Psalm 81:1-10 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 81:1-10 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
Verse 2Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
Verse 3Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day.
Verse 4For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
Verse 5He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known:
Verse 6"I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
Verse 7In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
Verse 8Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
Verse 9There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
Verse 10I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
Devotion
It's interesting that today's reading focuses only on the first half of this psalm—the half that recalls God's blessings and promise of grace to come. The final six verses that we pass over describe a God who is grieved by children who have not received with joy the gifts offered to them.
I got a pair of argyle socks from my grandmother one year for Christmas. I was 12. They were unceremoniously pushed to the back of the sock drawer. But when Grandma came to visit, my mom made me find them and wear them to church. Not only was Grandma pleased, but I discovered that other people (grown-ups and kids) thought they were cool.
God gives gifts that are meant to be used and enjoyed. Like the gift of Sabbath rest, God's blessings are for the enrichment of our lives. When we push those gifts to the back of the drawer, God responds, "Use what I've given you, you might be surprised how it'll change your life!"
Prayer
Make us thankful for your gift of rest, Lord, and remind us to cherish all your blessings. Amen.