Psalm 78:63-64

Psalm 78:63-64

Actions have consequences

V63-64 These two verses, and the one before, talk explicitly about God’s judgement on His wayward rebellious people and it’s not pretty reading:- 

“He gave His people over to the sword.” 

“Fire consumed their young men.” 

“Their young women had no wedding songs.” 

“Their priests were put to the sword.”

“Their widows could not weep.”

Remember that these events took place when the Tabernacle was at Shiloh. Remember too that there is a connection with Hannah and the birth of Samuel and the wickedness of Eli the high priest’s sons – Hophni and Phinehas. (See comments on verses 60-61.) 

It’s not unreasonable for us to ask what actually happened and how? “So, the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated, and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great: Israel lost thirty-thousand-foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” 1 Samuel 4:10-11.

What deserves to be noticed here is the interconnection between, the behaviour of God’s people, His fury at their rebellion, the use of the Philistines to carry out His judgement and the resulting calamity that hit the Israelites. In other words, events in history are not just random. God is involved. Paul wrote about this in Galatians 6:7, this is from the Amplified Bible. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap.”

 Our actions have consequences as Israel found, to their cost.

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