Chapter 81
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
3Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
4For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
5This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
6I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
7Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
8Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
9There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
10I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
12So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
13Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
14I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
15The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
16He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.
“I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
Overview
Psalm 81 is a festive psalm of Asaph calling Israel to joyful worship, likely associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. It begins with a summons to sing aloud, blow the trumpet, and make a joyful noise. God then speaks directly, reminding Israel of His deliverance from Egypt and His faithfulness — 'I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.' Yet Israel would not listen, so God gave them over to their own hearts' lust. The psalm closes with God's poignant lament: 'Oh that my people had hearkened unto me!'
Key Themes
A Call to Joyful Worship
The psalm opens with an enthusiastic summons to praise God with instruments, singing, and celebration — worship is to be full of joy and energy.
God's Desire to Bless
God yearns to fill His people with good things — 'Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it' — yet they refuse and turn to their own ways.
The Tragedy of Stubbornness
God's deepest grief is not His people's weakness but their willful refusal to listen — and He allows them to experience the consequences of their own choices.
Study Questions
What does the command 'Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it' (v. 10) reveal about God's generosity?
Why does God give people over to their own stubbornness (v. 12)? What does this reveal about divine judgment?
How does God's lament 'Oh that my people had hearkened unto me!' (v. 13) reveal His heart?
What is the significance of connecting worship (vv. 1-5) with obedience (vv. 8-16)?
How does this psalm challenge our own tendency to resist God's best for us?
Connection to Christ
Jesus echoed the sorrow of this psalm when He wept over Jerusalem: 'How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!' (Matthew 23:37). Christ is the one who opened His mouth in teaching and His arms on the cross, longing to fill His people with every blessing.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Psalms 81. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?