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Psalms 78

1 He sheweth how God of his mercie chose his Church of the posteritie of Abrahám, 8 Reproching the stubburne rebellion of their fathers, that the children might not only understand, 11 That God of his free mercie made his covenant with their ancestors, 17 But also seing them so malicious and perverse, might be ashamed and to turn wholly to God. In this Psalme the holie Gost hath comprehended, as it were, the sum of all God’s benefits, to the intent the ignorant and gross people might see in few words the effect of the whole history of the Bible.
1.Hear my bdoctrine, ô my people: incline your ears unto the words of my mouth.
2.I wil open my mouth in a parable: I wil declare high sentences of old.
3.Which we have heard and knowen, & our cfathers have told us.
4.We wil not hide them from their children, but to the generation to come we wil shewe the praises of the Lord, his power also, and his wonderful works that he hath done:
5.How he established a dtestimonie in Jaakób, and ordained a Law in Israél, which he commanded our fathers, that they should teach their children:
6.That the eposterity might know it, and the children, which should be born, should stand up, and declare it to their children:
7.That they might fset their hope on God, and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments:
8.And not to be as their gfathers, a disobedient and rebellious generation: a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful unto God.74
9.The children of hEphráim being armed and shooting with the bow, turned back in the day of battle.
10.They kept not the covenant of God, but refused to walk in his Law,
11.And forgate his Acts, and his wonderful works that he had shewed them.
12.He did marvelous things in the sight of their ifathers in the land of Egypt: even in the field of Zóan.
13.*He divided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heap.
14.*In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fyer.
15.*He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as of the great depths.
16.*He brought floods also out of the stonie rock, so that he made the waters to descend like the rivers.
17.Yet they ksinned still against him, and provoked the Highest in the wilderness,
18.And tempted God in their hearts in lrequiring meat for their lust.
19.*They spake against God also, saying, Can God mprepare a table in the wilderness?
20.*Behold, he smote the rock, that the water gusted out, and the streams overflowed: can he give bread also? or prepare flesh for his people?
21.Therefore the Lord heard and was angry, and the *fyre was kindled in Jaakób, and also wrath came upon Israél,
22.Because they believed not in God, & ntrusted not in his help.
23.Yet he had commanded the oclouds above, and had opened the doors of heaven,
24.And had rained down MAN upon them for to eat, and had given them of the wheat of heaven.
25.*Man did eat the bread of Angels: he sent them meat ynough.
26.He caused the pEastwind to pass in the heaven, and through his power he brought in the Southwind.
27.He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowl as the sand of the sea.
28.And he made it fall in the middes of their camp, even round about their habitations.
29.So they did eat and were well filled: for he gave them their desire.
30.They were not turned from their qlusts, but the meat was yet in their mouths,
31.When the wrath of God came even upon them, and slew rthe strongest of them, and smote down the chosen men in Israél.
32.For all this, they ssinned still, and believed not his wonderous works.
33.Therefore their daies did he consume in vanity, and their years hastily.
34.And when he tslew them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God early.
35.And they remembered that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.
36.But they flattered him with their mouth and dissembled with him with their tongue.
37.For their uheart was not upright with him: neither were they faithful in his covenant.
38.Yet he being merciful xforgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not, but oft times called back his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39.For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a wind that passeth and commeth not again.
40.How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness? and grieve him in the desert?
41.Yea, they yreturned, and tempted God, and zlimited the Holie one of Israél.
42.They aremembered not his hand, nor the daie when he delivered them from the enemy,
43.Nor him that set his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zóan,
44.And turned their rivers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drink.
45.He sent ba swarm of flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
46.He cgave also their fruits unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the grasshopper.
47.He destroyed their vines with hail, and their wild figgetrees with the hailstone.
48.He gave their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to the thunderbolts.
49.He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of devil Angels.
50.He made away to his anger: he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life to the pestilence,
51.And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, even the ebeginning of their strength in the tabernacles of fHam.76
52.But he made his people to go out like sheep, and led them in the wilderness like a flock.
53.Yea, he carried them out safely, and they gfeared not, and the Sea covered their enemies.
54.And he brought them unto the borders of his hSanctuarie: even to this Mountain, which his right hand purchased.
55.*He cast out the heathen also before them and caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, and made the tribes of Israél to dwell in their tabernacles.
56.Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies,
57.But turned back and dealt ifalsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitful bow.
58.And they kprovoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to wrath with their graven images.
59.God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israél,
60.So that he lforsoke the habitation of Shiló, even the Tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
61.And delivered his mpower in to captivity, and his beauty into the enemy’s hand.
62.And he gave up his people to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
63.The fyre ndevoured their chosen men, and their maids were not opraised.
64.Their Priests fell by the sword, & their pwidows lamented not.
65.But the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and as a strong man that after his qwine cryeth out,
66.And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetual shame.
67.Yet he refused the tabernacle of rJoséph, and chose not the tribe of Ephráim:
68.But chose the tribe of Judáh, and mount Zión which he loved.
69.And he sbuilt his Sanctuary as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for ever.
70.He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
71.Even from behind the ewes with young brought he him to feed his people in Jaakób, and his inheritance in Israél.
72.So the fed them according to the simplicity of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.

Notes

1-b.
The Prophet under the name of a teacher calls the people his, and the doctrine his, as Paul calls the Gospel his, whereof he was but the preacher as Rom 2.16, and 16.25.
3-c.
Which were the people of God.
5-d.
By the testimony and Law he means the Law written, which they were commanded to teach their children, Deu. 6.7.
6-e.
He shows wherein the children should be like their fathers, that is, in maintaining God’s pure religion,
7-f.
He shows wherein the use of this doctrine stands in faith, in the meditation of God’s benefits, and in obedience.
8-g.
Though these fathers were the seed of Abraham and the chosen people, yet he shows by their rebellion, provocation, falsehood and hypocrisy, that the children ought not to follow their examples.
9-h.
By Ephraim he means also the rest of the tribes, because they were most in number whose punishment declares that they were unfaithful to God, and by their multitude and authority had corrupt all others.
12-i.
He proves that not only the posterity, but also their forefathers were wicked and rebellious to God.
13-*.
Ex. 14.21.
14-*.
Ex. 14.24.
15-*.
Ex. 17.6.
16-*.
Num. 20.11, Ps. 105.41, 1 Cor. 10.4, Wis. 11.4.
17-k.
Their wicked malice could be overcome by no benefits, which were great and many.
18-l.
Then to require more then is necessary, and to separate God’s power from his will, is to tempt God.
19-*.
Num. 11.1.
19-m.
Thus when we give place to sin, we are moved to doubt of God’s power, except he will always be ready to serve our lust.
20-*.
Ex. 17.6, Num. 20.11, Ps. 105.41, 1 Cor.10.4.
21-*.
Num.11.1.
22-n.
That is, in his Fatherly providence, whereby he cares for his and provides sufficiently.
23-o.
So that they had that, which was necessary and sufficient but their lust made them to covet that which they knew God had denied them.
25-*.
John 6.31, 1 Cor. 10.3.
26-p.
. God used the means of the wind to teach them, that all elements were at his commandment, and that no distance of place could let his working.
30-q.
Such is the nature of concupiscence, that the more it has, the more it lusts.
31-r.
Though other were not spared, yet chiefly they suffered, which trusted in their strength against God.
32-s.
Thus sin by continuance makes men insensible, so that by no plagues they can be amended.
34-t.
Such was their hypocrisy, that they sought unto God for fear of punishment, though in their heart they loved him not.
37-u.
Whatsoever comes not from the pure fountain of the heart, is hypocrisy.
38-x.
Because he would ever have some remnant of a Church to praise his Name in earth, he suffered not their sins to overcome his mercy.
41-y.
That is, they tempted him oft times.
41-z.
As they all do that measure the power of God by their capacity.
42-a.
The forgetfulness of God’s benefits is the root of rebellion & all vice.
45-b.
This word signifies a confused mixture of flies and venomous worms. Some take it for all sorts of serpents, some for all wild beasts.
46-c.
He repeats not here all the miracles that God did in Egypt, but certain which might be sufficient to convince the people of malice and ingratitude.
49-d.
So called, either of the effect: that is, of punishing the wicked, or els because they were wicked spirits, whom God permitted to vex men.
51-e.
The firstborn are so called, as Gen. 49.3.
51-f.
That is, Egypt: for it was called Mizraim or Egypt of Mizraim, that was the son of Ham.
53-g.
That is, they had none occasion to fear, forasmuch as God destroyed their enemies and delivered them safely.
54-h.
Meaning Canaan, which God had consecrate to himself, and appointed to his people.
55-*.
Josh. 11.10 and 13.7.
57-i.
Nothing more displeases God in the children, then when they continue in the wickedness, which their fathers had begun.
58-k.
By serving God otherwise then he had apointed.
60-l.
For their ingratitude he suffered the Philistims to take the Ark, which was the sign of his presence, from among them.
61-m.
The Ark is called his power and beauty, because thereby he defended his people, and beautifully appeared unto them.
63-n.
They were suddenly destroyed, 1 Sam. 4.10.
63-o.
They had no marriage songs: that is, they were not married.
64-p.
Either they were slain before or taken prisoners of their enemies, and so were forbidden.
65-q.
Because they were drunken in their sins, they judged God’s patience to be a slumbering as though he were drunken: therefore he answering their beastly judgement, he says he will awaked and take sudden vengeance.
67-r.
Showing that he spared not altogether the Israelites, though he punished their enemies.
69-s.
By building the Temple and establishing the kingdom, he declared that the signs of his favour were among them.
72-t.
He shows wherein a King’s charge stands: to wit, to provide faithful- ly for his people, to guide them by counsel, and defend them by power.