All people are prone to spiritual amnesia and would do well to heed Asaph’s caution against negligence of God’s mighty works.
They forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them (v.11). This verse from Psalm 78, attributed to Asaph, a Levite musician and prophet who served during the reign of King David (circa 1010-970 BC), highlights a critical moment in Israel’s history where the people lapsed into forgetfulness of God’s past acts of salvation. Psalm 78 recounts how God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt and provided for them in the wilderness, emphasizing again and again that He keeps His promises. By reminding the Israelites of these miraculous stories, Asaph calls them to repentance, humility, and faith, warning them not to follow the pattern of earlier generations who “forgot His deeds and miracles that He had shown them,” thus forfeiting the fullness of God’s blessing.
When the text says They forgot His deeds, it reveals how easily people can slip into unbelief after seasons of comfort or complacency. Instead of drawing near to their covenant God, the Israelites neglected His faithful guidance and miraculous deliverance from oppressive bondage. This act of forgetting God’s bounty and power is not merely a lapse of memory; it signifies a deeper choice to rely on human wisdom or other worldly securities rather than placing constant trust in the Lord. By linking revelation from the past to present worship and obedience, Asaph places the reader in the role of a witness, urging them not to repeat the same mistake of callous neglect.
Jesus, in the New Testament, offers a greater deliverance to those who believe, urging followers to remember and abide in Him for true life (John 15:4). Believers today are similarly instructed to look back on God’s work—both in the Old Testament and in Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection—in order to trust Him wholeheartedly (1 Corinthians 10:11). Forgetting such deeds can lead to spiritual drifting, but actively remembering God’s miracles enriches faith, promotes gratitude, and fosters an abiding relationship with the Lord.
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Psalms 78:11 meaning
They forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them (v.11). This verse from Psalm 78, attributed to Asaph, a Levite musician and prophet who served during the reign of King David (circa 1010-970 BC), highlights a critical moment in Israel’s history where the people lapsed into forgetfulness of God’s past acts of salvation. Psalm 78 recounts how God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt and provided for them in the wilderness, emphasizing again and again that He keeps His promises. By reminding the Israelites of these miraculous stories, Asaph calls them to repentance, humility, and faith, warning them not to follow the pattern of earlier generations who “forgot His deeds and miracles that He had shown them,” thus forfeiting the fullness of God’s blessing.
When the text says They forgot His deeds, it reveals how easily people can slip into unbelief after seasons of comfort or complacency. Instead of drawing near to their covenant God, the Israelites neglected His faithful guidance and miraculous deliverance from oppressive bondage. This act of forgetting God’s bounty and power is not merely a lapse of memory; it signifies a deeper choice to rely on human wisdom or other worldly securities rather than placing constant trust in the Lord. By linking revelation from the past to present worship and obedience, Asaph places the reader in the role of a witness, urging them not to repeat the same mistake of callous neglect.
Jesus, in the New Testament, offers a greater deliverance to those who believe, urging followers to remember and abide in Him for true life (John 15:4). Believers today are similarly instructed to look back on God’s work—both in the Old Testament and in Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection—in order to trust Him wholeheartedly (1 Corinthians 10:11). Forgetting such deeds can lead to spiritual drifting, but actively remembering God’s miracles enriches faith, promotes gratitude, and fosters an abiding relationship with the Lord.