Psalm 78 (Part Two)

The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; and forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. (vv 10-11)

The Israelites had immense difficulty adhering to God's commandments, and as people often do, they began to let things slide, and then found it easier to ignore the law altogether. Unfortunately, once they'd rejected God's law, they soon forgot He'd ever done anything for them. Then, when the enemy attacked, realising they could not defend themselves, they fled. They'd forgotten that God parted the Red Sea and the Jordan river so they could pass through on dry land. They forgot that the sun and the moon stood still when they fought against the Amorites (Joshua 10:13).

This principle applies just as much to us today. If we disobey God's word, or choose to follow Him only when it suits us, our commitment to His commands eventually begin to wane. The more we neglect them, the less we are able to trust in Him and we soon forget how powerful He is. Before we realise it, we've given the enemy ground, and are fleeing for our lives. The Lord gave Joshua some advice to help him fulfil God's call to leadership:

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

It is not enough to just read the Bible - God's word must come from our lips as well. We must confess the Scriptures daily, as a reminder of God's mercy, power and of our eternal covenant. During His temptation in the wilderness, the Lord Jesus did not command His angels to fight Satan. Instead, He responded to each trial with the words: 'It is written'. (Mark 4:3-11)

If Jesus, our model, responded to temptation with God's word, surely we owe it to ourselves, not only to know what the word says, but to respond to life's trials based on our knowledge of God and His word. When you immerse yourself in God's word, you will be able to withstand the enemy, for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword (Hebrews 4:12)

We neglect God's word at our peril.

Psalm 78 Full Reading