seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Psalm 81[a]For the director of music. According to gittith.(b) Of Asaph.
1 Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
2 Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
play the melodious harp and lyre.
shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
2 Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
play the melodious harp and lyre.
3 Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4 this is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 When God went out against Egypt,
he established it as a statute for Joseph.
and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4 this is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 When God went out against Egypt,
he established it as a statute for Joseph.
I heard an unknown voice say:
6 “I removed the burden from their shoulders;
their hands were set free from the basket.
7 In your distress you called and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.[c]
8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9 You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not worship any god other than me.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
their hands were set free from the basket.
7 In your distress you called and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.[c]
8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9 You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not worship any god other than me.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
11 “But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
13 “If my people would only listen to me,
if Israel would only follow my ways,
14 how quickly I would subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
and their punishment would last forever.
16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
if Israel would only follow my ways,
14 how quickly I would subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
and their punishment would last forever.
16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
a. Psalm 81:1 In Hebrew texts 81:1-16 is numbered 81:2-17.
b. Psalm 81:1 Title: Probably a musical term
c. Psalm 81:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
When I talk to people who do not believe the Bible.... or the story the Bible presents.... they say it just can't be true. They come up with all kinds of things to confuse the mind.... like "if God created everything.... where did God come from". There are thousands of questions and they aren't really interested in the answer because the idea of anything or anyone bigger than them.... or bigger than their understanding.... is impossible and impossible is after all impossible so the Bible is totally impossible. Well.... really.... who could blame them with verses like the end of verse 16 " 'with honey from a rock' I will satisfy you"
When Moses hit that rock back in Exodus.... and water came out of it.... it was called a miracle..... if someone hit a rock and honey came out of it....now that would be a major event.... God can do that if He has to. God will keep us going.... even if He has to produce honey from a rock. I've posted lots of Bible events that revolved around natural events. Now I'm not sure who was bragging about God being capable of bringing honey from a rock.... but if God wanted to.... I have no doubt He could or would.... I just haven't seen that particular event recorded anywhere so my guess is the author believes in God just like I do.... and knows God will do what He wants when He wants.... and I hope I'm not around when humans finally hit God's last straw.
The commentary at the easy English site totally ignores verse 16.
Harvest time is when we pick fruit and vegetables. The Jews had three big harvest times:
· April, when they picked barley (to make bread)
· May, when they picked wheat (also to make bread)
· October, when they picked grapes (to make wine). Wine is a drink with alcohol in it.
Psalm 81 is a Festival Psalm. The festival was at the time of the grape harvest. They called it "the festival of tents". Tents were houses made of animal skins. At the festival of tents the Jews lived for a week in tents. This taught them how they lived when God took them out of Egypt, hundreds of years before. It told them how good God was to them.
Psalm 81 taught the Jews that, now God had brought them into their own land, they should have no other gods. Then he would give them help against their enemies, as he did in Egypt.
Some Bible students think that Psalm 81 came from the north part of Israel. Its date was about 750 years before Christ came to the earth.
So.... it's about the grape harvest.... I guess making potable wine could be like taking honey from a rock sometimes..... some grapes can be really bitter right off the vine. I live next door to a Produce Market.... some of the grapes that come through that place are horrendous..... so I guess the idea of getting a good wine out of some grapes would be easier than taking honey from a rock.
This is from bible-studys.org.
“Honey out of the rock”: This phrase was first used by Moses in his song of praise (Deut. 32:13). Though honey is sometimes found in the clefts of rocks, the intent of the figure here is more likely to valuable food provided from unlikely places.
“Wheat” and “honey” are symbols of enjoyment and prosperity. “Honey out of the rock” could mean wild honey or, more probably, honey supplied miraculously, like the water from the rock in the desert (Exodus 17:6).
The Great Shepherd knows where the good grass is and feeds His sheep with the finest. When God's people follow Him and obey Him, there is a wonderful reward awaiting them. They will have access to the tree of Life. Look with me at the provisions that have been made for the true believer in Christ.
Revelation 22:1-5 "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations." "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:" "And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads." "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
Now.... wild honey in the crags of a rock.... that's not the same as getting honey out of a rock. A bee is very likely to build a hive in a crag of a rock. It would protect the hive from the weather. This verse says "honey out of the rock". That's like breaking open a rock and instead of finding rock.... or crystals.... finding molten honey that oozes from the cells out of the solid rock. That's something only God can do.... come to think of it.... bringing someone back from the dead is a pretty nifty trick too..... 