Summaries of Israel's History, Part 2
Summaries of Israel's History, Part 2
The Psalms and the Prophets
(avg. read time: 3–7 mins.)
The summaries of Israel’s history in the Psalms are particularly interesting, since the Psalms have a definite liturgical role, and so the texts noted here had a recurrent role in renewing the remembrance of Israel. The first text of interest in this regard is Ps 78. The purpose of this recitation is clearly connected to remembrance, as passing on the Torah to the next generation is interwoven with the task of setting the people’s hope on God and not forgetting what God has done (vv. 5–8). This is tied to the failing of the Ephraimites in vv. 9–11 and provides the root explanation for why they have gone astray while God has chosen the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion to bear his royal line and sanctuary (vv. 67–72). The first concrete events referenced among God’s works are the marvels he did in Egypt leading to him dividing the sea so that Israel could pass through. He led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and he provided for them in the wilderness with water from rock and manna from heaven. But when many became insolent with what God had provided, God sent the birds to feed them and to punish them when they satisfied their craving. And as with the Ezra summary, the cycle of Israel’s history is invoked and God’s faithful love despite Israel’s faithlessness is highlighted once again. But interestingly, the events leading up the exodus are recited in greater detail later in the psalm when the psalmist calls to mind the works that the Israelites had forgotten, including most of the ten signs. Then the key three-phase narrative afterwards is briefly recapitulated as passing through the sea, coming to the holy mountain, and driving out the nations before Israel. And because they forgot these things in their rebellion, God unleashed his wrath against them. All of this then leads to the conclusion, at some indeterminate point after David, of how God chose Zion as the place of his sanctuary and made David the shepherd to be the shepherd of his people.
Psalms 105 and 106 belong together as a summary of Israel’s history. This is shown in how Ps 106 overlaps with the end of Ps 105 then continues to the present day of the author. The scope of history recapped in each fit with the distinct functions of each psalm, the first remembering God’s faithful love for Israel and the second remembering how Israel responded with sin. Psalm 105 frames its summary with calls to praise God and remember what he has done, then begins the recap with the covenant made with Abraham. This is only briefly referenced, as are the confirmations with Isaac and Jacob. In fact, more space is given to characterizing them all as living vulnerable, nomadic lives, relying on God’s protection. Then the text moves to providing the background of how Israel ended up in Egypt via the story of Joseph and his family. After Egypt turned hostile against the Israelites and oppressed them, God sent Moses and Aaron, and, as in Ps 78, most of the signs executed against Egypt are recapitulated. After the firstborn were struck down, God brought Israel out of Egypt and provided for them in all the ways that have been previously outlined, all in faithful, loving remembrance of his covenant. This praise ends with the reminder that God brought Israel into the land in order that they should keep his commands there.
Psalm 106 begins again with praise to the Lord and calls upon God’s deliverance. The problem is presented with a continued summary of Israel’s history with the note that “both we and our ancestors have sinned.” The rest of the history serves to illustrate this fundamental point. They rebelled at the Sea of Reeds, forgetting what God had done for them in Egypt. Yet God saved them by the defining event of bringing them out of Egypt by making a way through the sea. Then they rebelled in the wilderness, and this psalm provides more detail on this aspect of Israel’s narrative than any summary thus far. The recap includes the golden calf, the refusal to enter the promised land, the idolatry with Baal of Peor—while referencing how Phinehas interceded to stop the plague and his deed was reckoned to him as righteousness—and the problem at Meribah, for which Moses and Aaron were not allowed to enter the promised land for their response to it. When the people entered the land, they did not do what the Lord commanded and instead became like the surrounding nations, conforming also to their idolatry. As such, the cycle we have seen laid out previously occurs here as well, illustrating once again Israel’s wickedness and God’s faithful love in spite of it. It is on that basis of God always remembering his covenant and acting in faithful love that the final appeal—which draws together both Pss 105 and 106—is made for the Lord to save and gather the people, so that they may praise God for who he is and what he has done.
Psalm 135 is a psalm of praise that includes a brief summary of a portion of Israel’s history in vv. 8–12. This summary is a standout thus far in that the psalmist does not attempt to bring the events up to his own time. He starts with the exodus, specifically with the plague on the firstborn that led directly to the exit from Egypt, while only alluding to the other signs and wonders in Egypt. Then he mentions how God conquered many kings, including Sihon, Og, and the various kings of the Canaanites, and gave their land as a heritage to Israel. And that is where the summary ends. It appears that the psalmist only wished to invoke the foundational story of Israel in this hymn of praise.
Psalm 136 is known for its refrain of “for his faithful love endures forever” at the end of each stanza. In vv. 10–22, a series of events in Israel’s history is linked to this refrain. Interestingly, it is the same span of events referenced in Ps 135, as they are only concerned with the foundational story of exodus to the entrance to the promised land. The most significant difference is that the narration of the events at the Sea of Reeds is extended. Verses 23–25 also add a framework to this narration to reiterate that these events show God’s faithful love because he remembered Israel in their lowliness, rescued them from them enemies, and has provided for them.
Most of the examples from the Latter Prophets do not quite fit the patterns we have seen to this point. Ezekiel 16, for example, presents the backstory of Jerusalem through some vivid and lurid imagery of how she grew up, was provided for by God, and ended up playing the whore with the surrounding nations. This is a summary of history to the narrative present, but it is lacking in the specificity we have seen previously and is presented in a more imagistic fashion than anything we have seen to this point. The same applies to the story of Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem) in Ezek 23. Hosea 11:1–13:6 contains many references to the history of Israel, particularly to the exodus on several occasions (11:1; 12:9, 13; 13:4), but there is not a focused summary of Israel’s history as such.
The exception to this in the Latter Prophets is Ezek 20:5–32. The organizing theme of this summary is that God has consistently called Israel to his promises and to put away idols, but Israel has consistently rebelled. The summary begins with Israel in Egypt, moves to the exodus and the establishment of the covenant, then provides an overview of the time in the wilderness, and finally addresses Israel’s habits from the time they entered the promised land to the present. All of this explains their current crisis in exile, which God warned them of all the way back in the wilderness wandering. It also sets the stage for the promise of return that we have reviewed elsewhere.