Psalm 78:21-22a

Psalm 78:21-22a

They did not believe in God

A number of these verses form couplets that cannot be separated and here is another one. The story of God’s anger and His destructive fire is not well-known so I will repeat it here; “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah, (which means burning) because fire from the Lord had burned among them.” Numbers 11:1-3.

God’s wrath and His anger will be repeatedly mentioned in this Psalm, as we have learned before, His wrath is an expression of His righteousness. After all that He had done for Israel, they continued to question His ability and His provision. They grumbled and complained against the One who had watched over their every need and who had kept them safe in the face of overwhelming danger. Yet, they still dared to question Him or to not take Him seriously! As the Psalm says, “They did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance.” The fire was yet another parable, an event that taught Israel the consequences of faithlessness. Would they ever learn?

The sad thing is that there are many so-called Christians alive today who claim to believe in the Lord but who also do not trust in Him. We should hope and pray that our lack of faith is not serious enough to justify His righteous anger! 

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