“He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to tech their children, so the next generation would know them, 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.” –Psalm 78: 5-6 (NIV. Read Psalm 78).Psalm 78 is classified as another Wisdom Psalm. The notation states that it is “A Maschil [or maskil] of Asaph. The term itself is translated in Psalm 47:7 as psalm. Psalm 78 is a long psalm, as you will note, having been divided into 72 verses by later scholars who gave chapters and verse divisions to our Bible. Psalm 78 was definitely a teaching psalm for it recounted God’s dealings with the children of Israel from their deliverance from Egypt through the reign of King David who"shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them” (Psalm 78:72). But one of the important aspects of this psalm is the command to teach the children the ways of the Lord, to review His goodness, guidance and providence and to keep God’s work and word ever before them so that they “would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands” (Ps. 78:7).
How good it is for us to remember the providence of God. We definitely should teach it to our own children and to other children so that they can come to know and appreciate that God reigns, that all is under His power, and that He wants the best for His creation. The long narrative Psalm 78 is one of the teaching psalms, read at special celebrations of the Jewish community. Its message is held in reverence by those who love the Lord and want to pass on knowledge of Him to subsequent generations.
Every July we have a large gathering of descendants of our Dyer-Souther family. We have from 200 to 300 at these family reunions. One of the things we do at each reunion is to recount some aspect of our forebears’ contributions in their generation. It is a call to remembrance to the present generation that there is more to life than making a living. Life is a consideration of others and a recollection of the good deeds and dedication of people who paved the way, made life better for us. This is not hero-worship, although some we could definitely call heroes of the past. It is a way of passing the torch, of making present generations aware of God’s providence and His continuing leadership among us. Be not afraid to acknowledge God. Someone has said that we are but one generation away from paganism. If we fail, the next generation will not know of God and His mercy and love. The call to remember God is a serious and imperative calling. Psalm 78 teaches that. Let us be faithful.
c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, May 24, 2010
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