6. A List of God’s Gracious Gifts Psalm 78:23-35

Text: “Though He (the Lord God) had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of Heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of Heaven.”

Psalm 78:23-24.

Good morning, Christian recipient of God’s grace!  You and I, if we are Spiritually regenerated, Bible-believing Christians today, are clear and obvious recipients of the free and Sovereign grace of a truly Almighty and compassionate Lord God of Heaven and earth. Fact.

It was only by God’s Sovereign grace that we were ever placed in a position to hear the Gospel message of Salvation through the full Atonement Sacrifice made at Calvary’s Cross by God the Son – Jesus Christ – for ‘His people’.

The Gospel: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep (have died).  After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles (eye-witnesses of the risen Lord Jesus).  And last of all He was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet (fit) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 15:1-9)

Faith: It was only by God’s Sovereign grace that the hearing of this Gospel message imparted faith to our elect hearts, by which we might believe and receive Salvation in Christ the Lord.

“So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing (or reading) by the Word of God.”     (Romans 10:17)

Not all who hear the Gospel message of Eternal Salvation preached/taught receives God’s gift of faith to truly believe it with the heart – only those chosen (elected) by God the Father in Eternity, before the world was Created; receive His wondrous gift of faith to believe in Christ Jesus; and be saved.  The Gospel message is foolishness to the reprobate’s ears.

“For unto us (the chosen/elect) was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them (the reprobate, those not chosen by God): but the Word preached did not profit them (the reprobate), not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”  (Hebrews 4:2)

Sovereign Grace: God, is a Sovereign Lord God, He does exactly as He alone pleases in His Created world, and to His creatures - Created in Adam/Eve, but born fallen from grace since Adam/Eve sinned in Eden’s Garden, and therefore merely natural in Adam’s fallen image. You and I are NOT Created in God’s Supernatural image, but born in Adam’s fallen image, prone to sin and cursed with disobedience in our Adamic nature. (Genesis 5:3)

God, because He is God Almighty, decided whom He would save, and whom He would pass over reference His gift of Salvation, way back before He Created this world. In His foreknowledge and Sovereign power, He gave those whom He had elected to save to His Son, Jesus Christ that, in time, Christ would go to the Cross as a Holy and acceptable Atonement Sacrifice for those souls God the Father had chosen, and given to Him to save.  Not one of those precious and chosen souls shall ever be cast away, but Eternally saved.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we (the Father’s elect) are His workmanship, CREATED in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath BEFORE ORDAINED that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:8-10) (Psalm 115:3)

“All that the Father giveth Me (in Eternity) shall come to Me; and him/her that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. For (a conclusion) I came down from Heaven not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him (God the Father) that sent Me.  And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me (in Eternity) I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”  (John 6:37-39)

Psalm 78: 23-35: We find here in these verses a list of God’s gracious gifts to Israel as they wandered in the desert wastes as a consequence of their unbelief and disobedience. It mirrors the depths of unbelief we encounter even today – as God’s gracious love and blessings are taken completely for granted, and the Gospel of Salvation in Christ increasingly spurned.

Verse 24. Manna from Heaven: “O Lord Jesus, Thou blessed manna of Heaven, how all this agrees with Thee!  We will even now feed on thee as our Spiritual meat and will pray Thee to chase away all wicked unbelief from us. Our fathers ate manna and doubted; we feed upon Thee and are filled with assurance.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 335)

Verse 27. “He rained flesh also upon them as dust.  First, He rained bread and then flesh, when He might have rained fire and brimstone. The words indicate speed and abundance of the descending quails.”

Verse 27.  “And feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea. There was no counting them. By a remarkable providence, if not by miracle, enormous numbers of migratory birds were caused to alight around the tents of the tribes.  It was, however, a doubtful blessing, as easily acquired and superabounding riches generally are. The Lord save us from meat which is seasoned with Divine wrath.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 335)

Divine Wrath: Verse 32/34. “For all this they sinned still, and believed not…When He slew them, then they sought after Him; and they returned and enquired after God. Little has changed today.  Oh, that men/women would cry out in repentance and receive Christ!

Thought: God’s grace, and gracious gifts, are poured out to us daily – to obedient and to disobedient.  God’s Divine wrath is poured out also, to those that scorn His grace.