78:1 O my people. This Maschil psalm by Asaph, the seer, is a heart-cry to the people of God, seeking to bring them back to a true love of God and obedience to His laws. Presumably written under either David’s or Solomon’s reign, when God’s blessings on Israel were more manifest than ever before or since, even then the people as a whole were in a low state spiritually. Psalm 78 is the second longest (to Psalm 119) of all the psalms, recounting God’s miraculous deliverances in the past as an incentive to serve Him in the present and future.

78:2 in a parable. This verse was quoted by Jesus (Matthew 13:35), in explanation of why He was speaking in parables.