In the story of the Exodus, God's people Israel were tested in the wilderness for 40 years. In the New Testament, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Israel repeatedly turned away from their Father in Heaven, but Jesus faced his temptation without sin. In this Jesus shows that He is the Son of God. And as the Son of God who was perfect, Jesus' death and resurrection purchased for us the right to be called children of God.

This psalm offers us the chance to learn from Israel's mistakes, to fear the Lord who takes sin seriously, and to trust in the God who remembered what Israel had forgotten.

This psalm models three ways to respond to God's grace in our lives.

Psalm 81 is a celebration of God's faithfulness to his people and a warning not to repeat the mistakes of Israel's past. With the exodus as the backdrop, God's message is clear: seek satisfaction in God and God alone.

We've heard it said that those who fail to remember the past are doomed to repeat it. That's why the psalmist calls us to remember God's faithfulness and warns us about the cost of forgetfulness. Even so, we see God's ultimate faithfulness--that he has not forgotten us--through the work of Christ.

The Song of Moses reminds us that God is worthy to be praised, for what he has done and what he continues to do.

How can we make the story of Exodus the story of our lives?

This command gets to the heart of why we often struggle to love our neighbors as ourselves. It gives us an opportunity to consider where covetousness attacks us, and how to fight back.

It's relatively easy to see that honesty is good for us. Why then is it so hard to be consistently honest? And where do we find the strength to live with open, transparent freedom?

A familiar command calls us to remember the generosity of God who has set us free in Christ to be a generous people.