“In spite of all
this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.”
(Psalm 78:32)
(Psalm 78:32)
Psalm 78 powerfully testifies to God’s gracious
faithfulness and Israel’s stubborn perverseness. The text recounts the
abundance of God’s mercy, kindness, and blessing on His people while at the
same time noting the wickedness, ingratitude, and rebellion of the people. The
verse quoted above largely sums up the story. God was good to the people, but
in spite of His goodness, they still sinned.
Psalm 78:32 reminds me of...well, me.
Israel’s story is a lot like my story. God has been good to me, so very, very
good. But I still sinned. Even after coming to know Christ and being given a
new heart, I still sin far too easily, far too often, in far too many ways. I
look back on my life and see years and years of God’s kindness, goodness, and
blessings. But I also see train-wrecked relationships, misguided zeal, anger,
ingratitude, and worldly desires. All of the good parts of my story I owe to
God. All of the other stuff, well, that was the part I contributed to my life-story.
Fortunately, there is good news. Israel’s
story is not my story, even though similar
at many points. As you look close you realize Psalm 78 is not describing
shortcomings; it is describing apostasy. It is not Israel’s mistakes the
psalmist is lamenting; it is her abject unbelief. I may be a mess and a long
way from the kind of consistent holiness I am called to in Christ, but by the
grace and promise and power of God, I remain a believer in Christ, kept through
faith for salvation, and enabled to persevere by His good work (Php. 1:6; 1Pet.
1:3-5). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1-4).
Praise God my salvation depends not on the consistency of my walk with God but
on the quality of His work for me (2Cor. 5:21)!
You may find yourself despairing because
of your shortcomings. If you never did, chances are you do not see yourself or
your sin biblically. You are not taking sin as seriously as you should. But
there is hope. In Christ we do not remain broken forever. We will not always
fall short in these ways. You do not have to ever feel hopeless, because Jesus
saves. He came not for the righteous but for sinners. That is good news for me. God’s goodness will not be in
vain in my life. There is hope in Christ. Cling to Him. Lean on Him. Never let
Him go. He will bring you safely through the wilderness. Now go read Psalm 78,
and pay attention to how the story ends. –JME
