Psalm 81 – Begin the Music!

 July 2, 2025

How do you announce the beginning of a party or festival? You start the music, or, as in Psalm 81 – begin the music, you blow the ram’s horn. Let the party begin! However, in this case, what follows is more a lesson in how not to have a great party.

Psalm 81

In Psalm 81 – Begin the music, there’s a party going on. Most likely the feast of Feast of Tabernacles which commemorated the wilderness journey, and included a public reading of the law. It begins by calling all to sing along to the music. The shophar, ram’s horn, is blown. The music begins, and the people join in procession, dancing to the beat of the tambourine. Most likely life in the desert was hard. All the more reason to celebrate when they had a chance. The Hebrews knew how to have a good time!

“Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre.

Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival.” (1-3)

And if there was any question about the need for such a gathering, it was declared as a statute from God for the nation: “This is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.” (4)

God then speaks to his people:

“I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.
In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” (6-7)

God calls for their attention in order to give them instructions:

“Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—if you would only listen to me, Israel!
You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” (8-10)

Stubbornness of the People

Then God reminds them of their stubbornness. It seems that God is the ultimate killjoy. What a way to bring down a party.

“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hear to follow their own devices.” (11-12)

God told them of the rewards of following his words. If only, if only, God repeats, like a haranguing parent.

“If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways,
how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” (13-16)

At least God is going to provide food for them!

God, the Party-Pooper?

What kind of host calls for a celebration then chastises those in attendance? Unfortunately, this has been known to happen in dysfunctional family gatherings. The family is gathered and at some point, a parent or disgruntled relative feels the need to remind everyone of their past failings. A great way to bring down a party.

Why do some people feel the need to turn every occasion into a lesson? While in high school, I remember being invited to an early morning youth group gathering by a friend from another church. We met at the church before school, enjoyed donuts and hot cocoa, and sang songs, all with a modern, religious bend. No sermons, no trying to convert me from my own church. Until someone decided we were having too much fun and needed to hear a “message.” I stopped attending.

There is a time for everything. A time for lessons and corrections if necessary. But there is also time to celebrate. I find it hard to imagine Jesus, who had a sense of humor and attended the wedding at Cana, being such a killjoy. He even supplied an abundance of fine wine. His teachings were often marked by subtle, and not so subtle, jokes.

We have a God who knows how to have a good time. Yet some insist on seeing God as the demanding parent, chastising his children, and putting a damper on the party. This says more about them than God. God both is a demanding parent, expecting the best out of his children, and a great host. No matter how much we try to put limits on God and see him on our own terms, God refuses to be put into a box.

Psalm 81 – Begin the Music!

Our God promises feasts in abundance: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.” (Isaiah 25:6) Not only that, he will wipe away every reproach not pile on more: “The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” (Is. 25:8)

God knows how to throw a party. God is the quintessential host. So, as in Psalm 81 – Begin the music, let’s blow the horn, gather the people, and have a good time. Let the party begin.

Do you find it hard to let go of the image of God as the demanding, correcting parent or teacher? What do you need to help you let go of this image and enjoy the party?

(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 81: Rejoice, but Remember! – Patricia M Robertson)

This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series.      click here to sign up

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