Psalm 78 deserves to be read several times.  It gives a summary of what happened with God's people through the ages.  Life was (and still is) a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs.  How do God's people react to those ups and downs?  How do we today react?  Do we demand things from God?  Do we decide what we want and then ask God to bless it?  Are we always asking for more and more and never satisfied with what we have?  Are we asking of God, "What have you done for me LATELY that's GREATER than what you've done in the past?"

Psalm 78 begins by reminding us of the importance of telling others and teaching our children about the truth of God’s Word. It is through teaching the truth that we develop trust in God. It is through the telling of God's praiseworthy deeds, His power, His wonders, His statutes, and His laws that we are able to remember His deeds and keep His commands. 

Asaph writes in Psalm 78 about all the miracles of God when He brought the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.  Not only did He display great signs and wonders in front of Pharaoh, He continued with the wonders throughout their journey in the wilderness.  One valuable lesson to be learned (among many, many other lessons) is that sometimes God allows us to have the things we crave only for us to find out that it is harmful to us. The people craved meat, so God gave them meat...so much meat in fact that many of them died because of it.  We should be very careful what we crave!

In relating the plagues on Egypt, Asaph writes about the destroying angels that God sent.  God used these angels to accomplish His purpose and there were restrictions placed on these evil angels. It is very clear that these are not angels from heaven but evil angels, demons allowed to come out and accomplish God's purposes. NIV uses the adjective "destroying" to describe the angels. The Hebrew word is "râ‛âh" and it means "evil".  One of the definitions is "worse than worst".  Make no mistake they were definitely evil angels. 

Much of this psalm recounts some miraculous things that God has done for His people. It also reminds us that…

Psalm 78:32
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

Psalm 78:37
their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

Psalm 78:56
But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.

But…in His great mercy…
Psalm 78:38
Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

When we lived in the hills of Tennessee, we often took drives through the Smoky Mountains. Periodically there would be a pull-over onto an overlook. We could look down at where we had just been and marvel at the beauty of the  mountains. Psalm 78 reminds us of those times; it’s similar to an overlook. As we read God’s Word, it’s nice to pause and look at where we’ve been and marvel at God’s handiwork. We should be ever mindful to believe His promises, to remember His faithfulness, and to follow His commands and statutes.