What is the meaning of Psalm 81:4? For this • The word “this” points back to the call in verse 3 to “Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and at the full moon on the day of our feast.” The psalmist is saying that the celebration described is not optional; it is rooted in divine command (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 10:10). • By anchoring the feast in God’s prior instruction, the verse reminds us that worship practices are not human inventions but heaven-initiated patterns (Exodus 12:24). is a statute for Israel • A “statute” is a binding command that does not change with time or culture (Exodus 12:14; Deuteronomy 6:1–2). • For Israel, these statutes shaped national identity. Obeying them distinguished the people as God’s covenant community (Deuteronomy 26:17–19). • The verse highlights that joyful worship—here, festival trumpet blasts—is as much a divine mandate as moral law. Celebration itself becomes obedience (Psalm 95:1–2). an ordinance • “Ordinance” underscores legal authority. It stresses that God regulates not only Israel’s civil life but also its rhythms of praise (Leviticus 23:4). • Obedience to ordinances brought blessing; neglect invited discipline (Deuteronomy 28:1, 15). Psalm 81 later recalls how Israel’s refusal to listen led to hardship (verses 11–12), confirming the practical weight of God’s ordinances. of the God of Jacob • “God of Jacob” personalizes the lawgiver. The One who commands is the same covenant-keeping God who wrestled with Jacob and renamed him Israel (Genesis 32:28). • Linking statute and ordinance to this relational title assures the people that divine commands flow from steadfast love, not arbitrary power (Exodus 3:6; Psalm 46:7). • The title also bridges generations: what God required of the patriarchs, He still requires of their descendants, showing continuity and faithfulness (Malachi 3:6). summary Psalm 81:4 roots Israel’s festival worship in God’s unchanging, covenant-based authority. The feast of trumpets is “a statute” and “an ordinance,” binding because it comes from “the God of Jacob,” whose loving faithfulness undergirds every command. Obedience, therefore, is not mere ritual—it is grateful response to the covenant-making, promise-keeping Lord. |
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