John Tng (22
Oct 1997)
"Psalm 78 & the Camp David Accord"
Dear Friends,
The more I look into the Psalms, the more I am convinced that J.R. Church was right about the hidden prophecies in the Psalms. In this article, I wish to establish the link between Ps78 and 1978. Once you realise that in 1978, the one single important event that happened in the history of Israel, was the Camp David Accord, anyone could verify the clues that are hidden in Ps78 pointing to this event.
First, let me briefly describe the Camp David Accord. This was a peace treaty signed on Sep 17th 1978 between Egypt and Israel, brokered by the then US President, Jimmy Carter. One year earlier, the Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, paid a historic visit to Israel. He was the first leader from the Arab world to make diplomatic contact with Israel after about 30 years since 1948. Hence the significance of the Camp David Accord cannot be overstated. As a result of this peace effort, Menachem Begin, Israel's Prime Minister, and Anwar Sadat, both received their Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Amazingly, the key components of the Camp David Accord are all there in Ps78, hidden for millennia by the awesome wisdom of God.
#1 DAVID AND EGYPT. What are the chances that the names "DAVID" and "EGYPT" be found in a single psalm? The staggering thing is Ps78 is the only psalm besides Ps68 to contain both the references "David" and "Egypt". What is more, in Ps68, "David" occurs as part of the superscription, i.e. title of this psalm, not part of a verse as in Ps78.
Bear in mind that the Camp David Accord was Sadat's initiative. Egypt had undoubtedly played a key role in this peace treaty. In his book, "Egypt's Road to Jerusalem", published in 1997, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the ex-UN Secretary General, who was the Foreign Minister of Egypt at that time, one of the key delegates to Camp David, wrote the following,
"On the evening of Wednesday, November 9, I went to the People's Assembly chamber and sat with my colleagues to await the arrival of President Sadat, who was expected to make a speech of major importance. The chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasir Arafat, was seated at the front of the chamber as an honored guest. He was making salaam to everyone, putting his palms together and raising his hands above his head.
In the course of his speech, President Sadat declared, "I am ready to travel to the ends of the earth if this will in any way protect an Egyptian boy, soldier, or officer from being killed or wounded. I say that I am ready for sure to go to the ends of the earth. I am ready to go to their country, even to the Knesset itself and talk with them."
Chairman Arafat was the first to burst into applause at these words...."
"David" is of course synonymous to Israel. How appropriate it is that the two main parties are found in this psalm! "Egypt" occurs 3 times while "David" only once.
Ps 78 KJV
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
#2 CAMP. The remarkable thing about this word "CAMP" is that it only occurs two times in the Psalms -- once in Ps78 and once in Ps106!!
Ps 78:28 KJV
"And he let it fall in the midst of their CAMP, round about their habitations."
The NIV translation is interesting as far as the concept of "camp" is concerned,
Ps 78 NIV
28 He made them come down inside their CAMP, all around their TENTS.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the TENTS of Ham.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the TENT he had set up among men.
67 Then he rejected the TENTS of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
#3 TREATY OR ACCORD. The entire Ps78 is a recounting of God's faithfulness and His people's unfaithfulness when He led them out of Egypt into the promise land. The word "COVENANT" is a kind of treaty.
Ps 78 KJV
10 They kept not the COVENANT of God, and refused to walk in his law;
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his COVENANT.
Other related verses are
Ps 78 KJV
5 For he established a TESTIMONY in Jacob, and appointed a LAW in Israel, which he COMMANDED our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his COMMANDMENTS:
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in HIS LAW;
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his TESTIMONIES:
CONCLUSION. Clearly, the Camp David Accord signed in 1978 between Egypt and Israel, is hidden in Ps78 all these while.