With the Integrity of His Heart

[Psalm 78:42–72]

Last week, based on Psalm 78:23–41, we meditated under the theme “A Heart Without Steadfastness” and reflected on three characteristics of such a heart. A heart without steadfastness—an unfaithful heart—first follows greed; second, it does not trust in God, instead it doubts and disbelieves Him; and third, it speaks lies.
We examined how even the repentance of the ancestors of Israel was nothing more than flattery. Though their lips seemed to draw near to the Lord, their hearts were far from Him. This led us to examine our own hearts.

In that context, a verse came to mind—Jeremiah 17:9:
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
This corrupt heart has been cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus, shed on the cross.
Because of this, we now hold a new heart.
Yet still, we continue to see unsteadfastness within our hearts.
How, then, can we guard and discipline our hearts?

During today’s early morning prayer, I meditated on Psalm 26:2:
“Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart.”
Centered on this verse, I considered three ways we might discipline our hearts:

1. Intellectually, to discipline our hearts, we must strive to know the “truth of the Lord” (v.3).

2. Emotionally, our motivation must be rooted in our “love” for the Lord (v.8).

3. Volitionally, like the psalmist David, we must “walk in integrity” (v.11).

In other words, I was taught that we must live honestly and uprightly.

Looking at today’s passage—the final verse of Psalm 78, verse 72—the psalmist makes this confession about God:
“So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands.”

Today, I want to meditate on this verse under the theme “With the Integrity of His Heart.”
Through this, I hope to reflect on three ways in which our Lord, the Good Shepherd, pours out His grace upon us through the integrity of His heart, and receive that grace together with you.

First, our Lord, the Shepherd, chose us in love.

Look at Psalm 78:68 and 70:
“(But) He chose only the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved... and He chose His servant David, taking him from the sheep pens.”
God’s sovereign choice is clear. It is clear who He has chosen and who He has not. In verse 68, the Korean Bible starts with “Only…,” but the English Bible starts with “But.” This is to contrast with verse 67:
“He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.”
The psalmist clearly states that God did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph’s second son. Although the psalmist says God did not choose Ephraim, He did choose David (verse 70). Thus, God’s choosing and not choosing are clear.

The apostle Paul speaks about God’s sovereign and clear choosing and not choosing like this:
“As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Romans 9:13)
Romans chapter 9 especially teaches about God’s sovereignty. Starting at verse 20, we find the famous analogy of the potter. Paul says:
“But who are you, a man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” (Romans 9:20)
This teaching shows us that the created cannot challenge the sovereignty of the Creator. Therefore, considering that God, in His sovereignty, chose Jacob and did not choose Esau, we must humbly accept the statement in today’s passage (verses 67-68) that God chose David but did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

In Ephesians 1:4, which we are familiar with, the apostle Paul says:
“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight, in love.”
God chose us in Christ before the world was created. This choice was not because there was anything in us worthy of being chosen. God chose us unconditionally before creation. Our God, the Shepherd, loved us, chose us, and made us His sheep.

Secondly, our God, the Shepherd, redeemed us whom He chose.

Look at Psalm 78:42:
“They did not remember His power, the day when He redeemed them from the enemy.”
The ancestors of Israel unfaithfully did not remember God’s power by which He redeemed them from their enemies, but God remembered His covenant with Abraham and, with faithfulness of heart, redeemed the people of Israel. The psalmist describes the event of God redeeming the Israelites from their enemies starting from verse 43. The description tells us that when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God sent ten plagues upon Egypt (verses 43–51), which ultimately led Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, and thus God redeemed “His people” (verse 52) from Egypt.

What does “redeem” mean here? To redeem means to buy back by paying a price. It is like buying a slave at a slave market by paying a high price. God paid a costly price to buy sinners out of the devil’s market and bring them into God’s household. Ultimately, redemption means that God and Jesus paid the blood price and purchased us out of the devil’s slavery. Before the tenth plague in the Exodus, God commanded the Israelites to apply lamb’s blood to the doorposts, which points to the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

When we consider this act of redemption, we can understand Isaiah 43:4:
“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.”
Why are we precious and honored in God’s eyes? Because we were bought with the precious blood of Jesus. Since Jesus died on the cross in our place, we have become precious and honored before God.

Thirdly, our God, the Shepherd, nourishes and leads us “with faithfulness of heart.”

Look at Psalm 78:72:
“So He shepherded them according to the integrity of His heart, and guided them with His skillful hands.”
In verse 52 of today’s passage, the psalmist says that God, the Shepherd, led the ancestors of Israel out of Egypt like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. God led and guided Israel safely so that they were without fear (verse 53). Ultimately, God led Israel to the promised land of Canaan, “the mountain His right hand had taken possession of” (verse 54). He drove out the nations before Israel and gave the land to His people as an inheritance so they could dwell there (verse 55).

But what was Israel’s response? Look at verses 56–58:
“Yet they tested the Most High God and rebelled against Him; they did not keep His statutes. Like their ancestors, they were faithless and crooked, turning aside like a deceitful bow. They angered Him with their high places; they aroused His jealousy with their idols.”
Although God faithfully nurtured and led them with a faithful heart (verse 72), they still “tested and rebelled” against God (verse 56). They betrayed Him and “turned aside like a deceitful bow,” building high places and idols that angered God (verses 57–58).

In His wrath, God greatly despised Israel (verse 59), “abandoned the tent He had set up among humans” (verse 60), and handed over His glorious people to the enemy’s sword (verses 60–61). Yet even amid this, God chose David (verse 70) and continued to lead, nurture, and guide with “faithfulness of heart” (verses 71–72).

As we reflected on Psalm 78:23-41, even though the Israelites at the time of the Exodus tested God’s power in their greed (verse 18) and unbelief (verses 19-20), God “instead” opened the doors of heaven and rained down manna like rain to feed them (verses 23-24). In other words, when the Israelites sinned, God “instead” showed them grace. This can only be described as God’s faithful grace and love.

Even to the Israelites, who had an unsteady heart, God “instead,” with “faithfulness of heart,” nurtured, guided, and led them. Thus, God’s heart and the Israelites’ hearts were different: God’s faithful heart and the Israelites’ unsteady hearts.

Our hearts may be unsteady, but God’s heart is faithful. With a faithful heart, God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world, Jesus the Son redeemed us, and God the Holy Spirit guides and leads us. Thus, our Triune God chooses, redeems, and leads those of us who have unsteady or unfaithful hearts with His faithful heart. How then can we not praise God with all our hearts?

“I praise you, Lord, with all my heart,
I will tell the world all the amazing things you have done.
I praise you, Lord, with all my heart,
I will rejoice and be glad in you, Hallelujah!
I praise your exalted name, Hallelujah!”

With a grateful heart for the faithful heart of our Triune God,

Pastor James
(Praising God with an unfaithful heart)