Hear the voice of the Lord
Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-11ab, 14 and 17. March 17, 2023 - Friday, 3rd Week of Lent
Psalm 81 begins as a hymn of praise but then calls Israel to repentance. As the psalmist invites the congregation to praise God, he suddenly hears “an unfamiliar speech” (Ps 81:6c). This divine voice reminds the people of their history of salvation but then grieves over the unfaithfulness of Israel.
The history of salvation recalled by the divine voice begins with the exodus from Egypt, moves to Mount Sinai where God spoke to his people in thunder and gave them the Ten Commandments, and ends by referring to the waters of Meribah where Israel failed to trust the Lord. At that moment, the voice calls the people to obedience.
The call, “hear, my people” (Ps 81:9), reminds us of the commandment of loving God: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut 6:4-5). This commandment of love is connected with the first commandment of the Decalogue: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ps 81:11; Ex 20:2). “There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god” (Ps 81:10; Ex 20:3). Unfortunately, God’s people did not obey God and this lack of trust prevented them from experiencing God’s blessing.
We find here a similar lesson as in Psalm 95. We have been set free from the slavery of sin. To save us, the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. Jesus Christ did not hold on to His divine status but embraced our fallen humanity. As Saint Paul writes, “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Jesus tells us: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). And in our Creed we profess our faith in God, the Father Almighty, in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit. So, do we hear the voice of Jesus, and do we walk in His ways?
The psalm ends with a promise associated with obedience: the subjugation of Israel’s enemies and agricultural abundance (Ps 81:15, 17). At the end of the Book of Revelation, the Father who sits on the throne says that “the one who conquers will” inherit “a new heaven and a new earth” purged from the power of sin and death (see Rev 21:1-7). On the other hand, “the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars” will inherit “the second death” (Rev 21:8). Thus, it is worth listening to the voice of the Lord, repent of our disobedience, and follow our Lord Jesus Christ to the light of Easter.