Psalm 78
“Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
For He established a testimony in Jacob
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they should teach them to their children,
That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
That they should put their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.”
Psalm 78: 1-8
This Psalm reminds us that God had made an investment in His people in the Old Testament. It is a Psalm that reminds us that He expected a return on His investment. When people invest their money in a retirement program, it is realistic to expect a return. The Psalm makes plain what God expected. He wanted His faithful works to be remembered and His people to obey His commandments. The following 72 verses of the Psalm record a miserable failure; a breakdown in the duty of the parents and grandparents. This dark shadow of failure can loom over God’s people today.
What did God expect parents and grandparents to do?
- Pay attention to and allow the Scriptures to define their responsibility as supervisors of the next generation.
- They were not to be silent about God’s faithfulness in their personal experiences. We are reminded that each of us as parents and grandparents have stories of God’s faithfulness we need to share with our children and grandchildren.
- The directive to the family is clear. They are to teach their children. It is not the responsibility of the pastor, teacher, youth worker etc. to shoulder this mandate. It is the leaders in the family. The church is to support these family leaders.
- God’s desire is to see the children of the coming generation put their confidence in Him. Because of the stories of God’s faithfulness expressed by the experience of parents and grandparents, He wanted the generations to come to put their hope in their faithful God.
The tragic reality? These people failed their children and grandchildren. This Psalm is very clear as to the reason the legacy was not invested in the generation to come. Parents and grandparents were “stubborn and rebellious!”
Oh, my brothers and sisters, we cannot allow ourselves to be numbered among these negligent family leaders. We cannot allow ourselves to “conceal” the stories of God’s faithfulness. The LORD and generations to come are depending on us!
