Psalm 81 — A Call to Remembrance and Obedience
Psalm 81 is a call to celebration through music and trumpets, followed by a divine warning to Israel regarding their past disobedience and missed blessings.
1Sing aloud to God, our strength!
2Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine,
3Blow the trumpet at the New Moon,
4For it is a statute for Israel,
5He appointed it in Joseph for a covenant,
6“I removed his shoulder from the burden.
7You called in trouble, and I delivered you.
8“Hear, my people, and I will testify to you,
9There shall be no strange god in you,
10I am the LORD, your God,
11But my people didn’t listen to my voice.
12So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts,
13Oh that my people would listen to me,
14I would soon subdue their enemies,
15The haters of the LORD would cringe before him,
16But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Psalm 81:1
“Sing aloud to God, our strength! Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob!”
This verse establishes the chapter's initial theme of communal, exuberant worship.
Psalm 81:10
“I am the LORD, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
It reaffirms the covenant relationship and God's role as the primary provider for His people.
Psalm 81:13
“Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!”
This verse expresses a divine longing for the people's faithfulness and the benefits they would have received.
Chapter Summary
Psalm 81 begins as a joyful invitation to praise God with songs, tambourines, and trumpets during the New Moon festival, citing it as a statute for Israel. The text transitions to a divine oracle where God reminds the people of His past deliverance, specifically how He removed their burdens and answered their cries in Egypt. God reiterates the command to worship no other gods. However, the psalm shifts in tone as God laments that His people did not listen to His voice, leading Him to give them over to their own stubborn hearts. The chapter concludes with a conditional promise: had Israel listened, God would have subdued their enemies and provided them with the finest wheat and honey from the rock.
Frequently Asked Questions
The psalm mentions blowing the trumpet at the New Moon as a statute and decree for Israel. It refers to established religious festivals where the community gathered to celebrate God's covenant and past works.
In this context, Joseph represents the entire nation of Israel. The verse highlights the historical covenant and the laws established when the people left the land of Egypt.
The text states that because the people did not listen, God let them follow the stubbornness of their own hearts. It also suggests that their disobedience prevented them from seeing their enemies subdued and receiving the finest food.
Study Note
The shift from communal praise in the first five verses to a divine monologue starting in verse 6 is a common prophetic feature in several Hebrew psalms.
Related Chapters
Exodus 20
The command to have no other gods in Psalm 81:9 mirrors the first of the Ten Commandments.
Psalm 95
Both psalms combine a call to joyful worship with a stern warning against hardness of heart.
Deuteronomy 32
The theme of 'honey from the rock' and God's provision in the wilderness is shared between these two texts.
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