Psalm 81– To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph. 1 Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. 2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute. 3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
“‘Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.’ — that is, Israel. “As God is our strength, let that strength be devoted to His service; therefore, sing aloud!” (Adam Clarke)
“‘Raise a song and strike a timbrel etc. For “all things in the dispensation under the law were shadows and types only of a better dispensation under the gospel…. And, without doubt, every mind that is truly spiritual must allow that the melody of the soul can need no stringed instruments to awaken real devotion within. These were carnal things before the time of reformation. I would desire to sing with the spirit, and to sing with the understanding also, when I approach the throne of grace, to praise a God in Christ. I would sing loud indeed unto Jesus the Rock of my strength, and desire to bring all the devout chords of my soul to tell my God of his redemption, of his jubilee, and salvation. 1 Cor 14:15; Eph 5:17-20.” (Hawkers Poor Man’s Comm)
“The moon is the lesser luminary of the heavens (Gn 1:16)… In three passages in the Hebrew OT (Sg 6:10; Is 24:23; 30:26), the moon is called "the white one," and paired with "the hot one," the sun.... In the creation account, it is said concerning the functions of the two luminaries: ‘They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years’ (Gn 1:14, NLT)--that is, ‘times’ are determined by their movements. For this reason, when telling about the mighty deeds of the Lord in Creation, the poet says, ‘You made the moon to mark the seasons’ (Ps 104:19, NLT). The ancient Hebrew calendar was lunar (Sir 43:6-7), the months beginning with the new moon, marked by special rituals (Nm 10:10; 28:11-14; 2 Chr 2:4).” (Tyndale Bible Commentaryy)
“‘Blow the Trumpet.’ The Jews say this blowing of trumpets was in commemoration of Isaac's deliverance, a ram being sacrificed for him, and therefore they sounded with trumpets made of ram's horns.” (John Gill) It was the voice of God from heaven which stayed the sacrifice of Abraham’s son. Thus: “The sound of the trumpet is very commonly employed in Scripture as an image of the voice or word of God. The voice of God, and the voice of the trumpet on Mount Sinai, were heard together (Exo 19:5; 18-19), first the trumpet sound as the symbol, then the reality. So also John heard the voice of the Lord as that of a trumpet (Rev 1:10 4:1), and the sound of the trumpet is once and again spoken of as the harbinger of the Son of Man, when coming in power and great glory, to utter the almighty word which shall quicken the dead to life, and make all things new (Matthew 24:31, 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).” (Joseph Francis Thrupp)
“’Blow the trumpets at the time of the New Moon,’ monthly celebration involving grain offerings, burnt sacrifices, etc.— ‘at the full moon’— Two great festivals, Passover and Tabernacles, began in midmonth when the moon was full (Lv 23:5-6; Ps 81:3-5; and Lv 23:34, respectively). The seven-day week is a division of the 28-day lunar cycle into logical and convenient units, so the moon may be said to provide the basis for the significance of the number seven. As a corollary, the beginning of the seventh month, the Festival of Trumpets (Lv 23:24), marked the climax month of the sacred feasts; it also signified the New Year for regnal years and for agriculture.” (Tyndale Bible Comm)— “’on our solemn feast day.’ The Feast of Tabernacles is called κατ ἐξοχὴν, ‘the feast,’ in many passages of the OT” (Pulpit Commentary)- the end of the new dispensation.
“Dispensationally it stands for the gathering of Israel and is followed by the day of atonement, that future day, when they shall look upon Him whom they pierced (Zech 12:10) and after that the final feast, the harvest feast of tabernacles, a type of the millennium.” (Arno Gaebelein)
4 For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob. 5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony, when He went throughout the land of Egypt, where I heard a language I did not understand. 6 I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets. 7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
“For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob.” But they would not keep them. “This He established in Joseph”— the church of the firstborn — “as a testimony, when he went throughout the land of Egypt,’ to slay the firstborn of any house without the blood on the doorposts as commanded. When He did that work, “they”— the remnant— “rejoiced in His work.”- as well as along the way. But Yahweh heard a language He did not understand— “the religious worship of idolaters, vows offered up ‘to birds and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things,’ Romans 1:23, and strength and mercy sought from every object in nature, except Himself, was a language unknown to Him; He knew it not." (William Hill Tucker) Yet for the elect sake: “‘I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets,’ pots; as this word is taken, 1 Samuel 2:14 2 Chronicles 35:13. Or, baskets, as it signifies, 2 Kings 10:7 Jeremiah 24:2. In the general, it seems to note all those vessels wherein they carried water, straw, lime, bricks, etc.” (Matthew Poole) “They cried to the Lord at the Red Sea, Exodus 14:10; Exodus 14:15, and were delivered.— ‘I answered you in the secret place of thunder’— i.e. In the pillar of cloud that stood between the two armies, and thundered against the Egyptians, Exodus 14:24;...‘I tested (proved) you at the waters of Meribah’—When thou hadst but newly foot out of snare, and yet there and then thou showedst thyself. O thine ungratefulness, etc. This hath been thy manner from thy youth. ‘Selah’” (Trapp)
8 Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! 9 There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. 10 I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11 But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. 12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels. 13 Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. 15 The haters of Yahweh would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever. 16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.
“‘Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me!’ (v. 8) Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” (Is 59:1) ”’There shall be no foreign god among you [in the last dispensation]; nor shall you worship any foreign god.’ (v. 9) “You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’” (Isaiah 40:9) Jesus in "all in all" to His people. He brought them out Egypt and fed them and lead them (1 Corinthians 10:4). “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. [with Bread.] But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.” (V. 10a-12) "The haters of Yahweh would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever” (v. 15)- everlasting contempt.
“The failure of Israel to hear the Word of God was rectified by God’s own Son. Jesus always heard and honored God’s Word. His Father delighted in Him for that reason: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (Matt. 17:5). Jesus perfectly listened and followed so that His people would have a complete and perfect salvation. The Father continues to call His people to listen, now directing them to the words of His Son: ‘listen to him’ (Matt. 17:5). The salvation and health of the church depend on it continuing to listen to God’s Word.
Psalm 81 seems to reflect the time of exile, when God punished Israel with the loss of the temple, its king, and the land of promise. It also reminds us of an earlier time, when Israel doubted God and grumbled about Him (v. 7). At Meribah (Ex. 17), Israel tested the Lord, doubting that He was with His people, so the Lord tested Israel and found her wanting. Similarly, we can look at the history of the church and see many times and ways in which the church failed to listen to the Word of the Lord.
The time of the Reformation, of course, was one of the greatest times in which the church returned to the Word of God. The Reformation of the church occurred because Christians began again to study the Bible carefully. The Reformers studied Greek and Hebrew, provided the church with new translations of the Bible, used the new technology of the printing press to print Bibles, and prepared some of the finest commentaries and theologies in the history of the church.
Again in our time, the church must be called to listen to the Word of God. The churches of America too often seem interested in following other voices than the voice of God. For decades, some churches have taught that the Bible is not fully and truly the Word of God. Other churches formally recognize the Bible, but seem to have lost confidence that preaching and teaching the Bible is what will convert unbelievers and build the church. Many Christians today seem to practically ignore the Bible, and as a result, they are as worldly as their unbelieving neighbors.
God says to us today, as He said to Israel of old and says to every generation of His people: ‘O Israel, if you would but listen to me!’ Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will open ears in our churches and throughout our land. And let us listen carefully and believingly. Such listening is what the church most needs today.” (The Church and Psalm 81 by W Robert Godfrey)