Psalms 77 Study Notes: Remembering God's Wonders in Distress
Asaph describes a sleepless night of trouble in which he wonders whether God has rejected His people and forgotten His mercy. He then resolves to recall God's ancient deeds, above all the crossing of the sea, where God led His flock through Moses and Aaron.
General
What does Asaph describe doing in the opening of Psalm 77 (77:1-2)?
Answer: Crying out to God and seeking Him all night
Psalm 77, attributed to Asaph, opens in distress. In a day of trouble he called out loudly to God and sought the Lord, lifting his hands in prayer through the night without letup, yet he could not be comforted (77:1-2). The psalm begins with honest anguish, not with calm. Other psalms show believers praying in the same kind of darkness: David asks how long God will forget him (Psalm 13:1-2), and in another psalm he spends the night groaning and weeping (Psalm 6:6). Paul too describes being so crushed that he gave up hope of surviving (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).
- Psalm 77:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me. In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.”Asaph describes crying aloud to God and seeking Him through a sleepless night of trouble.
- Psalm 13:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?”David also asks how long God will seem to forget him and hide His face.
- Psalm 6:6 (BSB)“I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”David describes a whole night spent weeping and groaning.
- 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (BSB)“We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,”Paul tells of despair so deep it taught him to rely on God who raises the dead.
Theological
How does 77:1-2 portray the psalmist's condition as the psalm opens?
Answer: Crying out to God and seeking Him all night
The psalm opens in lament. In a day of trouble Asaph cries aloud to God, seeks the Lord with hands stretched out all night, and finds that his soul will not be comforted (77:1-2). Scripture does not present such distress as a failure of faith; genuine believers pray from the depths, as in Psalm 13:1-2 and Psalm 6:6, and Paul testifies to despairing of life itself which taught him to rely not on himself but on the God who brings the dead back to life (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). The psalm's movement from here to confident remembrance is the point of the whole.
- Psalm 77:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me. In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.”Asaph describes crying aloud to God and seeking Him through a sleepless night of trouble.
- Psalm 13:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?”David also asks how long God will seem to forget him and hide His face.
- Psalm 6:6 (BSB)“I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”David describes a whole night spent weeping and groaning.
- 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (BSB)“We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,”Paul tells of despair so deep it taught him to rely on God who raises the dead.
General
How does Psalm 77 end (77:20)?
Answer: God guided His flock through Moses and Aaron
The psalm closes with a quiet picture after the storm: God shepherded His people through Moses and Aaron (77:20). The mighty God of the sea is also a gentle shepherd, and He guided His people through human leaders He appointed. The next psalm uses the same image of God guiding His people as a flock through the desert (Psalm 78:52). Isaiah remembers God bringing His flock through the sea under Moses' leadership (Isaiah 63:11-12), and Micah says God sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before His people (Micah 6:4). The psalm that began in anguish ends resting in God's shepherding care.
- Psalm 77:20 (BSB)“You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”The psalm ends with God leading His people through human shepherds.
- Psalm 78:52 (BSB)“He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.”The next psalm likewise says God led His people like sheep and a flock in the wilderness.
- Isaiah 63:11-12 (BSB)“Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them, who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown,”Isaiah recalls God leading His flock through the sea by the hand of Moses.
- Micah 6:4 (BSB)“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam.”Micah says God sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before His people when He brought them from Egypt.
Theological
With what image does 77:20 conclude the psalm?
Answer: God guided His flock through Moses and Aaron
After the storm scene the psalm ends on a note of pastoral care: God shepherded His people as a flock through Moses and Aaron as their leaders (77:20). The sovereign Lord of the waters shepherds His people through the leaders He appoints. Psalm 78:52 uses the same flock imagery, Isaiah 63:11-12 recalls God leading His flock through the sea by Moses' hand, and Micah 6:4 names the leaders God sent before Israel. The lament that opened with inconsolable questions closes resting in God's faithful guidance of His redeemed people.
- Psalm 77:20 (BSB)“You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”The psalm ends with God leading His people through human shepherds.
- Psalm 78:52 (BSB)“He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.”The next psalm likewise says God led His people like sheep and a flock in the wilderness.
- Isaiah 63:11-12 (BSB)“Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them, who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown,”Isaiah recalls God leading His flock through the sea by the hand of Moses.
- Micah 6:4 (BSB)“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam.”Micah says God sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before His people when He brought them from Egypt.
General
What happened when the psalmist first remembered God in 77:3-4?
Answer: He groaned, grew faint, and could not sleep
Remembering God did not bring immediate relief. When Asaph thought of God, he groaned and his spirit grew weak (77:3). He says God kept his eyes from closing, and he was so troubled he could not speak (77:4). He even traces his sleeplessness to God. Job said something similar, that when he looked to his bed for comfort, God troubled him with dreams (Job 7:13-14), and David wore himself out groaning all night (Psalm 6:6). The rest of the psalm shows the difference between merely brooding on his pain and deliberately remembering what God has done.
- Psalm 77:3-4 (BSB)“I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah You have kept my eyes from closing; I am too troubled to speak.”At first, thinking of God makes the psalmist groan, and he cannot sleep or speak.
- Job 7:13-14 (BSB)“When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,”Job likewise says God disturbed his rest when he sought comfort in his bed.
- Psalm 6:6 (BSB)“I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”David describes being worn out by groaning all night.
Theological
What was the first effect of the psalmist's remembering God, according to 77:3-4?
Answer: He groaned, grew faint, and could not sleep
The initial recollection of God only deepens the anguish: Asaph groans, his spirit faints, and he attributes even his sleeplessness to God, who holds his eyelids open, while he is too distressed for words (77:3-4). The psalmist acknowledges God's hand even in his affliction, as Job did (Job 7:13-14), and his experience matches the night-long groaning of Psalm 6:6. At this stage remembering God only sharpens his pain; the turn at 77:10-12 will direct his memory to God's works.
- Psalm 77:3-4 (BSB)“I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah You have kept my eyes from closing; I am too troubled to speak.”At first, thinking of God makes the psalmist groan, and he cannot sleep or speak.
- Job 7:13-14 (BSB)“When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,”Job likewise says God disturbed his rest when he sought comfort in his bed.
- Psalm 6:6 (BSB)“I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”David describes being worn out by groaning all night.
General
What do the psalmist's questions in 77:7-9 have in common?
Answer: They ask whether God's love and mercy have run out
Lying awake, Asaph thinks back over years long past and recalls his song in the night (77:5-6). Then he asks a string of painful questions: whether the Lord will reject His people forever, whether His loving devotion is gone, whether His promise has failed, whether God has forgotten how to show grace, and whether His anger has closed off His mercy (77:7-9). Loving devotion means God's loyal, covenant-keeping love, His faithful commitment to His people. Several of the questions name what God had said about Himself when He proclaimed His name to Moses: compassionate, gracious, and rich in loving devotion (Exodus 34:6-7). Scripture answers these questions elsewhere: the Lord does not reject His people for good (Lamentations 3:31-32), and He will not forget His people (Isaiah 49:14-15).
- Psalm 77:5-9 (BSB)“I considered the days of old, the years long in the past. At night I remembered my song; in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered: “Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah”After musing through the night on the years long past, the psalmist voices a series of questions about whether God has changed toward His people.
- Exodus 34:6-7 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.””God proclaimed Himself compassionate, gracious, and abounding in loving devotion, the very attributes the psalmist questions.
- Lamentations 3:31-32 (BSB)“For the Lord will not cast us off forever. Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.”Lamentations answers that the Lord will not cast off forever but will show compassion.
- Isaiah 49:14-15 (BSB)“But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!”When Zion says the Lord has forgotten her, God replies that He will never forget.
Theological
What unites the series of questions in 77:7-9?
Answer: They ask whether God's love and mercy have run out
Night-long reflection on former days and on his song (77:5-6) gives way to the questions of 77:7-9, which each probe whether God's covenant character has failed: His favor, loving devotion, promise, grace, and compassion. Several of them echo the self-revelation of Exodus 34:6-7, so the psalmist's crisis is whether God is still who He declared Himself to be. The rest of Scripture answers that He is. His covenant love does not lapse (Lamentations 3:31-32), and He will not forget His people (Isaiah 49:14-15). Within the psalm the questions are left hanging, but the turn at 77:10-12 and the recital of God's redeeming works that follows point toward the answer no.
- Psalm 77:5-9 (BSB)“I considered the days of old, the years long in the past. At night I remembered my song; in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered: “Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah”After musing through the night on the years long past, the psalmist voices a series of questions about whether God has changed toward His people.
- Exodus 34:6-7 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.””God proclaimed Himself compassionate, gracious, and abounding in loving devotion, the very attributes the psalmist questions.
- Lamentations 3:31-32 (BSB)“For the Lord will not cast us off forever. Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.”Lamentations answers that the Lord will not cast off forever but will show compassion.
- Isaiah 49:14-15 (BSB)“But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!”When Zion says the Lord has forgotten her, God replies that He will never forget.
General
According to 77:13-15, what did God do with His power for the descendants of Jacob and of Joseph?
Answer: He redeemed them as His own people
Remembering God's works leads to praise. God's way is holy, no god is as great as He, and He works wonders and shows His strength among the nations (77:13-14). With power He redeemed His people, Jacob's and Joseph's descendants (77:15). To redeem means to set free by paying a price or by a mighty act of rescue, here the rescue from slavery in Egypt. The psalm echoes the song Israel sang at the sea, which asks what god could compare with the LORD, doing wonders (Exodus 15:11). God had promised to redeem Israel by His stretched-out arm (Exodus 6:6), and Moses said He did it because He loved them (Deuteronomy 7:8).
- Psalm 77:13-15 (BSB)“Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who works wonders; You display Your strength among the peoples. With power You redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah”The psalmist confesses God's holy way and His power in redeeming His people.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”The song at the sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD, working wonders.
- Exodus 6:6 (BSB)“Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.”God promised to redeem Israel from Egypt with an outstretched arm.
- Deuteronomy 7:8 (BSB)“But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Moses says the LORD redeemed Israel from slavery because He loved them.
Theological
What act of God's power does 77:15 recall concerning Jacob's and Joseph's descendants?
Answer: He redeemed them as His own people
The remembered works issue in doxology: God's way is holy, He is incomparable among the gods, He works wonders and makes His strength known among the peoples (77:13-14), and He redeemed Jacob's and Joseph's descendants by His strength (77:15). The language is the vocabulary of the exodus. Exodus 15:11 asks what god could compare with the LORD, Exodus 6:6 promises redemption by His stretched-out arm, and Deuteronomy 7:8 grounds that redemption in the LORD's own love and His oath to the fathers. The God who redeemed then has not changed, which answers the questions of 77:7-9.
- Psalm 77:13-15 (BSB)“Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who works wonders; You display Your strength among the peoples. With power You redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah”The psalmist confesses God's holy way and His power in redeeming His people.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”The song at the sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD, working wonders.
- Exodus 6:6 (BSB)“Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.”God promised to redeem Israel from Egypt with an outstretched arm.
- Deuteronomy 7:8 (BSB)“But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Moses says the LORD redeemed Israel from slavery because He loved them.
General
True or False: In 77:10-12, the psalmist turns from his grief to resolve that he will remember and reflect on the LORD's wonders and deeds of old.
Answer: True
This is true. Asaph names his grief, that God's mighty hand seems no longer to act as before (77:10). Then comes the turning point of the psalm: he resolves to recall what the LORD has done and His ancient wonders, and to think over all that God has done (77:11-12). Instead of dwelling on his own feelings, he fixes his mind on God's acts. David did the same in his distress (Psalm 143:5), and the poet of Lamentations found hope by calling God's loving devotion to mind (Lamentations 3:21-23). God had commanded Israel to remember what He had done to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:18).
- Psalm 77:10-12 (BSB)“So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.”The psalmist names his grief, then resolves to remember and ponder God's wonders of old.
- Psalm 143:5 (BSB)“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands.”David likewise remembers the days of old and meditates on all God's works.
- Lamentations 3:21-23 (BSB)“Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The poet calls God's loving devotion to mind and so finds hope.
- Deuteronomy 7:18 (BSB)“But do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt:”Israel was commanded to remember what the LORD did to Pharaoh and Egypt.
Theological
True or False: 77:10-12 marks a turn in which the psalmist resolves to remember and ponder the LORD's works and wonders of old.
Answer: True
This is true. After voicing his grief that the Most High's mighty hand appears to have changed course (77:10), Asaph deliberately redirects his thoughts: he will remember the LORD's works, His wonders of old, and meditate on all His deeds (77:11-12). The remedy for doubt is not introspection but the remembrance of God's historic acts of redemption, the pattern of Psalm 143:5 and Lamentations 3:21-23, and the very thing Israel was commanded to do (Deuteronomy 7:18).
- Psalm 77:10-12 (BSB)“So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.”The psalmist names his grief, then resolves to remember and ponder God's wonders of old.
- Psalm 143:5 (BSB)“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands.”David likewise remembers the days of old and meditates on all God's works.
- Lamentations 3:21-23 (BSB)“Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The poet calls God's loving devotion to mind and so finds hope.
- Deuteronomy 7:18 (BSB)“But do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt:”Israel was commanded to remember what the LORD did to Pharaoh and Egypt.
General
What event of Israel's history does the psalmist recall in 77:16-19?
Answer: The crossing of the sea during the exodus
The psalmist now recalls the greatest of God's wonders of old. He pictures the waters seeing God and churning, the depths shaken, and a storm of rain, thunder, and lightning as the earth quaked (77:16-18); then God's path ran right through the sea (77:19). This is the crossing of the sea when God brought Israel out of Egypt. Exodus tells how the LORD pushed the sea back all night by a powerful wind from the east so that Israel walked through on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-22), and how He watched the Egyptian army from the fiery, cloudy pillar and threw it into confusion (Exodus 14:24). The psalm describes the same event in poetic storm imagery, as Psalm 114 pictures the sea fleeing (Psalm 114:3).
- Psalm 77:16-18 (BSB)“The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken. The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.”The psalm pictures the waters and the skies responding to God's presence.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”Exodus records the LORD driving back the sea so Israel crossed on dry ground.
- Exodus 14:24 (BSB)“At morning watch, however, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion.”Exodus says the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud.
- Psalm 114:3 (BSB)“The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;”Another psalm likewise pictures the sea seeing and fleeing at the exodus.
Theological
Which redemptive event does 77:16-19 poetically recall?
Answer: The crossing of the sea during the exodus
The storm scene of 77:16-18, with the waters swirling at God's presence, the depths convulsed, clouds, thunder, arrows of lightning, and the earth quaking, climaxes in God's path through the sea (77:19). This is the Red Sea crossing. Exodus narrates the LORD pushing the waters back by an east wind so that Israel crossed on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-22) and His looking down from the fiery, cloudy pillar to throw the Egyptians into confusion (Exodus 14:24). The psalm renders the event as a storm of God's appearing in its own poetic terms, much as Psalm 114:3 personifies the sea fleeing.
- Psalm 77:16-18 (BSB)“The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken. The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.”The psalm pictures the waters and the skies responding to God's presence.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”Exodus records the LORD driving back the sea so Israel crossed on dry ground.
- Exodus 14:24 (BSB)“At morning watch, however, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion.”Exodus says the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud.
- Psalm 114:3 (BSB)“The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;”Another psalm likewise pictures the sea seeing and fleeing at the exodus.
General
What does the psalmist say about God's footprints on His path through the sea (77:19)?
Answer: They could not be seen by anyone
God's road ran through the sea and the great waters, yet no trace of His steps could be seen (77:19). God was truly present and leading His people, but no one could see Him or trace His steps. This speaks to the psalmist's own trouble: in the night of his distress he could not see what God was doing, yet God had not stopped working. Paul praises God whose ways are beyond tracing out (Romans 11:33) and says believers live by trusting God rather than by seeing (2 Corinthians 5:7). At the sea itself, Israel saw what the LORD had done and put their trust in Him (Exodus 14:30-31).
- Psalm 77:19 (BSB)“Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, but Your footprints were not to be found.”God's way went through the sea, yet no one could see His footprints.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul praises God whose ways are beyond tracing out.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7 (BSB)“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”Believers live by trusting God, not by what they can see.
- Exodus 14:30-31 (BSB)“That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.”After seeing the power the LORD exercised at the sea, Israel feared and believed Him.
Theological
What does 77:19 say about the visibility of God's footsteps through the waters?
Answer: They could not be seen by anyone
God's way ran through the sea and the mighty waters, yet no trace of His steps could be seen (77:19). He was certainly present and acting, but invisibly. The image answers the psalmist's crisis: the apparent absence of God in 77:7-9 is not His actual absence. His ways are untraceable (Romans 11:33), His people walk by faith rather than sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and at the sea Israel believed once it had witnessed the mighty deed the LORD did against Egypt (Exodus 14:30-31).
- Psalm 77:19 (BSB)“Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, but Your footprints were not to be found.”God's way went through the sea, yet no one could see His footprints.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul praises God whose ways are beyond tracing out.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7 (BSB)“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”Believers live by trusting God, not by what they can see.
- Exodus 14:30-31 (BSB)“That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.”After seeing the power the LORD exercised at the sea, Israel feared and believed Him.