TELL THE COMING GENERATION

Transcription

1 TELL THE COMING GENERATION Psalm 78:1 8 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 he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach their children, that the next generation might know them, 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; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. The idea of telling the coming generation is similar to taking part in a baton relay. A Scottish coach describes it this way: The race is about the baton, not the runners, if you run without the baton, no matter how fast you re running, you re going to lose. Your race is in vain. The relay brings out the best in every runner. A properly trained 400 meter relay team will run faster than the forerunner s combined 100 meter time. (AMAZING) We do better if we are conscious of those running before us and those running after us. Practice until the handover becomes instinctual. Athletes must learn to trust one another. Rather than looking back, the outgoing runner should be trained to respond to a hand command. Both runners are looking ahead, but it s the responsibility of the previous runner to make sure the baton is passed. And finally the baton exchange should accrue at very close to maximum speed. The incoming athlete should not be over stretched or he will be off balance when making the exchange. The outgoing runner must focus on reaching full speed and only put his hand back when he receives the hand command. There are some similarities between this description and the idea of transferring Biblical truth from one generation to another: The runners need to communicate just as we need to communicate Biblical truth to the next generation. Both types of transfer are relational, intentional, focused, and instinctual or natural. Both also involve trust and a consciousness of who is before and after. The object or information being passed is not only necessary, but of great importance; the timing is critical. Background It was written by a man named Asaph. Asaph was a prophet and a poet. He was one of David s 3 chief musicians. He actually wrote a number of Psalms including psalm 50 and In this psalm he covers nearly 500 years of Israel s history as a parable spanning from the departure from Egypt to the beginning of the rule of David. Most of the Psalms in Scripture are directed to God, and have themes like requests, doubts, depression, discouragement, joy, etc. Yet this Psalm is directed to a human audience for the purpose of instruction. In this Psalm we are called to heed the instruction of the Lord; we are given an example from history of the people of God who did not heed and appreciate God s wonders, provisions, exhortations, and warnings; then Asaph tells of God s faithfulness to His people in spite of their unfaithfulness. Psalm 78 illustrates what is also expressed in 1 Corinthians 10: 9 11: We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. REMEMBER So just what do we need to keep in mind as we transfer Biblical truth from one generation to another? How does this faith, truth, and testimony make itself to the next generation...even those yet unborn? What is our responsibility in this? Encouragement to remember or recall what we have heard and known: 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 we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.

2 First of all, Asaph is saying to the people of Israel (to us) Listen up! Give attention! He was about to impart something very important: teaching, wisdom, and dark sayings from old. Asaph wants the people to remember what they have heard and known and have been told. What is meant by dark saying of old? One commentary explains that the word dark means hidden, which usually referred to riddles or sayings that had to be pondered to determine their meaning. So the emphasis in these verses is on the effort of the hearers to listen closely because there is something hidden to be told, and if you don t listen closely, it can be missed. Further down in verses we read about some of the remembered truths: Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God most high was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. 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. These verses show that He is powerful; He is merciful; He is kind; He is faithful. The application from these lessons from of old is timeless. REVEAL We will not hide them from our children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children. (Verses 4 5) God s story must be passed on. God has revealed His character, His law, and His commands to Israel and to us. We must NOT hide them from our children, but naturally and intentionally reveal the things of God to the coming generation. WHO specifically tells them? No matter where we are in the generational line up...we are all exhorted to tell the coming generation. Parents tell their children and the children tell their children. Singles tell the generations below them. Grandparents tell their grandchildren. The older generations tell the younger generations. The young adults tell the children. The older children tell the younger children. This is an example of how community and relationships operate in the church. We seek out the younger to invest in. WHAT do we tell them? We are both warned and exhorted to NOT hide the revelation of God from our children the next generation. First.We tell the stories from God s Word and point out the lessons; we tell of His praiseworthy and glorious deeds, His might, the wonders He has done. We draw attention to His character; for example His love and faithfulness despite our failures. We read and teach Scripture, talk of His established testimony. And then.we tell them our stories, our testimonies of faith and failure, and we share of His incredible faithfulness to us. We live out (before the coming generation) the Gospel and we talk about God s demonstration of perfect love through Jesus, His son. We tell them that it is Christ who gives us a relationship with the Father. Life keeps us busy and distracted, but if we are going to see the work of God in the next generation, we have to take Asaph s exhortation very seriously. This is God s Word to us. Two people whose lives have demonstrated this are Papa and Mama. Along with their own children, most of us can testify that Papa and Mama have spent their lives telling the coming generations of God s mighty deeds and faithfulness. They have been telling God s stories and their own...how grateful we are!

3 HOW do we go about passing truth on to the coming generation? The opportunities are endless! We walk out our faith before them. Read and discuss Scripture together. Read and talk about the great stories in the Bible. Teach the spiritual disciplines. Share things of the Lord informally...in the car, around the table, while working together. Share openly about God s dealings and workings in your own life. Spend one on one time with someone younger sharing and praying together. Ask the Lord to give you someone to nurture if you don t have your own children. Teach your children to praise Him for His mighty deeds in worship. Read a missionary biography with someone younger. Spend intentional time talking about all aspects of the gospel. For example: God loves us despite our failures. (Rom 5:8) Our failure holds us captive, they accuse us, they condemn us, but Christ frees us. It is by grace we are saved. (Eph2:8) Make teaching, discussing, and memorizing Scripture a priority. Deut. 6:7, a familiar verse to all of us, says: You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. We don t want to follow the examples of Joshua with Achan (Joshua 7:19) or Eli with Samuel (1 Samuel 3:17). Deuteronomy 4:9 says: Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. RESULTS We have been exhorted to tell the coming generation. We have also looked at how and what to tell them. The results or benefits of teaching the children or generations of the things of God are found in verses 6 8: That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may 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; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. It is exciting to think of what God will and can do when this process plays out in our lives. There are wonderful benefits that come from obeying the command to teach the Word and testimony of God to our children and to the coming generation. So let s go back and look at each one: First, we teach His testimony and law so that EACH GENERATION MIGHT KNOW THEM, even the children yet to be born, that they may rise and tell them to their children. (verse 6) What an amazing plan for passing the baton! Then we also instruct them so that they should SET THEIR HOPE (or confidence) IN GOD. This is what we are challenged to do on a daily basis. We want our children and their children to to reap the benefits of instruction in the things of God over many years that they might learn to put their hope and trust in a God that they have witnessed is faithful. As we model and practice faith and setting our hope in Him, they will follow. Verse 7 continues: That they should NOT FORGET THE WORKS OF GOD. The works of God are listed over and over in this psalm. He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and provided for them miraculously while they were in the wilderness. These mighty acts are to be passed on to remind God s people of His sovereignty. We tell and pass on the great works of God, His stories, and His mighty deeds so that the generations will not forget His works, BUT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.

4 In other words, when we realize the greatness of God s grace, when we realize the power of His works, when we realize the trustworthiness of His promises, we respond to this in obedience. We then desire to keep His commandments out of love and gratitude. So instruction in God s Word is designed to encourage trust in Him. It brings about a realization of the greatness of His power, mercy, and grace, which then moves us to obedience to do His will and keep His commandments. Verse 8 is sobering: THAT THEY NOT BE LIKE THEIR FATHERS...STUBBORN, REBELLIOUS, AND UNFAITHFUL TO GOD. Asaph goes on in this psalm to talk about the unfaithful forefathers who were stubborn and rebellious. They perished because they forgot the mighty deeds of God. Verses tell us that one generation did not REMEMBER His power...the day when God delivered them from the adversary. They rebelled against, grieved, and tempted God. Another generation recorded in Judges entered the promise land after Joshua died, but they failed to pass the baton to the next generation. Judges 2:7 10 says, And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel...then Joshua died...and all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord...they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers. A generation had failed to instruct their children, the coming generation. We must take heed, lest our children, become stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful. Our children and youth need to see, that despite our failures, God remains faithful. We must be open and honest with the faith and failures of our generation in order to build hope and faith in the next generation. Quote from an article written by Ben Patterson for Ministries Today magazine: The Christian ministry is always more about what you let go of than what you hold onto. It s about leaving a godly legacy, about passing on to others the faith handed to us. This is no truer for the young than for the old, but the old have to be very stupid to miss it. Indeed some are, but I don t want to be one of them. I want to care more for what I can give to those who come after me than what I can hold onto for myself. During a recent CFC Galatians Bible study, several people shared about how we had mentors from an older generation who invested time discipling us and telling us of the things of God. We all agreed that these relationships were a priceless blessing in our Christian growth. So by God s grace and strength, I personally want to live out my remaining days telling the next generation of the glorious deeds of the Lord, of His might, and of the wonders He has done. I want to instruct the next generation in his Word, His commands, and His testimony. I will continue to tell His stories and my stories of His faithfulness. The exhortation and challenge all of us is to cultivate a love for the children, the youth, the next generation. A love that will shake us out of our selfishness and motivate and impassion us to invest our lives in the next generation. This should be our passion: My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those who come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? (Psalm 71:15 19) The battles and the pull of the world facing this generation are great. May our hearts be stirred to say with David: One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts! (Psalm 145:4)

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