (Psalm 78:41): they limited the holy one of Israel, for they remembered not his hand. As though God must manage every thing according to the will of a simple creature.

Then they will cry, and pray, and promise to reform, and set about it, as they suppose, in good earnest. This case is fully exemplified (Psalm 78:33, 34, 35, 36, 37). And it is manifest in daily experience among multitudes.

Secondly, he hears men's prayers in his wrath. Thus he gave the Israelites quails according to their desire (Psalm 78:29, 30, 31). Thus often men curse themselves, and wish that they were dead: and accordingly they have their wish.

It's as famous a story to take away the seeming success in an ill cause, and disappointment in a good cause, as any I know in all the Book of God: it did not overtake them at first. God's wrath follows many men in this world, and yet for a long time overtakes them not, but God c…

Then," etc. The Psalmist also (Psalms 78:33, 34): "He consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror. When He slew them, they sought Him."

Secondly, in the works themselves, with reverence and understanding to hear and receive the word, to be touched according to the matter, and with joy and assurance of faith receive solace and increase of grace, by the right use of the Sacraments; and after, to call to mind and t…

This jealousy he sets further forth by the fruit, that the Lord punishes severely this sin. Visiting iniquity, that is, punishing this sin, or the transgression of this law, in dissolving this holy band: for so the general word iniquity, and evil is taken, sometimes for some spe…

The use or end of all the work of the Lord towards him, to preach and set forth the power and glory of the eternal kingdom of God (Psalm 145:11-12). To us, that we and our posterity may better know, trust, love, and fear the Lord (Psalm 78:7; Deuteronomy 4:9). But contrariwise,…

Thus all the ground of your faith is but temporal favors or deliveries, which is even as if Israel should have made their receiving of temporal deliveries and their acknowledging of them, and having some sort of faith of them, to be ground enough to prove their receiving of Jesu…

Satan smote Job with sore boils, from the sole of his foot to his crown; and so devils have power over the senses, and bodily organs; and so of necessity over the blood, to cause rottenness in it, which must be in boils, and to alter and infect the humors. Psalm 78:49: Evil ange…

Your faith toward God (1 Peter 1:21; Deuteronomy 1:32; John 3:12; Genesis 15:6; Daniel 6:23; Romans 4:3; Galatians 2:16; 2 Timothy 1:12). The word, promises, and Prophets and Apostles, are all creatures, and but media fidei, the means of saving faith: they are objectum quo (John…

But then the question is, whether these means be the preaching of the Gospel, or of the same God revealed as Creator, by the Sun, Moon, and Stars, who is revealed in the Gospel, and salvation by him. Now the Sun, and Stars, and heaven declare the glory of God, and sound forth hi…

As if those sudden darts of venom by which we are stricken in the plague, came from Satan. Certainly evil angels may have a great hand in our diseases (Psalm 78:49): He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation and trouble, by sending evil angels among t…

Two ways of tempting him as to his providence the Scripture mentions. 1 One was their setting God a task of satisfying their conceits and carnal affections (Psalm 78:18): And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their lusts. Of this sin they are guilty that must…

Therefore till God's power be wasted, there is no room for despair. We must not limit the Holy One of Israel to our ways and means, as they did (Psalm 78:41): They turned back, and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

And never so much as lightly considered his own sins, which Paul here would have us to consider, and therefore he is reproved. Paul would have us consider ourselves, because the serious consideration of our own weakness, will move us to practice this duty of meekness: for as we…

For this was an extraordinary matter as I said before, that the Prophet was charged to defame his own nation by so solemn an edict, for which cause it is added, that it should be for the last day, that so they might be had in detestation forever; or, because that when the great…

This manner of speech is found often in other places, as when it is said, that God went forth for the salvation of his people, even for the salvation with his anointed (Habakkuk 3:13). Also that he went through Egypt, and led them in the wilderness like a flock (Exodus 11:4; Psa…

Man is like to grass, he flourishes as a flower of the field. In (Psalm 78:38-39) it is said in the same sense; But he being merciful, forgave their iniquities, and destroyed them not. He often called back his anger, and suffered not his whole displeasure to arise: for he rememb…

35. That it might be fulfilled Matthew does not mean, that the psalm, which he quotes, is a prediction which relates peculiarly to Christ, but that, as the majesty of the Spirit was displayed in the discourse of the Prophet, in the same manner was his power manifested in the dis…

Lord, I have hoped in thy Salvation, and done thy Commandments. Psalm 78:7. That they might set their Hope in God, and not forget the Works of the Lord, but keep his Commandments.

Yes, as we hope, to turn not a few from sin to God in a thorough conversion. But when the bitterness of death was past, much the greater part of those whom God's terrors frightened gave sad occasion to remember those words in Psalm 78:34-36: 'When he slew them, then they sought…

Now there be two things that unbelief stumbles at in God: One is his Power, the other his Willingness to help. (1.) Unbelief objects the impossibility of relief in deep distresses, Psalm 78:19 Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness? can be give bread also? can be provide fles…

Amos was very meanly employed at first, but God designed him for a more honourable and comfortable Calling, Amos 7. 14, 15. David followed the Ewes, and likely never raised his thoughts to higher things in the days of his youth; but God made him the Royal Shepherd of a better fl…

The stars in their courses fought against Sisera (Judges 5:20). Devils do his will herein, he sent evil angels among the Egyptians (Psalms 78:49). Fire consumes persecuting Ahaziah's companies (2 Kings 1:10, 11).