It’s advisable, I think, to have a final Lesson concerning Psalm 77. It’s a masterpiece of theology, poetry too, and a testimony par excellence!

I just studied where a Bible teacher divided the Psalm by it’s little “Selah” words! It has three of these, each at the end of certain verses. Let me show you.

“I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. ² In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. ³ I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. ⁴ Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. ⁵ I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. ⁶ I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. ⁷ Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? ⁸ Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? ⁹ Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. ¹⁰ And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. ¹¹ I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. ¹² I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. ¹³ Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? ¹⁴ Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. ¹⁵ Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. ¹⁶ The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled. ¹⁷ The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. ¹⁸ The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. ¹⁹ Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. ²⁰ Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Asaph is pleading with God until the first “Selah,” in verses 1-3. By the way, “Selah” for now can be defined as “a musical term, inserted into poetry to say … ‘pause and think’ … reflect on the message just presented.” The Psalmist here (in his first “stanza”) is miserable.

Then from the first Selah to the second, he reasons with himself. Divinely approved thinking, a mind at work, one that believes in God. This is Asaph’s chief value to the Christian … we get to see his way of reasoning through tough situations, always gaining victory through faith.

Then between the second and third Selahs the man focuses much more on God.  Less of self, more of the Creator/Redeemer! One Preacher used to call this “Occupation with Christ.”

With the last few verses, after the final Selah, beautifully magnifying God’s Power! “God’s Way in the storm!” No doubt Asaph is thinking historically, of the Exodus and subsequent Wilderness Journey of Israel, from Egypt to Canaan!

I have been intrigued by Asaph the Psalm writer during these Lessons, over these past three weeks. He is thought to have composed 12 of the Psalms. I think they are labeled as “Asaphian.” And they are Psalm 50, then consecutively Psalms 73 through 83, again a total of twelve. Some are shorter, others longer. For example, Psalm 82 only contains 8 verses. While Psalm 78 has a startling 72 verses!

I now plan, the Lord willing, to somewhere preach a whole week of Revival using only the “Asaph Corpus” of Scripture! I am excited just thinking about it.

I pray you “students” (other websites say “readers”) have enjoyed our journey through Psalm 77. I know the “teacher” (“writer”) certainly has!

I am so thankful my Lord is my Shepherd too!

Appropriately I’ll close with Psalm 77’s ultimate verse: “Thou (Lord) leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Like a flock!

The Lord being the Leader!

Amen.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

“The Lord is my Shepherd,” what beautiful words!

And Psalm 77 closes with a restating of this dynamic fact. Speaking directly to that Shepherd as well! “Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Psalm 77:20

No doubt the Exodus, Israel’s miraculous deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, is primarily in Asaph’s (the writer of Psalm 77) mind.

This particular “word picture” is prominent in the Old Testament.

Psalm 78:52, for example.  “But (the Lord) made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.”

Then Psalm 80, its opening verse. “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.”

Isaiah 63:11-12 is classic too. “Then he (still, the Lord) remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?” Shepherd like!

Here are three short verses from the actual Exodus account, God leading His people the Israelites. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” Exodus 13:21

Also Exodus 14:19-20. “And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.”

Wow!

The New Testament as well, Jesus Himself being the Fulfillment (the True Shepherd), accents this gracious Ministry of God. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11, followed just three verses later by: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

This Truth continues, this time from the Book of Hebrews: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” The start of a prayer, Hebrews 13:21.

And now Peter, about our Lord. “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” 1st Peter 5:4

The Good Shepherd, dying for us.

The Great Shepherd, raised from the grave for us.

And the Chief Shepherd, coming again for us!

What a way to end a Psalm!

“Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

And what a Saviour to enjoy the rest of our lives!

In fact, for all eternity!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Are you counted as a member of his flock?

 

In its penultimate (next-to-last) verse Psalm 77 describes the ineffable (cannot be described) Nature of God. In Verse 19 to be precise. “Thy way (O God) is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.”

Bible teachers suspect that the Psalmist (Asaph) here has in mind God’s miraculous Deeds as the Jews crossed the Read Sea during their exodus from Egypt, after that first Passover!

The “sea,” a noun spelled “yam” in Hebrew, at its heart simply means “that which roars!” Pretty, picturesque, isn’t it?

“Great waters” may be describing the “walls” of water God heaped into place as the Jews walked through the sea basis in dry ground!

Exodus 14:21-22 records: “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the WATERS were A WALL UNTO THEM on their right hand, and on their left.”

Wow!

Then God’s “footsteps” are mentioned, with “aqeb” meaning “heels, hinder parts, the final end of a troop of soldiers.” What Job once called just “parts of His Ways!”  Job 26:14 … “Lo, these are PARTS OF HIS WAYS: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?”

Oh, what a way to worship!

Half way recounting God’s great deeds, historically or contemporarily.

The other half, pondering how great and “unknowable” this unlimited God truly is!

Deuteronomy 29:29 comes to mind: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Let me go now to practice what I just preached!

“O Lord my God … How great Thou art!”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

God and the weather!

God and the storm!

Is a connection here simply “old-fashioned” thinking?

Antiquated so-called science?

Or is the Bible right?

Because in the poetic sections of Scripture, as well as in the historical chapters (come to think of it, the Bible’s prophecy portions too) God and storms are often interrelated.

Really, not just the storms.

“The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: THE LORD HATH HIS WAY IN THE WHIRLWIND AND IN THE STORM, AND THE CLOUDS ARE THE DUST OF HIS FEET.” Nahum 1:3, the “clouds” too!

Job 38:1 and 40:6 both mention this phenomenon. “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said ….”

And remember the “hail” as one of the plagues back in Moses’ time? Still a weather related event!

But WHY all this discussion about weather and God?

Because today’s study Verse, Psalm 77:18, further illustrates the God/storm nexus. “The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.”

God “owns” the thunder!

“Thunder” is derived from a Hebrew verb that initially means “to roar.”

“Lightning” in Hebrew means “that which flashes, glitters,” that kind of idea.

The corresponding (and adjacent) verb “lightened” means “to shine, to be glorious.”

“Tremble” means “to quake, quiver.”

And “shook” literally means “moved!”

This is a pretty violent storm, an ultra active weather “cell!”

And God (in the context of Psalm 77, its last few verses) uses that storm to help bring Pharaoh into judgment, at the Red Sea.

And folks, if we take the Bible literally (and we do) … in the future (tribulation time) God again will use the weather, thunder and lightning and storms to accomplish His goals!

Yes, Jesus even calmed storms a few times!

In closing read with me a few verses.

“He (God) causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.” Psalm 135:7

Psalm 148:8 is really great. “Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word.” Wow!

I rest my case.

I remember reading the biography of old Dr. M. R. DeHaan, Bible teacher extraordinaire of a past generation. As he reared his children, every time a storm came … they would all sit on the front porch and “watch God work!” Admire His Majesty, be amazed at His Power!

In one word, worship!

Today’s Verse, one more time. ”

“The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Our verse today further describes, in context, God’s Power as displayed at the Exodus, when the Israelites were set free from the bondage of Egypt.

“The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.” Psalm 77:17

Wow!

Sometimes the Psalms tell us things that we would have never known otherwise! Like the details above … at the Exodus!

Here’s what Exodus chapter 15 tells us of God’s great deliverance that day. “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed.” Exodus 15:3-13, but none of the specifics Psalm 77:17 just gave us!

And the previous Exodus chapter, the actual historical account reads: “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.” Exodus 14:21-30, again not as specific in reference to copious rainfall or lightning storms!

But Psalm 77:17 sure is … clear, abundantly so! “The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.”

Seems to me that almost every time God “appears” on earth (a “theophany” it’s called) … such phenomena occur.

As in Psalm 18:14 … “Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.”

And Psalm 144:6 … “Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.” A prayer.

David in 2nd Samuel 22:15, celebrating another victory sent from God. “And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.”

And maybe most famously, Habakkuk 3:11. “The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.”

Indeed … we serve an awesome God!

A powerful God!

A protective God … over His people!

Not bad writing (very positive) for a man (Asaph) who was so extremely discouraged earlier in our chapter, in our Psalm.

Here’s how Charles Haddon Spurgeon described God’s onslaught on the Egyptians. “Obedient to the Lord, the lower region of the atmosphere yielded its aid to overthrow the Egyptian host. The cloudy chariots of heaven hurried forward to discharge their floods. The skies sent out a sound. From the loftier aerial regions thundered the dread artillery of the Lord of Hosts. Peal on peal the skies sounded over the heads of the routed enemies, confusing their minds and adding to their horror. Thine arrows also went abroad. Lightnings flew like bolts from the bow of God. Swiftly, hither and thither, went the red tongues of flame, on helm and shield they gleamed; anon with blue bale fires revealing the innermost caverns of the hungry sea which waited to swallow up the pride of Mizraim. Behold, how all the creatures wait upon their God, and show themselves strong to overthrow his enemies.”

Yes, there was a storm!

With God right in the middle of it!

Praise His Name!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell