Psalm 78 extends an invitation:
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. (78:1-4)
What sort of glorious deeds and wonders need to be remembered, told, and retold? The psalm elaborates, taking the Bible reader’s mind back to the history contained in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and beyond, when:
- God unleashed plagues on the Egyptian enslavers of his people Israel—turning rivers to blood, sending swarms of flies and frogs, locusts, hail, and worse (42-51)
- He guided liberated Israel through the wilderness like a flock (52)
- He divided the Red Sea so his people could pass through on dry ground (13)
- He gave them a law to live by and pass on to their children (5)
- He led them with a cloud by day and a fiery light by night (14)
- He made water to flow from rocks in the wilderness (15)
- He rained manna from heaven for them to eat (23-24)
- He often restrained his anger toward them (38)
- He brought them to his promised land, driving out the nations before them and settling the tribes in their tents (54-55)
- He eventually chose a king after his own heart to rule over them (70-72)
An impressive list for sure, but why did these “mighty wonders of the LORD” need to be remembered and shared generation after generation after generation? Why pay present attention to the dusty past? Psalm 78 offers two answers.
First, in spite of everything those children of Israel saw and heard, “they refused to walk according to [God’s] law” (78:10). “They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them” (78:11). “They did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power” (78:22). “Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant” (78:37). Having a front row seat to glorious deeds doesn’t irresistibly or automatically produce a soft heart and a life of faithfulness. The apostle Paul connects the dusty past with the relevant present when he encourages Christians to remember, “these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Cor 10:6).
And that leads us to the second “Why study history?” answer in Psalm 78. Our own generation now bears the responsibility of not only learning from the mistakes of those who have come before, but also of serving as the current link in the chain that connects this rich spiritual heritage to “the coming generation.” And so today–the first day of the week–in songs and sermons, communion and classes, we will remember and celebrate and teach. Why?
…that the next generation might know,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments. (78:6-7)
Think about that today. You are a worshiper, but also an heir in possession of matchless treasure, and Psalm 78 is reminding us that the goal is so much bigger than being a whiz at Old Testament history trivia. The goal is to know and hope and teach those following in our footsteps to hope in the God of glorious deeds.