“They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.”
Psalm 78:58 (NIV)
The first verse of Psalm 78 identifies it as a teaching psalm, it’s lesson seems very similar to Micah’s and very similar to Stephen’s message recorded in Acts 7.
According to Psalm 78, when God’s people worship idols at their high places and then go to worship God at the temple, God’s jealous anger is aroused.
According to Stephen in Acts 7:39-43, the people of God were worshipping idols all the time they were in the wilderness, although they were engaged in religious activity towards God.
According to Micah 1, the people of God have turned religious activity in the temple into one of their high places where they worship idols.
The lesson for us seems to be that the Living God is no idol - don’t treat Him like one, and don’t mistake outward religious activity as true worship.
In some ways, Psalm 78 is very discouraging, for although it tells us to teach our children the Way, it seems clear from the content of the psalm that there is no hope for the children to be different from their ancestors.
Especially discouraging if we ask ourselves; "How actually are we different from our ancestors?"
If we can pull ourselves up to the top edge of the pit of discouragement and fix our eyes on the God described in Psalm 78 encouragement begins to build and praise starts to flow.
What an awesome God!
Yet again what a hopeless people.
What will God do with a people like this?
He will give them a king, not from the strongest tribe of Israel whose capital is Samaria but from the tribe of Judah whose small towns are listed in Micah 1.
What has God done for a people like us?
He has given us a King from the tribe of Judah the Root and Offspring of David.
Our only hope to not repeat our ancestor’s behaviour is submission to the King!
Bow before Him- His kingdom come and His will be done in my life today.
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