If I could go back in time and change how I raised my
children I would teach them more about Jesus. I would try and do a better job
of creating a legacy of Christianity in my family. Psalm 78 is called a maskil
psalm, which means it is a teaching psalm. This psalm teaches the lesson that blessings
come from obedience to and faith in God. But it also teaches that turning away
from God brings discipline.
Psalm 78:1-4
A MASKIL OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
A MASKIL OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
Maybe God hasn’t parted the Red Sea for me and you in a
literal sense as he did for the Jews, but each of us can speak of the salvation God
has given us. We all have a testimony of the great things God has done in our
lives and as parents and grandparents we must share them with our little ones.
Psalm 78:5-6
He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,
He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,
We must share the stories of God in our lives so our
families become a legacy of His salvation. But we should also teach them of how
we have at times in our lives turned away from God in disobedience so that they
do not make the same mistakes we did.
Psalm 78:7-8
…so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
…so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The history of Israel
has great teaching value for all of us. Oh, how often they turned away from God
even after He delivered them and saved them from peril. Psalm 78 is a lesson in
the fickle nature of God’s people. We, too, are just like they were. What was
the first thing we did as a nation after the 9-11 terrorist attacks? We prayed
as a nation. Where are we today as a nation? All of us have made a deal with
God in the midst of a terrible trial only to go right back to our old sinful
selves a little later after He brought us through.
There is a wonderful lesson in here for us about God.
Psalm 78:35-37
They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
Most of us are guilty as well. But see how God reacts.
Psalm 78:38-39
Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.
Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.
God remembers we are flesh. You cannot out-sin the grace of
God.
The rest of the psalm again is a historical record of how
Israel continued to reject God. The New Testament reveals they would crucify
God’s only Son who came to redeem them. Yet read on to the end of the Bible and
you find that in the end God will save a remnant of Israel. He does not break
His promises. Our salvation is not dependent on our behavior. Our good deeds
will not get us to heaven. We cannot write a big enough check to get in. You
see we are all sinners. We have violated God’s law and we have broken our
promises to Him many times. Yet, He loves us so much He sent Jesus to die for
us.
John 3:16-18
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
This is the single most important lesson we must teach our
children. They will not learn it in school. Tell them your story mom. Teach them about Jesus, dad. Grandpas
and grandmas, tell them the story of your life. Tell them how Jesus has saved
you.
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