Psalms 81:8-16 - "if Thou Wouldest Hearken Unto Me"
God wants our emptiness, which seems to Him like the gaping beak of the young fledgling, Psalms 81:10. Give me room! is his incessant appeal. It must be the wonder of eternity, and it will certainly be our regret when we come to review our life, that we have asked so little. Give me room! cries the river, as it comes with a rush to the plains. Give me room! cries the wind, as it searches into the narrow courts and alleys of the slums. Give me room! says the Spirit of God, as He breathes around the house of our heart, seeking by any tiny crack to enter.
In the closing Psalms 81:13-16, we have an enumeration of all the blessings which would be ours, if only we would open our mouths wide. God would constitute Himself as our champion in subduing our enemies-the temptations from without and the inward warrings of selfishness and passion. He would give us unbroken and enduring blessedness. He would allow us to eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, which are meat and drink indeed. He would surely satisfy us with the sweet honey of His love. Let us begin to claim these benefits! [source]
Chapter Summary: Psalms 81
1An exhortation to a solemn praising of God 4God challenges that duty by reason of his benefits 8God, exhorting to obedience, complains of their disobedience, which proves their own hurt
What do the individual words in Psalms 81:8 mean?
HearMy peopleand I will admonishyouIsraelifyou will listento Me
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: עוּד
Sense: to return, repeat, go about, do again.
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.