Psalm 81 is associated with worship during either the spring or the fall festivals or Israel (verses 1-4). At the temple, it came to be sung every Thursday.
The festivals are a time to celebrate God's mighty works of salvation, in particular those associated with the Exodus (v 5). Psalm 81 includes an oracle from God, in which he reminds his people of these acts of deliverance.
We see here God's desire to bless the Israelites. "O Israel, if you would but listen to me!" he says in verse 8. In verse 10 he adds, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." But when his people do not listen, he allows them, for their own ultimate good, to suffer for their wrong choices (vv 11-12).
There is a similar message in Leviticus 26, where God lays out for the Israelites at Sinai the choices they must make. God desires to bless them, and he will do so if they are loyal to him. But if they follow other gods, they will suffer a series of escalating punishments that could lead eventually to exile.
God would not abandon his covenant with Israel, however. If in exile they sought God in repentance, he would lead them on a new Exodus (Lev 26:40-45).
In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on April 23, 2022, Rob Wilson reflected on the choices that God gives us and their consequences, and also on God's choice to not give up on us.
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