In his sermon on Psalms 79–81, Stephen Davey shows how these three psalms guide believers through repentance, intercession, unity, and wholehearted worship. Psalm 79 laments the devastation of Jerusalem under Babylon’s attack, yet the Asaph who writes this psalm owns Israel’s guilt rather than blaming God. Davey explains that repentance always begins by admitting that the consequences of sin are deserved and by crying out, like Asaph, “How long, O Lord?” Humility prepares the way back to restored fellowship. In Psalm 80, Asaph pleads for God to reunite the divided tribes of Israel, illustrating how genuine prayer dissolves bitterness and cultivates unity; Davey notes that you cannot truly intercede for someone and continue resenting them. Psalm 81 then calls the people to joyful worship and renewed obedience, remembering God’s deliverance from Egypt and rejecting every “strange god” that might compete for their loyalty. Davey concludes that these psalms together teach believers to own their sin honestly, seek God humbly, pray for others selflessly, and worship Him exclusively—trusting the God who has guided His people in ages past and will remain faithful forever.
The Sting of Consequences and the Song of Confidence
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