Psalm 81
לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ עַֽל הַגִּתִּ֬ית לְאָסָֽף
BSB
Sing for Joy to God Our Strength
For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. Of Asaph.
1Sing for joy to God our strength;
make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.
2Lift up a song, strike the tambourine,
play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
3Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.
4For this is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph
when he went out over the land of Egypt,
where I heard an unfamiliar language:
6“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
7You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
I answered you from the cloud of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Selah
8Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:
O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
9There must be no strange god among you,
nor shall you bow to a foreign god.
10I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth,
and I will fill it.
11But My people would not listen to Me,
and Israel would not obey Me.
12So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
13If only My people would listen to Me,
if Israel would follow My ways,
14how soon I would subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes!
15Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience,
and their doom would last forever.
16But I would feed you the finest wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Introduction
Psalms 81
This psalm was penned, as is supposed, not upon occasion of any particular providence, but for the solemnity of a particular ordinance, either that of the new-moon in general or that of the feast of trumpets on the new moon of the seventh month, Lev 23:24; Num 29:1. When David, by the Spirit, introduced the singing of psalms into the temple-service this psalm was intended for that day, to excite and assist the proper devotions of it. All the psalms are profitable; but, if one psalm be more suitable than another to the day and observances of it, we should choose that. The two great intentions of our religious assemblies, and which we ought to have in our eye in our attendance on them, are answered in this psalm, which are, to give glory to God and to receive instruction from God, to "behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple;" accordingly by this psalm we are assisted on our solemn feast days, I. In praising God for what he is to his people (Psa 81:1-3), and has done for them (Psa 81:4-7). II. In teaching and admonishing one another concerning the obligations we lie under to God (Psa 81:8-10), the danger of revolting from him (Psa 81:11, Psa 81:12), and the happiness we should have if we would but keep close to him (Psa 81:13-16). This, though spoken primarily of Israel of old, is written for our learning, and is therefore to be sung with application.
To the chief musician upon Gittith. A psalm of Asaph.
Cross-references: Lev 23:24 · Num 29:1 · Ps 81:1 · Ps 81:4 · Ps 81:8 · Ps 81:11 · Ps 81:12 · Ps 81:13