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Psalm 78 Author A-saph. God's Continued Guidance In Spite of Unbelief. It is a Psalm of instruction (Maschil).
This is a brief history of the church from Moses to David. It tells of the wonderful things God did for them in spite of their unbelief. Paul writes in 1st. Cor. 10:11, "These things were written as a warning and for your instruction less any man think he stands and falls. Paul and the Author of this Psalm had a common goal, warn the people about their unbelief and assure them that in spite of God's patience in withholding His judgment, judgment was inevitable.
Verses 1 thru 8 are a preface to their history prior to the writing of this Psalm and a recommendation that they study it now and for generations to come. Verses 9 thru 11 tell of the present sin of disobedience, not keeping the Covenant of God, and the judgment they were under for that sin. He encourages them by reminding them of mercies (verses 12 thru 55), their deliverance from bondage in Egypt, the provisions that He made for them in the wilderness, their deliverance from their enemies and finally to the possession of the land of Canaan.
He also reminds them how God had punished them for previous sins, the lack of faith at Kadesh-barnea, the golden calf, sins committed in the wilderness and more recently when the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines. Then how graciously He had forgiven them and returned the Ark and prosperity to the nation of Israel.
The Psalm was a history lesson in song and it taught young and old alike, the acts of mercy of God upon an unbelieving people. It should, in the reading of it, remind us of God's mercy and blessings that He has so graciously given us in spite of our disobedience and disbelief.
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