11/12/2008

Psalm 78:1-8 NIV


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

2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old-

3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.

5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,

6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

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

8 They would not be like their forefathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.

This Psalm talks about the law and how it was to be taught to future generations. This was regarding the history of the people of Israel. There were times when they were disobedient and rebellious. It is talking about their law and how future generations should not be like their fathers - stubborn and rebellious. They should know the law and obey the commandments - the law of the Gospel. Jesus spoke in many parables so that the people would understand what He was saying. Today, we need to tell the stories in the Bible to today's generation so they can know how they should be living but also how they should not be living. Many stories in the Bible talk about people who we should strive to be like but also learning from others in the Bible who were rebellious, turned away from God or who were just evil. That way maybe we can avoid repeating some of their mistakes.

There are many young parents out there who have not been raised in the church so they are not able to teach their children about God and His goodness. As the church, we should be reaching out to this generation because we know God's Word and His love, mercy and grace so they can have hope. We can teach them God's laws and commandments. Then when they have children, it can be passed down to them. If we are silent, then shame on us. It is our duty to teach the Word to our children and young adults. They are to be taught to praise the Lord with their whole heart and soul. We are also to be teaching them the reverential fear of the Lord.

Children learn by example. In my generation, we have done so many wrong things. Back in the 70s, we promoted the use of drugs, sex and we if got pregnant all we had to do is have an abortion. What did we teach our future generation? We took God out of school, did not want to talk about God, dabbled in different so called "religions." We were rebellious. Yet I remember someone in my high school who had invited me to her house. Back then we considered her a "Jesus freak." I had been interested yet I dismissed it because of fear of being ridiculed. There is so much peer pressure in this generation now. So we need to get to them as early as possible, teach them, show them the love of Jesus and how He is a forgiving, merciful God. Today reach out to the younger generation. Give them testimonies of how we came through some of our trials and tribulations. Speak boldly to this generation. They need to know the truth. In fact, they are searching for truth.