Psalms 77

Psalms 77:1

Psalm 77: The Cure for IntrospectionIn the first ten verses, Asaph has a king-sized case of introspection. The personal pronouns I, me, and my are found over twenty times, while the names of God are found only seven times, and pronouns referring to God seven times. But there is a distinct change at verse 10. In the last ten verses the personal pronouns are found only three times whereas nouns and pronouns referring to Deity are used over twenty times. “The ministry of Christ through the Holy Spirit does away with I, me, and my.” Someone has described the flow of thought here in four words: Sighing (vv. 1-6) Sinking (vv. 7-10) Singing (vv. 11-15) Soaring (vv. 16-20) 77:1-3 First, Asaph pours out his tale of woe to God. Some unnamed trouble has come to camp on his doorstep. In his misery, he can think of no one and nothing but himself. In spite of unceasing prayer, he complains that comfort eludes him. He finds himself in the anomalous situation where thoughts of God cause him to moan instead of rejoice. The more he meditates, the more melancholy he becomes. 77:4-6 He blames his acute case of insomnia on God alone. Words fail him to express the anguish of his spirit. He seeks comfort in remembering the good old days when things went smoothly with him. But the more he is occupied with himself and looks for victory within, the more he begins to doubt the kindness of the Lord. He is assailed by doubts that find expression in five unbelieving questions. 77:7-10 The first raises the frightening suggestion that perhaps the Lord is finished with him for good. The second asks if God has ceased to love. Next he wonders if the Lord has scrapped His promises. Again, the impertinent thought crosses his mind that perhaps God has forgotten to be gracious. And finally, he asks if God’s anger has cut off the flow of His compassion. And he answers himself that this is the case. The right hand of the Most High has changed. All his grief can be traced to a change in God’s attitude toward him. 77:11-13 But in verse 11 there is a spiritual turning point comparable to the transition from Romans 7 to Romans 8. After introspection had plunged him into the depths of despondency, Asaph turns his eyes heavenward and determines to reflect on God’s past interventions for His people when they were in tight spots. This leads him at once to the acknowledgment that God is holy, that everything He does is perfect, righteous, and good. He makes no mistakes. 77:14, 15 Specifically the psalmist thinks of the marvelous and miraculous display of the strength of God that delivered the people of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. By this time he is soaring. The personal pronouns have disappeared entirely from his vocabulary. Self-centeredness has given way to God-centeredness. 77:16-18 With superb literary skill, he pictures the waters of the Red Sea as looking up and seeing their Creator, then retreating in terror. All nature exploded in a violent storm. Torrents of rain poured down. Shattering crashes of thunder burst overhead. Lightning zigzagged across the sky, lighting up the landscape. A furious whirlwind blitzed the area, and the countryside shook under the fierce assault. 77:19, 20 God Himself made a highway through the sea. It was He who opened a path so His people could cross dry-shod. Yet no one saw His footprints. As is so often the case, there were abundant evidences of His presence and power, though He Himself was concealed in the shadows. The Psalm closes on a peaceful notethe Shepherd-God leading Israel through the wilderness to Canaan in the care of Moses and Aaron. At the outset, Asaph was a likely prospect for a psychiatric clinic. At the end he is calm and serene. And so the Psalm is an illustration of the well-known saying: Occupation with self brings distress; Occupation with others brings discouragement; Occupation with Christ brings delight.