This Do in Remembrance of Me

Psalm 81:8-12

God wants us to act on what we remember. The only appropriate response is unqualified obedience. The Festival of Shelters included a public reading of the law every seventh year (Deut 31:10-13), which provided a potent reminder for the people to obey God fully. So God reaches back into the wilderness wandering and captures some snapshots of what he’s said and done that capsulize his law and compel the people to respond appropriately with obedience.

The first snapshot is of the heartbeat of the law and is reminiscent of that great commandment in Deuteronomy 6:4 known as the Shema. The psalmist here records the voice of God as saying, “Listen, my people, and I will admonish you” (v. 8; cf. 50:7). The following parallel expression reflects God’s desire for his people in deeply emotional terms: “Israel, if you would only listen to me!” (v. 8; cf. Deut 4:1; 5:1; 6:4). He gave the law to the people in view of their obeying him. The implication here, however, is that they failed to comply, a tragedy that’s clearly articulated in verses 11-12.

The second snapshot is of the exclusivity of the law and alludes to the first of the Ten Commandments (v. 9). The declaration reminds the people of their responsibility of absolute allegiance to Yahweh as the only true God. Israel was prohibited not only from worshiping pagan deities but even from having them in their possession (Exod 20:3; Deut 5:7).

The third snapshot is of the obligation to the law and serves as a reminder of its prologue (v. 10; Exod 20:2; Deut 5:6). God’s strong deliverance provides the convincing reason for the people to obey his commandments. The promise expresses the assurance that God gladly will give his word to those who will receive it by faith and subsequently give testimony to it. The people are not only indebted to God because of his deliverance, but they have access to its blessing and benefit through obedience.

The spiritual nostalgia ends on a sad note. Although God’s intent in giving the law was for the people to obey, they would have none of it. And although he affectionately called them “my people,” nothing in their actions indicated they belonged to him. So he abandoned them (v. 12); he sent them away from the safekeeping of his grace. His patience with their stubbornness ran out, and he freed them up to live according to their own devices.

This response by God arguably is the greatest and most fearful manifestation of his punishment (Perowne, Psalms, vol. 2, 99). Furthermore, it’s indicative of the plight of all mankind as we high-handedly spit in the face of our Creator by choosing sin over accountability to him. Early in his letter to the Roman believers, Paul repeatedly lamented the consequences of this rebellion:

Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. . . .

For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. . . .

And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. (Rom 1:24,26,28)

This is what’s so amazing about the gospel of grace! “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Although we arrogantly refused to listen to his voice and submit to him, he loved us anyway and sent Jesus to die for us. And he invites us to open our mouths wide so he can fill us with his saving Word (Ps 81:10). Paul—referencing Deuteronomy 30:14—beckons us to this righteousness by faith: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9; see Rom 10:5-13). Like the Israelites, none of us can keep the law (Rom 3:9-18,23), but we can respond appropriately to God’s grace by embracing Christ Jesus.

Once again we can see in this psalm a foreshadowing of the Lord’s Supper. Whenever we remember Christ’s sacrifice for us, we are reminded that the only appropriate response to the gospel is our obedience. Again Paul connects the dots for us:

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world. (1 Cor 11:27-32)

Disobedience never meshes with the gospel of Christ. As he did with the Israelites, our Father takes seriously when we as believers harbor sin in our lives and yet still try to engage in gospel activities. Such mockery of God’s grace always reaps his loving discipline.

Receive Expectantly

Psalm 81:13-16

God doesn’t want the current generation to repeat the same mistakes as the Israelites who came out of Egypt. Instead, he wants them to experience all of his blessings and goodness. So with the affection and tenderness of a loving father, he laments that they would not “listen to me and . . . follow my ways” (v. 13). These words bear a striking resemblance to those of Jesus when he moaned over Jerusalem with a burdened and compassionate heart, even in the context of judgment (Matt 23:37-39). The difference is that here in Psalm 81 there is still hope, there is still time to repent. God is yearning for his people to obey him.

Why is God so desirous of his people’s allegiance and affection? Partly because his blessing is contingent on their obedience. He doesn’t want them to miss out on any of the showers of his grace. God is willing and able to force his people’s adversaries to bow at his feet (vv. 14-15). The last line of verse 15 means that the enemies’ fate is sealed. While they may think their current submission to God is temporary, they’re actually doomed to that fate for eternity. God’s blessing of protection and victory for his people—should they choose to accept it—will also be forever.

God’s blessings, however, won’t be limited to the overthrow of Israel’s enemies. If the people will obey, he will feed and fulfill them (v. 16). The promise here is again reminiscent of the Song of Moses where God was praised for feeding his people with “honey from the rock” and “the choicest grains of wheat” (Deut 32:13-14). The assurance is that he will bless the land in such a way to provide abundant and constant provision for his people.

The oracle concludes, then, with a strong reminder of God’s strength, sustenance, and supply. If his people will obey, they can expect him to defend them against all their enemies and provide for their every need. They will be the recipients of a never-ending stream of his goodness and grace. If they refuse, however, they’ll be on their own.

Conclusion

As a young boy, the imperative exhortation “This do in remembrance of me” was indelibly etched in my mind. How could it not be? Every time I went to church, it burned in my sight for an entire hour from its perch on the side of the Communion Table that sat in front of the pulpit. From an early age, I learned that obedience to that command was exactly what Jesus wanted me to do every time I took the Lord’s Supper. He wanted me to celebrate afresh his great salvation in Christ Jesus and renew my commitment to obey him. Yet he knew I would be prone to forget the glory of his great deliverance from the bondage of sin that he provided for me through his death on the cross.

I’m embarrassed that my memory fades sometimes when it comes to the weight of the grandeur of the gospel. Ross is right:

It is amazing that believers have to be reminded to praise God for this, or to understand its ramifications for that matter. The central focus of the Christian celebration is holy communion, which is a reminder that we have been brought into covenant with the Lord. That covenant includes obligations, and so at the time of the festival God’s oracle reminds us that we are to obey. As with ancient Israel, so today many professing believers choose to ignore God’s claims on their lives and live their own lives as they please. When they do that, they live without God’s protection and provision—they often find themselves in various troubles. It does not have to be that way. (Ross, Psalms, vol. 2, 713)

No Christian has ever experienced the full benefit of complete obedience to Jesus. Most of us just use grace as an excuse and quit trying. If we ever did fully obey him, however, he would rescue us from all our troubles and grant us the total overflow of his blessings. Whenever we come to the Lord’s Table, we should resolve to make that our pursuit.

Reflect and Discuss