Psalm 78:57a "Acted unfaithfully like their fathers..."
Day 154 – Psalm 78
“Acted unfaithfully like their fathers…” Psalm 78:57a
THE SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS
The generation of Moses did not fare well at all, despite all the mighty signs and wonders that God had shown the children of Israel. How did the subsequent generations fare? Asaph was candid in his assessment.
“But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.”
Psalm 78:57
1. “But turned back”
Two movements are to be noted in this phrase:-
a) There was an initial turning to God
i) Through being chastised.
ii) Through hardship.
b) Not long after Israel turned back
i) To its old sinful ways.
ii) They turned their back on God.
2. “And acted unfaithfully like their fathers”
a) Like their fathers… this is a reference to the generation of Moses.
b) The subsequent generations did not fare much better.
c) They were like their fathers of old… they were unfaithful to God.
3. “They were turned aside like a deceitful bow”
a) A bow was an important instrument of war in the ancient days.
b) A bow must be trusted by the archer.
c) If the bow cannot be relied upon it was called “a deceitful bow”.
i) It may look like a bow that brings cheer when an archer sees it.
ii) But it does not perform up to expectation.
iii) Israel was likened to a deceitful bow.