Ps. 78.53 (a glimpse)

He led them safely / and they were not afraid
but their enemies / were left covered / by the sea. 

A response: It is interesting to note that in the section covering the plagues the response of the Egyptians is never mentioned. There is no reaction to the water turned to blood, the crops destroyed, the livestock killed, or, perhaps most shocking, no response to the killing of their first born children. Here, by contrast, we see Israel’s response to God—“they were not afraid”. It is, in a sense, nestled within these verses that focus entirely on God’s actions (as in the plague section). But it is very telling, as now there emerges something of a communion between God and his people. In the plague section the psalmist effectively bracketed out any mention of the Egyptians; indeed the plagues do not even seem like ‘warnings’ but more like an orchestrated plan that needs no portrayal of the Egyptian’s response. Here, however, once Israel enters the scene, the texture of the psalm changes fairly dramatically. A partner: Now, there is the sense of a partner to God. They are “his people” and  his “flock”. He “leads them in safety”. We get the sense that, although it is not explicitly stated, that God has become responsive; he has entered into a (covenant) relationship with Israel in a way dramatically different than, for example, Egypt. He has, in other words, created a space for them within Himself. Here we come to an interesting observation—we noted the mirroring of the plagues and the blessings. One thing though we missed is the fact that the plagues do not originate from God’s response to Egypt in the way that his wrath does to Israel’s rebellion. It is true that God’s final plague is, in a way, enacted rage; however, it is not explicitly described as a response to the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart (for example). What we find, instead, is the fact that God ‘responds’ only to Israel—either to her rebellion or to her enemies. She is, in this sense, his object of affection. His response to the world (and to Israel) flows from and through her. At least, that is what we see in this psalm. And it mirrors many other reflections of ours (especially those on Zion; outside god’s face is rather one-dimensional; inside Zion, there is a very profound interplay between God and his people and his Temple). Sequencing: this verse ends at precisely the moment where the first section began (vs. 12)—the parting of the Sea. As we will see, it will pick up at the moment (roughly) when the section concluded—the entrance into the promise land.  We will look later at perhaps why the psalmist has decided to treat these portions separately.