Psalm 81

Dear Jennie:

Hi! I guess this Psalm is associated with the festival of Booths. Which from Lev. 23 we know was in the 7th month and lasted 7 (or maybe 8?) days. The people built and lived in huts during that time and there were sacrifices and rules about not working. All to commemorate God leading his people out of Egypt and providing for them in the wilderness.

- vs. 1-4: Praises with song and music

- vs. 5-7: A "language they did not know" must be the language of freedom. God relieves their hands from burdens and rescues them from forced labor.

- vs. 8-10: Worship only the Lord!

- vs. 11-14: I feel for the people. Because all their lives (I mean 400 years means NO ONE would have remembered what life was like before Egypt) they've been surrounded by foreign gods and foreign ways. So of course they'd go back to what felt familiar to them, if they didn't think God was going to come through for them. Not an excuse but helps me understand it and convicts me - that I would likely would have done the same.

- vs. 15: Interesting that God said if his people would only listen to him, he would make their enemies pretend obedience to the Lord. This is sort of off topic but it strikes me because I'm sure you've heard the argument for believing in God: well if there is no God then nothing happens at death but if there is God then you go to heaven so you might as well believe in God "in case". As if "pretending" to believe is something God wouldn't notice.

- vs. 16: How God would prosper his people if they would walk in his ways!

Love!