Telling the next generation

For my daughter’s last birthday, we bought her a children’s Bible.  What’s nice is that it’s in English and Japanese, so my wife reads to her in Japanese, and I read to her in English.

It’s our hope that through these stories, she can come to not just know about God, but to truly know him.

That’s what the psalmist is trying to do in this psalm.  To pass on to the next generation what he knew about God.

He says,

My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.

We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.  (Psalm 78:1-4)

He then reminds the people that God himself commanded us to do this for our children.  The reason for this command?

So the next generation would know them (God’s deeds and his laws), even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.  (6-7)

Asaph starts by talking about the deeds of God, how he delivered them out of Egypt and led them through the desert, providing for their every need.  How he provided bread, water, and meat in the desert when there was none to be found.

He then talks about how God led them into the promised land and drove out all their enemies before them.

But then he talked about all the failures of the people.  How they failed to trust him.  How they complained in the desert.  How they turned to idols in the land God gave to them, and how they suffered judgment because of it.

Finally he reminds them of God’s grace and mercy through all their failures.  He sings,

Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.

Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.  (38-39)

And he reminds them of how in his grace, God defeated their enemies once again and set up David to rule over them in justice.

These are the kinds of things we are to teach our children.  To the people who come after us.

• Teach them about how God saved us from our sin, and all the things he has done for us in our lives.
• Teach them about our failures, and the consequences that came from them.  Why?  So that they don’t have to repeat our mistakes.
• Teach them about God’s grace and mercy.  That though we failed, God never gave up on us but forgave us and delivered us.
• Teach them that God has a plan for them.  Just as he took David from the humble position of shepherd, and turned him into the shepherd of God’s people, God can take their lives and turn it into something special too.

Let us not neglect to tell our children these things that they may know him too.