Psalm 81

Psalm Category: Song of Lament

Central Thought: Public worship is for glorifying God and receiving His instruction—that is, praising His name and hearing His voice.

The two great intentions of our religious assemblies,” writes Matthew Henry, “are to give glory to God and to receive instruction from God…we do not go to church to sleep nor to be idle” (Commentary on Psalm 81). Public worship is designed by the Lord as the primary means of grace in which He intends us “to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple” (Ps. 27:4). These are the two great themes addressed in Psalm 81.

The setting of the psalm is clearly one of the feast days of Old Testament worship. The form is of an appeal by God to His people to be serious about giving Him the glory and receiving and living His revealed Word and will. Anything less is a hypocritical sham that spits in the face of God. Worship is holy work.

God’s first question is: “Will you give Me the glory as you come together to worship?” (vv. 1-7). What does it mean to give Him the glory?

It means praising God for who He is to us (vv. 1-3). He is our “strength”—a fact to be believed (Ps. 18:2), a promise to be claimed (2 Cor. 12:9) and an experience of every believer (Ps. 18:1). He is also our “joy.” Therefore He is our “song,” and we gather to praise Him (“Blow the trumpet” signals the times of public worship). If God is your strength, joy and song, you will never want to miss the appointed times and will rejoice to go up to the house of the Lord (Ps. 122:1)!

It also means praising God for what He has done for us (vv. 4-7). Worship is “a statute” and “a law” (v. 4). God gave it to us as a glorious duty so we could meet with Him together with His people. It is not an option, a bonus, a personal preference or a tool for gaining God’s favor. It is an act and obligation of faith, in which He is glorified. Worship is also “a testimony” of God to us, of His love in saving us to be His people (v. 5). On our part, worship is a remembrance of burdens lifted by His saving grace (v. 6) and of answered prayers (v. 7).

God’s second question is: “Will you listen to Me and learn from Me?” (vv. 8-16). The key words are “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it,” (v. 10). The wording may sound like the dentist, but it actually shows God’s rich promise of spiritual growth for your heart and life. There are three exhortations directed at our consciences.

1. Pay attention! (vv. 8-9). The words “Hear…O Israel” had to remind godly Jews of the Shema—the great call to worship in Deuteronomy 6:4 that majestically announces who it is who commands our attention—God Himself! The address “My people” tells us how He relates to us. “I will admonish you” signals that He means to do us good. “If you will listen to Me” cautions about repeating past mistakes, and the word about “no foreign god among you” keys into the ten commandments. This serves to remind us that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

2. Think about it! (vv. 10-12). Here, God gives us four reasons for paying attention to Him, so that each of us would “be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). First is His known character—“I am the Lord your God” (v. 10a). Second is His known track record—saving His people from Egypt (v. 10b; Ex. 20:2). Third is His credible commitment—“open your mouth wide and I will fill it” (v. 10c). Jesus says, “ask, and it will be given to you” (Matt. 7:7). What God promises, He is able to deliver. Fourth is the proven quality of His counsel as witnessed by the cost of rejecting Him (vv. 11-12). Do you want to be filled or stay empty?

3. Trust in the Lord! (vv. 13-16). This is a rich appeal to love the Lord with, as Jesus puts it, “all of your heart, soul, strength and mind” (Luke 10:27). “Listen” and “walk” (v. 13), and watch the Lord “subdue” your enemies (v. 14), even if their submission is hypocritical (v. 15a). Believe, too, that the Lord will bless you beyond measure. Verse 15b (“But their fate would endure forever”) is better translated “But their [i.e., “My people’s,” v. 13] time would endure forever.” Faithfulness lasts and is blessed along the way with “the finest of the wheat” and “honey from the rock” (v. 16).

Now, if the dentist asks you to open your mouth and you refuse, how will your painful decaying tooth be filled? Open your mouth wide to God in Jesus Christ, “and my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). Are you open to Jesus?