How does Psalm 78:46 connect to the plagues in Exodus?

Psalm 78:46—The Verse in Focus

“He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.”

---

A Quick Look at the Plague of Locusts in Exodus

Exodus 10:12-15 condenses the event:

• “So the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt so that locusts may swarm over it…’”

• “They devoured every plant in the land and all the fruit of the trees left by the hail…”

---

How the Psalm Mirrors the Exodus Account

• Same agents of destruction

– “Grasshopper…locust” (Psalm 78:46) = the eighth plague (Exodus 10:4-15).

• Same target

– “Crops…fruit of their labor” = grain, barley, and remaining produce (Exodus 10:12).

• Same divine purpose

– To humble Pharaoh (Exodus 10:3) and display God’s supremacy (Psalm 78:12, 43).

---

Why Psalm 78 Rehearses the Plagues

• To teach each new generation to remember God’s power (Psalm 78:4-8).

• To contrast Egypt’s judgment with Israel’s deliverance (Exodus 10:23; Psalm 78:52-53).

• To warn against hard-heartedness; Israel must not repeat Pharaoh’s rebellion (Psalm 78:17, 32, 40).

---

Key Connections and Insights

• Continuity of God’s acts: the Psalmist sees the same God who struck Egypt still shepherding His people.

• Layered judgment: verse 46 follows flies, frogs, and precedes hail (vv 45-47), matching the Exodus sequence (Exodus 8-10).

• Intensified devastation: grasshoppers/locusts finish what hail began (Exodus 9:25, 10:5), showing totality of God’s judgment on idolatry.

---

Related Scriptures

• Joel 1:4—later prophets recall the same imagery of successive insect swarms.

• Deuteronomy 6:20-25—parents commanded to recount the plagues as proof of God’s mighty hand.

---

Takeaway for Today

• God’s past interventions authenticate His present promises.

• Forgetting His works leads to the same cycles of rebellion Israel fell into (Psalm 78:56-64).

• Remembering—including Psalm 78’s retelling—fuels faith that the Lord still rules over history and harvest alike.