Psalm 78 (77):21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He described what he referred to as fire, equating it with anger, even though fire can also cause harm to many. What, then, is the implication of his statement, ‘The Lord heard, and delayed’? Did He postpone leading them into the promised land where they were meant to go? What could have been accomplished in a matter of days, yet due to their transgressions, they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years? If this is the case, was it the people who delayed, rather than those who tested and slandered God, since all of them perished in the wilderness while their descendants entered the promised land? Or did He postpone the consequences to first appease the desires of the faithless, to avoid giving them the impression that He was unable to fulfill their requests? Then He heard, and He held back His wrath: and after executing what they believed He could not accomplish, His anger was kindled against Israel.

The Lord took note of this and rejected it, meaning that He did not wait long and acted as if He had restrained His gracious hand.

Thus speaks the Prophet: when the Lord of Hosts was filled with wrath, He was slow to bestow upon them the promised land that He had pledged to their ancestors, instead delivering various forms of discipline upon them. He did not unleash destruction upon them immediately; rather, He awaited the growth of their descendants. The sacred texts of blessed Moses also reference the punishment by fire (Numbers 11:1). Yet, the Prophet affirms that they endured this torment because they did not place their faith in God, nor did they trust in His deliverance.

Due to this, the Lord listened and rejected, kindling fire in Jacob and bringing wrath upon Israel. Although they were testing God in their hearts, the one who hears perceived them as if they were speaking aloud. Simmah interprets the term rejected as angered, indicating that those who are filled with rage often discard their garments, symbolically disrobing in readiness for retribution. This interpretation aligns with Moses's assertion that the Lord's anger was kindled, leading to the fire of the Lord consuming a significant portion of their encampment. Jacob and Israel are referred to as the descendants of these people.

God’s righteous anger is evident, as expressed in the verse, “God heard and looked, and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up over Israel.” This signifies that His anger was fully engaged, a sentiment echoed in Theodotion and certain translators of the fifth reading. Why, then, do they perceive rejection as indicative of divine wrath? This interpretation is not without justification; it often occurs that those who are quick to anger strip off their robes as if preparing for retribution. Prophets frequently ascribe human characteristics to God to illustrate the nature of His actions.

Israel sought trivial requests, and as a result, God's indignation was directed at him. He turned away from being awed by the magnificent wonders performed by God and instead sought to satisfy his fleshly desires. Yet, "the wrath of God is still in their mouths, and the wrath of God is come upon them" (Psalm 77:30-31). Present your supplications to God in accordance with His splendor, that your worthiness may be elevated in His sight, causing Him to take joy in you. When a subject approaches a king with such a petty demand, he not only brings shame upon himself due to the pettiness of his request, revealing his great foolishness, but he also disrespects the king with such a trivial petition. This is akin to the individual who approaches God seeking worldly benefits in prayer.

Listening to God is synonymous with understanding itself, drawing a parallel to earthly judges who, without assessing the case, refrain from passing judgment on the guilty. Just as the Lord listens to the prayers of His faithful servants with mercy, He also hears the blasphemies of the wicked and brings them to His justice. This truth was evident in the experiences of the Israelites. To prevent anyone from thinking that God's wrath is beyond measure, the Prophet illustrates the gravity of sin by stating, “Because they believed not God, but trusted not in his salvation.” Trusting in God's salvation is akin to having faith in His paternal Providence and believing in the promises He has made to us.

This Psalm attributed to David, rich in prophetic insight, was entrusted to Asaph, the leader of the singers, to articulate a message for all to comprehend. It addresses the countless blessings bestowed by God Almighty upon the ungrateful lineage of the Jews, calling out their ingratitude and teaching others to express gratitude for the boundless compassion of God, particularly as manifested through Christ the Lord, who believes in His name. In this psalm, the prophet David communicates as if representing Christ to the followers of His teachings, urging them to pay attention to the Gospel's doctrine. The essence of this psalm may have once been pertinent to the Jews, but now it resonates with the faithful in Christ, as the old law serves as a shadow of the new covenant.