KNOWING GOD – THE GOD OF MIRACLES || Lesson 24 

KNOWING GOD – THE GOD OF MIRACLES – Lesson Twenty-four

TEXT:  Psalm 78.  This psalm contains some of “the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done” (V.4), on which will be the focus for this and the following lessons.

Title:  A maskil of Asaph.

Maskil – Amplified Bible:  A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem.

Note that though this and other psalms have been so categorized, the same applies to all Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Asaph – Some facts concerning:  A LEVITE AND A MUSCICIAN:  2 Chronicles 5:12 – All the Levites who were musicians–Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives–stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.  Note that this was at the celebration of the bringing of the Ark to the Temple.

DEPENDABLE: 1 Chronicles 16:37 – David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements.

COMPOSER AND PROPHET: 2 Chronicles 29:30 – King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.

COMPOSER: Psalm 50 and Psalms 73 to 83 are attributed to him.  PROPHET: 1 Samuel 9:9 – (Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)

ONE OF THE LEADERS OF DAVID’S CHIOR; TRAINED AND SKILLED IN MUSIC FOR THE LORD:  1 Chronicles 25:6-7 – ⁶All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the LORD, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. ⁷Along with their relatives–all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD–they numbered 288.

Application:  Let us ask the GOD OF MIRACLES to help us to emulate them, in accordance with Colossians 3:23-24 – ²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

V.1-2 – ¹O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. ²I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old – In fulfillment of this, Jesus used this method of teaching: Matthew 13:34-35 – ³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

Note Jesus’ explanation for doing so:  Matthew 13:10-17 – ¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “`You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ¹⁵For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹⁶But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Application: Let us thank the GOD OF MIRACLES that we are included in verses 16-17 and for James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.