The Bible says in Psalms 78:1-3, Give ear, O
my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.[2] I
will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:[3]
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
God is speaking in verse one. God reminds His people that they need to hear His
words. In the Old Testament they had the law. Today we have both the Old
Testament and the New Testament, and so we have even more of the words of God
than they had. God has given us His Word and His truth, but there is a
requirement on our part. We must give ear, and we must incline our ears to
his words. In other words we must desire to hear and know His words and we must
seek to open our hearts to His word. God has given the Word. The question is:
do we receive it?
In verses two and three the Psalmist
is now speaking, and he is telling us what he is going to do. He knows the
importance of Gods Word, he has received and studied Gods Word, he knows the
will of God regarding the Word, and therefore the Psalmist is going to open his
mouth and teach others. Some of the word of God is made of parables and dark
sayings. It takes the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, it takes study, and it
takes having good teachers in order to be prepared to teach the Word of God.
The apostles were three years with Jesus twenty-four by seven in order to be
properly prepared, and then there was a transitional period after the Day of
Pentecost where they had even more to learn, especially learning the difference
between law and grace. How many years will it take people in our age to learn
what the apostles learned? It might take decades. If you get an early start,
that will help. The sooner one turns to the Lord Jesus and starts learning His
Word, the better. The Psalmist said in verse three, our fathers
have told us. One of the primary responsibilities of Christian parents is to teach
their children the Word of God. Reading the Bible and praying in the home is
important. Christian schools can help and Christian home schooling. And then
going to a Christian college when they leave home is important. These things
are primarily decided by the parents. If Christian parents neglect such
responsibilities, where will we be once the new generation takes over?
The Bible says in Psalms 78:4-7, We will not
hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of
the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.[5]
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which
he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:[6]
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be
born; who should arise and declare them to their children:[7] That they
might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his
commandments: Notice the first phrase of verse four: We will not hide them from their children
Some parents are hiding the truths from God from the
children in effect because they do not read the Bible at home, or take the
children to church to hear Gods Word, or put them in a Christian school, or
point them to a Christian college. The children are called the generation to come.
If the younger generation do not come to know Christ and the Word of God, then
faith and Christianity will die out with this generation. That very thing may
be happening now. Jesus did say, When the
Son of Man cometh, will he find faith on the earth?
According to this Psalm, we should be
teaching the children three things, the praises of the LORD, and his
strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. We should
teach children the reasons to praise the Lord. There are many. There are
innumerable reasons to praise Him. Just to name a few: we can praise Him for
His death on the cross, His teachings, His love, His daily provision, His
promises, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and heaven that awaits us because
of His salvation. We should teach our children about Gods strength. God can do
anything. That is how He can answer our prayers. That is how He can solve any
of our problems. That is how He can remove any obstacle. Jesus said, All power is
given unto me. To live by faith we must think about the power of God and not
about our own limitations. We should also teach our children about his
wonderful works that he hath done. The Bible tells us what He has done
for so many believers who trusted in Him. We know about Abraham, Moses, Noah,
David, Daniel, Ruth, Deborah, Samson, and all the other believers and the
wonderful works that God did in their lives. Because God does not change, we
can expect the same kinds of wonderful works to be done in our lives too.
Because of these teachings, we know that God has a plan for our lives, and all
we need to do is go His way, and He will make it happen. We know that God will
take of us. We know that God will give us victory over the evil ones. We know
that God will give us love and family. We know that God will give us
opportunity, and wisdom, and understanding. These are the things that children
need to be learning while they are growing up. No wonder that God commended the
children of Israel to make these things known to their children. And then
these children will eventually declare them to their children. That is
Gods way. If these things are not done, then verse seven tells us what the
result will be: 1. They will not set their hope in God. Instead they
will set their hope in this world and in man. 2. They will forget the
works of God, and so they will not become people of faith. 3. They will not keep his
commandments, which means that they will live ungodly and secular lives. All
of this will happen because Christian parents did not teach their children what
they should have taught them on a daily basis.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:8-17, And might
not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation
that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.[9]
The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day
of battle.[10] They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in
his law;[11] And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed
them.[12] Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the
land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.[13] He divided the sea, and caused
them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.[14] In
the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of
fire.[15] He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as
out of the great depths.[16] He brought streams also out of the rock,
and caused waters to run down like rivers.[17] And they sinned yet more
against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
Verse eight gives us one of the reasons that children need to be taught the
Word of God: that they might not be as
their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not
their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. The previous generation had gone the wrong way
spiritually. How can the new generation be helped to avoid the same mistakes?
They can only be helped if they have the right diet in the Word of God. The
Word of God will reprove them of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. People
will not stay right with God if they do not stay in the Word. Jesus said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
What happened to the fathers? Instead
of being surrendered to God, they became stubborn and rebellious. They
resisted God and did not want to do His will. They wanted to do their own will.
They also were a generation that set not their heart aright. Each person
has control over their own heart. You can choose to have a right attitude
toward God or not. If someone goes through life and is not right with God, it
is because that is what they chose. The third thing said about the previous
generation in verses eight is that they were those whose spirit
was not stedfast with God. We need to be consistent, always seeking the
Lord no matter what happens to us in life. Something will turn you away from
God unless you are determined to be steadfast.
In verse nine the children of Israel
were represented by the children of Ephraim. They were prepared for battle, but
then they did not go to battle. Christians should be prepared for war. We have
all the armor available to us as described in Ephesians chapter six. But some
people do not want the hardships of a battle, and they shrink away. They want
an easy way. The Christian life is not easy. It is a challenge: the greatest
challenge of all. If you do not bear a cross, you cannot wear a crown. Do not
be like those who turned back in the day of battle. Verse ten says, They kept
not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law. No one could
keep the covenant of the Old Testament, but these people refused to walk in
his law. It is one thing to fail out of weakness, but it is another to fail out
of a refusal to try. Verse eleven says that they forgat his
works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. If you are going to be a
person of faith and joy in the Lord, then you must have a good memory. You must
remember the good things that the Lord has done for you, including your
salvation. You determine what you remember and think about. This previous
generation sinned because they did not remember what they should have
remembered. They certainly had a lot of good things that God did for them that
they should have remembered. So do we. Three great things are mentioned that
God did for them. Verse thirteen says, He divided the sea, and caused them
to pass through. He saved them. Verse fourteen says, In the
daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. He led them.
Verse fifteen says, He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out
of the great depths. He provided for them. Yet, in spite of the miracles and the
blessings, verse seventeen says that they sinned yet more against him. How
ungrateful they were and unthankful! What a sad commentary on human nature.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:18-22, And they
tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.[19] Yea, they
spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?[20]
Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams
overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?[21]
Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against
Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;[22] Because they believed
not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: They had a problem in
their heart. They had a problem with what they said. And they had a problem
with their faith. A strong desire started in their heart. There is nothing
wrong with eating. God made our bodies to desire food. It is a blessing to have
a good meal. Food for our bodies symbolizes what Jesus did for our souls when
we took Him into our hearts. But a normal desire can become a sinful lust when that
desire goes over the boundary that God has set for it. God gave them manna from
heaven, but they started lusting after meat. And then they spoke against God.
God did not give them what they desired and so they questioned Gods power and
they said, Can God furnish a table in the
wilderness? Yes, God can do anything, but it
is always according to His will. We need to use the words of faith when we
talk. The Lord can do anything. Do not ever say anything contrary to that basic
truth. Do you have financial needs? God can provide. Do you know someone with a
hard heart? God can melt the heart of stone. Do you have a medical problem or
know someone who does? Jesus still performs miracles and He can guide you to
the right doctor for your condition. Are you a student and need help with your
studies? God can give you discipline and wisdom and confidence so that you can
be properly prepared for each assignment and test. The children of Israel
doubted God. That was their great sin. If Jesus has saved your soul, you should
never doubt Him. That is why it says in verses twenty-one and twenty-two, Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire
was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;[22]
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation. It says to Christians in Hebrews 11:6, Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Jesus said to His apostles, O ye of little faith,
because the supreme will of God is that we live by faith. In other words we
trust in Him instead of ourselves or some other thing or other person. The just shall live by faith. Abraham believed God
and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:23-31, Though he
had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,[24] And
had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of
heaven.[25] Man did eat angels food: he sent them meat to the full.[26] He caused
an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south
wind.[27] He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fouls like as
the sand of the sea:[28] And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round
about their habitations.[29] So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave
them their own desire;[30] They were not estranged from their lust. But while
their meat was yet in their mouths,[31] The wrath of God came upon them, and
slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. The first
word of verse twenty-three says, Though. In other words in spite of all that
God had done for them and all the miracles that God had performed, they still
turned away from Him. No wonder that the New Testament tells the Christian to
be thankful for all things. If you are not aware and thankful for all that the
Lord has done for you, you are likely to fall into the trap of doubt and
selfishness wanting what the Lord has not done. Notice that verse twenty-five
says that Man did eat angels food. That is how they should have looked
at Gods supply for them. They did not have a high enough regard for what God
had done. They wanted their own will instead of Gods will. And then what
happened was one of the worse things that can happen to anyone: God gave them
what they wanted instead of His will. It says in verse twenty-nine: he gave them
their own desire. God knows the end from the beginning. We do not. Jesus calls us
to go His way, not to punish us or to keep us from obtaining something, but
because that will be the best outcome in life for us to find His will in
something. Single people often make this mistake in marriage. They think that
they want someone so badly that they neglect to seek Gods will. That can end up
being a terrible mistake that will only be manifested after the wedding
ceremony.
Of course, the children of Israel
lived under the law, and the penalty for breaking the law was the death
penalty. And so it says in verse thirty-one, The wrath of God came upon
them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. Thank the
Lord Jesus that we live under the new covenant instead of under the law. We are
not under law, but under grace.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:32-33, For all this
they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.[33]
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
God gives us many chances to learn, and He is very forgiving. The best way to
learn is to pray and to ask the Lord for wisdom. Another way to learn is to
read and study the scriptures and to be exposed to good teachings through the
preaching of the Word of God. If we do not learn from prayer and Bible study,
what other way can we learn? We can learn from our mistakes because God is
merciful. He always forgives when we ask Him. It can be painful to learn from
our mistakes, but at least it is possible. But what happens if we do not even
learn from our mistakes? We will have happen what happened to the Israelites:
we will be consumed in vanity and we will have years
in trouble. The Israelites did not learn the
importance of repenting and turning away from their sins: For all this they sinned still.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:34-37, When he slew
them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.[35]
And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.[36]
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with
their tongues.[37] For their heart was not right with him, neither were
they stedfast in his covenant. One of the goals in life is to
improve. That is one of the benefits of believing in Jesus and following Him:
we have the ability to make real improvements. It is called growing in Christ. We
want to avoid a life that is a constant train wreck. That is what happened to
the Israelites. They kept making the same mistakes as they kept turning away
from the Lord again and again. Notice verse thirty-seven: neither were they stedfast in his covenant. To be stedfast is to be constant and faithful. We are
told to pray without ceasing. We are told that every beat of our hearts and
every thought of our mind should be dedicated to Him. Those who constantly turn
away from the Lord are in real danger of turning away from Him and not coming
back. That seems to be what happened to the Israelites. Eventually, they only
pretended to come back. It says in verse thirty-six, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto
him with their tongues. We have a lot of
pretend Christians today. They claim that they believe, but they lie unto him with their tongues.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:38-39, But he,
being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea,
many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.[39]
For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and
cometh not again. These verses are a reminder of how great is Gods mercy
towards us. He could have destroyed the Israelites many times, but He did not.
We are all sinners, and God is holy. That means that God would be just and
righteous to bring His anger and His wrath against sinners. Jesus could have
called twelve legions of angels to destroy the world and set Him free, but
instead He died alone for you and for me. Gods mercy is available because
Jesus died for us. God also knows how weak we are: we are but flesh. One of the
great differences between God and man is that He is Spirit, but we are flesh.
We may not know how great that difference is, but God certainly does. God also
knows how short our lives are. Compared to eternity our lives are so very
short, and evidently that truth compels the Lord to give us extra chances. Once
He destroys us our chances are gone forever. And so He gave us life so that we
would accomplish something, and He is trying to keep us from throwing it all
away. Therefore, He forgives you, giving you one more chance: maybe this time
you will learn and start serving Him.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:40-56, How oft did
they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert![41]
Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.[42]
They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.[43]
How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:[44]
And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not
drink.[45] He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured
them; and frogs, which destroyed them.[46] He gave also their increase
unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.[47] He destroyed
their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.[48] He gave
up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.[49]
He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and
trouble, by sending evil angels among them.[50] He made a way to his
anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the
pestilence;[51] And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their
strength in the tabernacles of Ham:[52] But made his own people to go
forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.[53]
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed
their enemies.[54] And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary,
even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.[55] He cast
out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and
made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. Notice the
phrase in verse forty-one that the Israelites limited
the Holy One of Israel. God is holy, and so
when we sin, we limit what He otherwise would have done through us. The
question is this: do want the Lord to use you or not? If yes, then live a holy
life.
In order to serve the Lord faithfully,
you need to have a good memory, which evidently the children of Israel did not
have. It says in Psalms 78:42, They remembered not his hand, nor
the day when he delivered them from the enemy. Of course, this is talking
about when God delivered them out of Egypt. And so the rest of the verses down
to verse fifty-five tell once again many of the mighty things that God did for
the children of Israel. Jesus is the One who delivered us. If you remember and
appreciate what Jesus did for you to save your soul, then you have a chance to
follow Him faithfully. But if you do not remember, you will be just like the
Israelites and fall back to the world from which Jesus saved you.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:57-64, But turned
back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a
deceitful bow.[58] For they provoked him to anger with their high
places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
[59] When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:[60]
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among
men;[61] And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into
the enemy's hand.[62] He gave his people over also unto the sword; and
was wroth with his inheritance.[63] The fire consumed their young men;
and their maidens were not given to marriage.[64] Their priests fell by
the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. An interesting
phrase is used in verse fifty-seven about the fact that the children of Israel
turned away from the Lord. It says, they
were turned aside like a deceitful bow. The
purpose of shooting an arrow is that it will go straight, and a good bow has a
lot to do with that happening. It does not matter how good the archer is if the
bow is defective. Every human being should be following God through faith in
Christ. Every day our lives should be like a straight arrow going right towards
the Lord Jesus Christ and His will for us. Because God is in charge, and
because we reap what we sow, there will be a price to pay if we do not go
towards the Lord. The Israelites lived under the law, and the law was very
unforgiving. Thank God that we have Jesus as our Savior. Verse fifty-eight says
that provoked him to anger with false religion. If you do not serve the one true God
through faith in Christ, then something else will fill the void, and that
something else is your religion. It says about the Israelites and their false
religion in verse fifty-nine, When God
heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel. That will never happen to a Christian because we live in
the age of grace and the New Testament says about the love of Christ, Having loved his own, He loved them unto the end. And Jesus also said, I
will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
Five things happened to the children
of Israel because they turned away from God: 1. God was angry with them. 2.
They had war instead of peace, and according to verse sixty-one, their enemies
were strengthened against them. 3. The fire consumed their young men. 4. their maidens
were not given to marriage. 5. Their priests fell by the sword. 6. their widows
made no lamentation. In other words there was such trouble for the widows that remained
alive that that they could not even mourn the dead. The lesson is this: you
might want to serve the Lord instead of turning away from Him.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:65-71, Then the
Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason
of wine.[66] And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them
to a perpetual reproach.[67] Moreover he refused the tabernacle of
Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:[68] But chose the tribe of
Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.[69] And he built his sanctuary
like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.[70]
He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:[71]
From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people,
and Israel his inheritance. Notice the phrase in verse
thirty-five: Then the Lord awaked as one
out of sleep
The Israelites sinned more and
more and things got worse and worse because of sin, and God could not take it
any more. For a long time it appeared that God was not going to do anything,
but like He always does, the time came that God did do something: God decided
to remove Israel from the wonderful position that He had given them. God was
going to make Israel the greatest nation on the earth, and use them marvelously
to spread His truth to the rest of the world. But they turned their back on
Him, and so judgment came. God strengthened their enemies instead of
strengthening Israel. God brought war, and God let their enemies win.
But all of that failure and judgment
did not keep the Lord from His great eternal plan to provide salvation for
sinful man. That is why it says in verse sixty-eight: But chose
the tribe of Judah. Even though the rest of Israel was rejected, Gods plan would
still be fulfilled through the tribe of Judah. King David was of the tribe of
Judah, and then the Messiah came in the lineage of King David. And so it says
in verses seventy and seventy-one, He chose David also his servant, and
took him from the sheepfolds:[71] From following the ewes great with
young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. King David
symbolized what Christ would eventually do. Jesus feeds us spiritual food.
Jesus makes us his inheritance when we are born again.
The Bible says in Psalms 78:72, So he fed
them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the
skilfulness of his hands. This verse describes King David, the great king of
Israel, the writer of the Psalms. And in many ways David symbolized the
Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This verse said that David did two
things: he fed them and he guided them. If you know Jesus as Savior, He has fed you the bread of
life, and therefore you have eternal life through Christ. The bread of God is
spiritual bread. It is not something that you get from a religious ceremony.
David guided the children of Israel. Every person needs to be guided because we
are like sheep. We will go the wrong way, we will fall off of a cliff, or we
will be eaten by a wolf unless we have the right guide. One of the great
benefits of having been saved through faith in Christ is that Jesus becomes our
Shepherd and our Guide. He leads us. As David wrote in Psalms 23:2, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2019 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved