February 15, 2022 -- Psalm 78:1-4 -- Teaching the Next Generation Wonderful Words

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

A MASKIL OF ASAPH.
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
4 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.
Psalm 78:1-4 ESV

There is something about reading this passage as a grandparent, that is very different from reading it as a teenager. God be praised, in His kindness, He has allowed me to be Christian from my youth. When I read a passage like this as a teen I had very limited understanding or appreciation for the heritage of faith in which the LORD had set me. Now, as Carolyn and I have raised children in the fear of the LORD, and these children are raising our grandchildren, or through their work and volunteering, raising up others to believe in Jesus Christ, the truth of this beautiful text strikes home with a powerful force.

Asaph was the chief Levite musician under King David. He was appointed to teach the people songs to God so that people would sing praises to God their Father. While working out at the gym there’s usually loud music blaring. Sometimes the soundtrack includes songs from the eighties. There are songs that play which I am fairly sure I have not heard in a couple of decades; as soon as the music starts, I can remember so many of the words it is actually surprising to me. King David appointed a musician to compose songs that would impact the head and the heart for the Gospel. Songs that would carry intergenerational weight. Asaph music, many of the Psalms, have impacted and continue to impact generation after generation. Sometimes just a few words will be enough for the hearer to be able to recite and contemplate so much more. If you need an example: "The LORD is my shepherd..." Tell me, does this help you recall the rest of the Psalm? I am sure it does and the LORD is praised.

The image of the singer changes in verse 2 to that of a father—he uses every means necessary to instruct his children in the LORD. Parables—teachings which are stories of daily life that have a heavenly theme and reveal the Kingdom of God. He will speak “dark sayings”. To be honest, this one was more difficult to understand. So I had to dig a bit. In the original language “dark sayings” is “enigmatic sayings”. When a parent teaches a child math, the concepts are dark, or enigmatic. They seem difficult—because they are difficult. But these teachings help children to think. Puzzling through this and working out the problems helps a child’s mind to learn how to think, how to work out difficult things in every area of life. Interestingly enough, that enigmatic saying forced me to dig deeper into the word in order to find what it means. The effort is totally worth it. That too is an example of a dark saying, Job 28:1-6 teaches us that wisdom must be mined from deep, dark places and its treasures brought forward into the light to bless and instruct others. 

At this place in my life, thinking about these things increases my sense of wonder. How kind, how patient, how merciful, how loving, how faithful is God our Father. He has allowed me, with all my foibles and follies, all my weaknesses and inconsistencies, to work with my lovely wife Carolyn so that our children are raised in the knowledge of the LORD. More than this, He has allowed us to live to see their children grow in the knowledge of God. He has blessed us so that we can see how, in their work and volunteerism, our children seek to make the knowledge of Jesus Christ known among their peers and to the youth of this generation. Thanks be to God.

Mighty Ruler of Nations, King of Glory Who deposes nations and raises up others up, we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will give thanks to You forever; from generation to generation we will recount Your praise. Amen.
(Prayer based on Psalm 79:13)

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