The Awful Mercy of Being Handed Over
Introduction: The Two Paths
We live in an age that wants to have its cake and eat it too, and it wants God to be the divine baker who provides the cake, no questions asked. The modern mind desires the fruits of Christendom, things like peace, prosperity, and a vague sense of well being, but it utterly despises the root of Christendom, which is submission to the voice of the triune God. We want honey from the rock, but we don't want the Rock. We want our enemies subdued, but we don't want to walk in the ways of the one who subdues them.
This psalm, like a blast of cold, clean air, cuts through that sentimental fog. It sets before us the stark reality of God's dealings with His covenant people. There are two paths, and only two. There is the path of listening and obeying, which leads to victory, satisfaction, and life. And there is the path of willful deafness and stubbornness, which leads to a judgment that is as terrifying as it is righteous: the judgment of being given exactly what you asked for.
God's love is not the indulgent, grandfatherly affection that our culture imagines. It is a holy, covenantal love. And because it is a holy love, it contains within it the awful possibility of judicial abandonment. When a people who have been blessed with the very voice of God decide they know better, when they plug their ears and stiffen their necks, the most fearful thing God can do is to simply step back and say, "Alright. Have it your way." This passage is a lament, a warning, and a glorious promise, all bound up together. It shows us the bitter fruit of rebellion and the sweet satisfaction of obedience.
The Text
"But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel was not willing to obey Me. So I released them over to the stubbornness of their heart, That they would walk in their own devices. Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! I would quickly subdue their enemies And I would turn My hand against their adversaries. Those who hate Yahweh would cower before Him, And their time of punishment would be forever. But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
(Psalm 81:11-16 LSB)
The Deafness of the Chosen (v. 11)
The tragedy begins with a simple, heartbreaking statement.
"But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel was not willing to obey Me." (Psalm 81:11)
Notice the possessive pronoun: "My people." This is not about the pagan nations who rage in their ignorance. This is a family matter. This is about the people God chose, redeemed from Egypt, and entered into covenant with. They had every advantage. They had the law, the prophets, the tabernacle. They heard the very voice of God at Sinai. And their response? They did not listen.
The Hebrew word for "listen" here is shema. It does not mean merely to register an auditory sensation. It means to hear with the intent to obey. It is the first word of Israel's great confession: "Shema, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one" (Deut. 6:4). To refuse to shema is to refuse the covenant. It is to declare spiritual independence. They were not just disobedient; they were "not willing." The problem was not in their ears but in their wills. They heard just fine; they simply did not want to do what God said. They wanted a God who would serve their agenda, a divine talisman to bring them victory while they pursued their own lusts.
The Judgment of Abandonment (v. 12)
God's response to this willful rebellion is one of the most sobering truths in all of Scripture.
"So I released them over to the stubbornness of their heart, That they would walk in their own devices." (Psalm 81:12)
Let this sink in. This is not God losing His temper. This is not God being unable to control His people. This is a deliberate, sovereign, judicial act. The verb is active: "I released them," or "I gave them up." This is the very language the apostle Paul picks up three times in Romans 1 to describe the downward spiral of a society that rejects God. God gives them up to impurity, to dishonorable passions, and finally to a debased mind.
This is the essence of divine judgment. It is not always fire from heaven. Often, it is God simply letting go of the reins. He honors the choice of the rebel. You want to be your own god? You want to follow the counsels and devices of your own heart? You think you are smarter than your Creator? Very well. Proceed. God gives them over to the "stubbornness of their heart," which is to say, He locks them inside their own prison. The ultimate curse is to get what you want, apart from God. Hell is the place where everyone is finally and forever given over to their own devices.
The Lament of a Father (v. 13)
What follows is not a contradiction, but a revelation of the heart of God.
"Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!" (Psalm 81:13)
How can a sovereign God who just actively gave His people over to their sin now lament their choice? This is where we must distinguish between God's decretive will (what He sovereignly ordains) and His preceptive will (what He commands and desires). God ordains all things, including the free choices of men and their consequences. Yet, He does not delight in the death of the wicked. He commands all men everywhere to repent. This "Oh that" is an expression of His fatherly heart, His genuine desire for the flourishing of His children. It is the same heart we see in Jesus as He wept over Jerusalem: "how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!" (Matt. 23:37). God's sovereignty is not a cold, mechanical fatalism. He is a person, a Father, and His heart is grieved by the rebellion of those He loves.
The Unclaimed Victory (v. 14-15)
God then lays out what could have been. He shows them the blessings they forfeited through their disobedience.
"I would quickly subdue their enemies And I would turn My hand against their adversaries. Those who hate Yahweh would cower before Him, And their time of punishment would be forever." (Psalm 81:14-15)
Israel's national security was directly tied to their covenant fidelity. Their problem was not a weak military or clever enemies. Their problem was sin. Had they walked in His ways, victory would have been swift and total. God Himself would have fought for them, turning His hand against their foes. This is the principle of theonomy in action. Obedience to God's law brings blessing, including political and military security. Disobedience brings the curse of being handed over to your enemies.
Notice also the effect on the surrounding nations. The enemies of Israel are identified as those who "hate Yahweh." When God's people are faithful, they become a source of judgment and terror to the wicked. The ungodly would "cower before Him," feigning submission out of fear. A holy church is the most terrifying thing in the world to a rebellious culture. But a compromised church, one that refuses to listen to God's voice, is a laughingstock. It has no power to subdue its enemies because it has already surrendered to them.
The Forfeited Feast (v. 16)
The psalm concludes with a beautiful picture of the satisfaction and abundance that comes from obedience.
"But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you." (Psalm 81:16)
This is not just about having full bellies. This is about deep, soul-level satisfaction. The "finest of the wheat" speaks of the best, most nourishing provision. The "honey from the rock" is a picture of sweetness from the most unlikely of sources, a supernatural blessing. It points back to the wilderness, where God provided water from the rock. The apostle Paul tells us plainly that "that Rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4).
Here is the gospel in this Old Testament lament. Israel, the chosen people, refused to listen. They chose the stubbornness of their own hearts over the satisfaction offered by God. But God sent a new Israel, a true Son who did listen to the Father's voice. Jesus Christ obeyed perfectly. He walked in the Father's ways, even when it led to the cross. He is the Rock, struck for us, and from Him flows the honey of eternal life. He is the Bread of Life, the finest of the wheat, broken for us. The satisfaction that Old Testament Israel forfeited is now offered freely to all who will stop listening to their own devices and listen to Him. When we come to Christ, God no longer gives us over to our sin; He gives us over to His Son.
Conclusion: Whose Counsel?
So the question this psalm leaves us with is brutally simple. Whose counsel will you follow? Will you walk in your own devices, according to the stubbornness of your heart? If you do, know that the most fearful prayer God can answer is the prayer of the rebel who wants to be left alone. He will grant your request. He will release you to your own wisdom, which is a fast track to ruin.
Or will you listen to His voice? Will you turn from your self-reliance and trust in the one true Israel, the Lord Jesus? The call is to repent of your willful deafness. The promise is that if you do, He will not subdue you in wrath, but He will subdue your enemies. He will not give you over to your sin, but He will feed you with the finest wheat and satisfy you with honey from the Rock. He will satisfy you with Himself.