Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 78:20
Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?
20. can he provide ] R.V., Will he provide? The narrative is thrown into a graphic poetical form. Unbelief reaches its climax in the words for his people. If, as He says, we are His people, let Him provide, and provide liberally, for our wants. Bread flesh, as in Exo 16:8; Exo 16:12.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Behold, he smote the rock … – See the notes at Psa 78:15. The smiting of the rock the first time occurred before the complaining about the food. The fact that the rock had been smitten could not be doubted. They had thus had abundant evidence that God was able to do that, and to furnish water for them in the desert. It was unreasonable, therefore, to doubt whether he could provide food for them – for this in itself was no more difficult than to furnish water. Yet they are represented as affirming that this was far more difficult, and that, although it was admitted that God had provided water, yet that to provide food was wholly beyond his power. Their special sin, therefore, was, that they doubted the power of God in one case, when, in another, equally difficult, they had had abundant proof of it. The spirit of complaining had not been put down by one surprising and undoubted miracle performed in their behalf – a miracle which proved that God had all the power necessary to meet their needs.
Can he give bread also? – Does the ability to cause water to flow from a rock prove that there is also ability to produce bread when necessary? They doubted it, and thus complained against God.
Can he provide flesh for his people? – They supposed that this required greater power than the providing of water, or even of bread, and that if it were admitted that God could furnish the two former, it would by no means follow that he could provide the latter. It was this, as the next verse shows, which was the immediate occasion of the special anger of the Lord.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 78:20
Can He give bread also?
can He provide flesh for His people?
The cry of unbelief and presumption
I. The cry of unbelief. The question presupposes a negative; they practically said, We do not believe that He can do any more than He has done. The whole nation missed the meaning of history, and thus lacked all stimulus to hope and confidence. How often that is the case! It is most important that our children should learn history, and learn it as those grand inspired historians of the Old Testament wrote it, and as the father of each Jewish family taught it. They should learn not to see a human Colossus, astride all time, but to see God in every great development of history, in every change and every transition, and thus working out His purposes in all. What we need is simplicity of trust in God. God delivers just at a time when man cannot deliver himself. When, therefore, you are brought to trouble, look in the one direction where there is deliverance. You will never find God to fail you; and when once you have been delivered, do not forget it.
II. The cry of presumption. Why should they dictate to God what He was to do? Why should they stake the honour of God upon the mere coincidence whether He thought the same as they did or not?–that is, whether He considered that the best thing that could happen to them was that they should have an abundant supply of bread and meat, and taste of the flavour of the old flesh-pots of Egypt for which they longed? In connection with this, read Exo 13:17-18. Oh, how many of us are like them! We seem to presume upon what God has already done. I have heard many a man say before now, I was born in a good family, and here are poor people, who were born in cots, getting on, while of late I have had nothing but disappointments and losses. I do not see why the Lord should permit all this. What would you have the Lord do? Is there any special reason why you should be free from all trouble? Why, some men have trouble from their cradles to the grave. God never made a special arrangement with your parents that you should go through your life without any anxiety, or sorrow, or disappointment. If He had, I am afraid it would have been the greatest curse you could have had in your life. God never sends sorrow to any of us more than we need. It is not only wrong, but also foolish, to dictate to God what He shall do with us. Leave it to Him. If many prayers we uttered in bygone days were but written up to-day on a tablet, we should each say, Ah, me, I must have been mad when I uttered that prayer. If God had granted me that, it would have been my ruin. He did not grant it, and I was disappointed; but now I see that was the greatest mercy He has ever shown me. (D. Davies.)
Can He provide flesh for His people?
This is an instance of mans attitude towards God in the presence of miracles. Miracles have either marked distinct starting-points in the history of revelation, or have been given as Divine adaptations to the peculiar needs of the people to whom they were granted. They have been necessary as special proofs, but not as continuous manifestations.
1. This is an instance of the misuse man can make of a glorious history. The first part of the verse seems to prepare us for something sublime. Could a people who could relate such a history, who could record such facts of Divine intervention as these, finish up with anything but a hallelujah of praise? And yet these people who had a great history, and a history in which Gods power ever flashed forth in deeds of exceptional love, missed the meaning of all, were caught by the splendour, and only sufficiently caught by the splendour to yearn for other manifestations still more startling, and more gratifying to their animal passions. The love and patience of God revealed in the miraculous provisions of the past were lost upon them.
2. Thus, too, this is an instance of the misuse men can make of miracles. This was not peculiar to the ancient people. Look at the New Testament. There is one striking instance in Joh 11:37. Thus these words, in common with the words of our text, reveal another fact.
3. That miracles thus misused by men not only failed to satisfy, or to ennoble their hearts, but also that they made men more exacting in their demands and more shameless in their requests.
4. Thus God, in dealing with men, has given miracles to convince them of His power only as the occasion demanded, and as the nature of the revelation which He gave required. He has never given miracles of which there has not been supreme need. There has been a Divine economy in miracles throughout the ages. It was necessary that they should cease, or they would cease to be miracles. God now works in another way, not less Divine or even less mysterious. The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation. (D. Davies.)
Divine sufficiency ample for all our needs
God is a spring, this day and tomorrow. The God of Isaac is not like Isaac, that had one blessing and no more. A believers harvest for present mercies is his seedtime for more. Gods mercies when full-blown seed again and come up thicker. Can the creature want more than the everlasting fountain can supply? What an irrational way of arguing was that! He smote the rock that the waters gushed out; can He give bread also? As if He that filled their cup could not spread their table; as if He who had a hidden cellar for their drink had not a secret and as full a cupboard for their meat. (S. Charnock.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
The waters gushed out; which, all things consider seems not so wonderful, since fountains of water something break forth unexpectedly from or through rocks. But it is far more difficult to give us bread and flesh, which we know not whether he can do. Or at least we have just cause to doubt of his good will to us, who hath made a a penurious provision for us, and denies us these common blessings of bread and flesh, which he gives to the was of men.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed,…. This they allow was done by him, for these are their words continued; suggesting, that though the waters did gush out upon smiting the rock, yet they might have been in the caverns of it before, and had remained there a long time, and might have come out of themselves; and therefore this was no such great matter, and might easily be accounted for:
but can he give bread also? solid, substantial bread, and not like this light bread, the manna, as they called it, Nu 21:5, can he give us bread of corn, in a wilderness which is not a place of seed, where no corn grows? can he do this? this would show his power indeed:
can he provide flesh for his people? for so great a multitude, and in a place where no cattle are? let him do this, and we will believe his power; or else the words intimate that the smiting of the rock, and the waters flowing in such large streams, were an instance of his power, and therefore he that could do the one could do the other; he that could bring such large quantities of water out of a rock could give them solid bread and suitable flesh, and fulness of both; and should he not do so, they must conclude that he bore no good will to them, and had no love and kindness for them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
20. Instead of gratitude and faith, as the fruit of former mercies, they doubtingly and complainingly challenge the power of God to further miracles.
Psa 78:23-25 are a description of the abundance, suitableness, and miraculous method of their former supplies, and the ingratitude and causelessness of their complaints.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 78:20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?
Ver. 20. Behold, he smote the rock, &c. ] And so showed his power; we cannot deny it; but now for his will.
Can he give bread also?
Can he provide flesh for his people?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he smote: Exo 17:6, Exo 17:7, Num 20:11
can he give: Psa 78:41, Gen 18:12-14, Num 11:21-23
Reciprocal: Exo 15:24 – What Lev 25:20 – General 2Ki 3:20 – filled Psa 105:41 – opened Isa 48:21 – he caused Mat 14:17 – General Mar 8:4 – From Luk 9:12 – for Joh 11:37 – Could 1Co 10:4 – did