June 20, 2025

Psalm 78:56-72  (HCSB)
56 But they rebelliously tested the Most High God,
for they did not keep His decrees.
57 They treacherously turned away like their fathers;
they became warped like a faulty bow.
58 They enraged Him with their high places
and provoked His jealousy with their carved images.
59 God heard and became furious;
He completely rejected Israel.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh,
the tent where He resided among men.
61 He gave up His strength to captivity
and His splendor to the hand of a foe.
62 He surrendered His people to the sword
because He was enraged with His heritage.
63 Fire consumed His chosen young men,
and His young women had no wedding songs.
64 His priests fell by the sword,
but the widows could not lament.
65 Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep,
like a warrior from the effects of wine.
66 He beat back His foes;
He gave them lasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 He chose instead the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 He built His sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that He established forever.
70 He chose David His servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 He brought him from tending ewes
to be shepherd over His people Jacob—
over Israel, His inheritance.
72 He shepherded them with a pure heart
and guided them with his skillful hands.

Charles and Kristen Pevahouse
We see the contrast between Israel’s unfaithfulness and God’s enduring commitment to His people in this passage of scripture. Despite their rebellion, forgetfulness, and disobedience, God did not abandon them. Instead, He provided a leader—David—who would guide them with integrity and wisdom.  Like Israel, we often turn away, testing God’s patience, yet He continues to pursue us with love. Praise the Lord that our security does not rest in our own faithfulness but in God’s unwavering love. Sometimes the stories of our rebellion and disobedience are painful to share, but I know that the real, raw truth about how God has brought someone out of a pit can be life changing to someone in a similar situation. When we fall short and return to the Father, no mistake has to be wasted. He works all things together for the good of those who love him. No matter how many times we stumble, He always meets us with His unwavering love.