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Illustration for Psalm 81: A Call to Worship

Psalm 81

A Call to Worship

PraiseJoy

God calls His people to celebrate and sing with drums, harps, and trumpets! But He also reminds them: if only they would listen to Him and follow His ways, He would pour out amazing blessings on them. God wants to give us good things!

  1. 1Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
  2. 2Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre.
  3. 3Sound the ram's horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
  4. 4this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
  5. 5When God went out against Egypt, He established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard a voice I had not known:
  6. 6"I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.
  7. 7In your distress you called and I rescued you; I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
  8. 8Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel!
  9. 9You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me.
  10. 10I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
  11. 11But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.
  12. 12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
  13. 13If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways,
  14. 14how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
  15. 15Those who hate the LORD would cringe before Him, and their punishment would last forever.
  16. 16But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

What it means

God invites His people to a party with drums and harps and trumpets — and then says something sad: if only they would listen, He has so much He wants to give them. God is not stingy. Sometimes we miss His good gifts simply by not listening.

A little prayer

God, thank You that You love celebrating and You love giving good things. Help me to really listen to You, so I do not miss what You want to give me. Amen.

Memory verse

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.”

Psalm 81:10 (BSB)

A wide-open promise, with the whole psalm hanging on whether anyone takes it up.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. God tells the people to celebrate with drums and trumpets. What instrument would you choose?
  2. In the middle He says 'if only you would listen'. Why does the party stop for that?
  3. God says He would have fed them with the finest wheat. What is being missed?
  4. What have you not listened to lately?

Try this

Open wide

One person holds a bag of something small and good. Everyone else has to actually ask, out loud, to receive any. Talk about how odd it feels to ask.

You will need: A bag of raisins or similar.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)