Living Stream Ministry

I. GOD’S WAY BEING IN THE SANCTUARY
AND HIS WAY BEING IN THE SEA
AND HIS PATHS IN THE GREAT WATERS

In Psalm 77 we are told that God’s way is in the sanctuary and His way is in the sea and His paths are in the great waters.

A. It Being the Psalmist’s Infirmity
That He Was Puzzled and Complained to God
because God Had Cast Off His People for Awhile

The psalmist was puzzled and complained to God because God had cast off His people for awhile (vv. 1-9). In verses 7 and 8 he said, "Will the Lord cast us off forever?/And will He never be favorable to us again?/Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?/Has the promise come to an end for all generations?" The Bible tells us that God will never forsake us (Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5), but in our experience it sometimes seems to us that He does forsake us. God has chosen us, and He will never forsake us. God may allow us to go away from Him for a short time. Then He touches us, and we come back to Him.

In Psalm 77:10a the psalmist said, "This is my infirmity." Here he admits that it was his infirmity that he was puzzled and complained to God because God had cast off His people for awhile.

B. The Psalmist Recalling the Past and Musing on
God’s Wondrous Doings for His People

In verses 10b through 20 the psalmist recalled the past and mused on God’s wondrous doings for His people. "But I recall the years of the right hand of the Most High./I will bring to remembrance the deeds of Jehovah,/For I will remember Your wonders from of old./I will meditate on all Your work /And muse on Your doings" (vv. 10b-12). The word "muse" conveys a sense of sweetness, even of enjoyment. When the psalmist could not sleep during the night, he mused upon the great things God had done for His people.

The psalmist went on to relate the story of God’s saving Israel from Egypt, recalling how God made His strength known among the peoples and redeemed His people with His arm (vv. 14-15). He remembered that the waters saw Him and were afraid, that the depths trembled, that the clouds poured forth water, that the sound of His thunder was in the whirlwind, that lightning illuminated the world, that the earth trembled and quaked, and that He led His people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron (vv. 16-18, 20). As the psalmist recalled these things and mused upon them, he realized that he could not say that God had ceased to be gracious and compassionate.

In this way, the psalmist introduces the subject of restoration. The temple had been destroyed, the city had been devastated, and many of the people had been either killed or taken captive. This does not mean, however, that Israel is finished, for there will be restoration through the exalting of Christ.

(Life-Study of Psalms, Chapter 31, by Witness Lee)