Table of Contents
Background and Context
Psalm 81 is a liturgical psalm of Asaph, composed for use during one of Israel’s major religious festivals. The mention of the “new moon” and the “full moon,” along with the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar), strongly suggests that this psalm was used during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This festival, held in the early autumn, was a joyous celebration of the completed harvest and also a time to commemorate the 40 years Israel spent dwelling in tents in the wilderness after the Exodus.
The psalm has a unique and dramatic structure. It begins as a vibrant call to worship, urging the people to celebrate with loud music and joyful singing. Then, in the middle of verse 5, the psalm abruptly shifts. The voice of the worship leader falls silent, and the voice of God Himself breaks in, delivering a powerful and poignant prophetic sermon to the festive assembly. This sermon forms the heart of the psalm, reminding the people of their history and calling them back to faithful obedience.
Theological Themes
This psalm presents a powerful dialogue between a celebrating people and their concerned God, exploring several vital themes.
Worship as Joyful Obedience: The psalm opens with a summons to exuberant, loud, and joyful worship. Singing, shouting, and playing musical instruments are not just optional extras; they are part of a “decree for Israel,” a joyful ordinance from God (verse 4). This reminds us that God desires and commands the joyful celebration of His people.
God’s Redeeming Grace as the Foundation of Faith: In His sermon, God’s first act is to remind the people of who He is and what He has done: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt” (verse 10). He freed them from the “basket” of slave labor. This foundational act of redemption is the basis of their entire relationship with Him and the reason they should listen to His voice.
The Exclusive Claim of God: At the heart of God’s message is the central command of the covenant: “You shall have no foreign god among you” (verse 9). God’s redemptive grace demands an exclusive allegiance. This is coupled with a beautiful invitation: “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” (verse 10). He alone is the source of true satisfaction and blessing.
The Grieving Heart of God: The most moving part of the psalm is God’s lament over Israel’s disobedience. “But my people would not listen…” (verse 11). This leads to one of the most poignant “if only” statements in the Bible: “If my people would only listen to me… how quickly I would subdue their enemies” (verses 13-14). This reveals the heart of a loving God who grieves over the self-inflicted harm that comes to His people through their stubbornness. He longs to bless them with victory and abundance, but their disobedience stands in the way.
Literary Structure and Genre
Psalm 81 is a liturgical psalm with a strong prophetic element. Its most prominent feature is the dramatic shift in speaker, which divides the psalm into two distinct parts.
- Part 1: The Call to Worship (verses 1-5a): The voice of the priest or worship leader calls the congregation to a joyful festival celebration.
- Part 2: The Divine Oracle (verses 5b-16): The voice of God Himself takes over, delivering a sermon that recounts His past grace, laments Israel’s present disobedience, and describes the blessings that could be theirs if they would only listen.
Verse by Verse Commentary on Psalm 81
Verses 1-5a: A Summons to Joyful Celebration
“Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre. Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival; this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.”
The psalm begins with an energetic and enthusiastic call to worship. The congregation is summoned to make a joyful noise to God, who is their “strength.” The worship is to be loud and filled with music from a full orchestra of instruments: the tambourine, the harp, and the lyre. The ram’s horn (shofar) is sounded, signaling the start of the holy festival. The psalmist emphasizes that this joyful celebration is not merely a good idea; it is a divine decree, an ordinance commanded by God Himself.
Verses 5b-10: God Recounts His Grace and Gives His Command
“He established it as a statute for Joseph when he went out against Egypt, where we heard a language we did not understand. He says, ‘I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the bask1et… Hear me, my people, and I will warn you… You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any other god. I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.'”
The voice suddenly shifts to God, who begins to speak in the first person. He looks back to the Exodus, reminding them of their time as slaves in Egypt, where they were oppressed and heard a foreign language. God declares, “I removed the burden from their shoulders… their hands were set free from the basket” (a direct reference to the baskets used to carry clay for bricks). He reminds them that He delivered them from slavery and tested them at the waters of Meribah.
Based on this history of redemption, God issues His core warning and command: they are to listen to His voice and worship Him exclusively. He is the only one who can truly satisfy them. The invitation, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it,” is a beautiful picture of a mother bird feeding her young. It is a promise that if Israel would look to Him alone in dependent faith, He would provide everything they need in abundance.
Verses 11-16: God Laments Israel’s Disobedience
“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemie2s… But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
This final section is filled with divine pathos and sorrow. God recounts the tragic reality: “But my people would not listen.” Because of their rebellion and unwillingness to submit, God took a painful step: “I gave them over to their stubborn hearts.” This is one of the most frightening judgments in the Bible—God allowing people to have their own way and to experience the natural, destructive consequences of their sin.
The psalm ends with God expressing His deep longing for His people. He lays out the blessings they are missing because of their disobedience. If only they would listen, He would give them swift victory over their enemies. He would feed them with the very best provisions: the “finest of wheat” and “honey from the rock,” a metaphor for an unexpected and superabundant supply of sweetness and nourishment. The psalm ends not with a thunderous judgment, but with the grieving, longing voice of a loving Father.
Practical Lessons for Today
Worship Should Be Joyful: Psalm 81 reminds us that God delights in the joyful, loud, and celebratory praise of His people. Our worship should not be a dull or lifeless routine, but a vibrant expression of gratitude to “God our strength.”
Remember Your Redemption: God built His entire case on the fact that He had rescued His people from slavery. Our motivation for obedience and exclusive worship is rooted in the fact that God, through Jesus Christ, has rescued us from the slavery of sin and death. Regularly remembering the cross is the fuel for a grateful and obedient life.
Listen to God’s Voice: The central tragedy of the psalm is that God’s people “would not listen.” The most important thing we can do in our relationship with God is to cultivate a listening heart—through Scripture, through prayer, and through the community of faith—and then to obey what we hear.
Disobedience Has Consequences, but God’s Heart is to Bless: The psalm shows the painful reality that when we persistently follow our own “stubborn hearts,” God may “give us over” to the consequences. Yet, it also reveals that God’s deepest desire is to bless us with victory and satisfaction. This should motivate us to turn from our own ways and walk in His, so that we can receive the good things He longs to give us.
Cross References
Leviticus 23:34: “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days.'” This verse establishes the law for the Feast of Tabernacles, the most likely setting for the worship described in Psalm 81.
Exodus 17:7: “And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?'” This is the historical event of the testing at Meribah, which God refers to in Psalm 81:7 as a place where He tested Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:13-14: “He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock… and with the finest of wheat.” This passage from the Song of Moses uses the exact same imagery of “honey from the rock” and “finest of wheat” to describe the abundance God provides for His people, which is promised in Psalm 81:16.
Matthew 23:37: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem perfectly echoes the sorrowful, longing heart of God expressed in Psalm 81:13. Both passages reveal a God who longs to gather and bless His people, who grieve when they refuse.