The Gospel for Generations Past and Future

Third, we teach the next generation what God has said. The psalmist mentions God’s “law” (v. 5) and his “commands” (v. 7). Make this book the center of your instruction in your home. Let it trump all other books. If God has spoken, then what else is more important for you to tell your children? More important than teaching them to play a sport or learn a subject in school, we need to teach them the Word of God. It’s the only thing that will last. As Jesus told his disciples, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt 24:35). From generation to generation, God’s Word will never fade. It is a rock on which our children and their children and their children can stand for eternity.

We Tell the Stories (78:10,13-16,23-31,38-39,44-51,53,55,59-64,67-72)

This is the longest historical psalm in the Bible, and it summarizes some of the most important and foundational stories in the life of God’s people. Time and space do not permit an exhaustive treatment of each of these stories, but consider some of the stories we have to tell:

By passing along these stories, we are telling our children that we all find ourselves living in the midst of a story that began a long time ago. In other words, we’re not the first ones on the scene, and neither are our children. We want our children to know that the world doesn’t revolve around us or them. The world and all of history revolves around God, and he is weaving together a grand story made up of all our individual stories.

We Warn against Sinfulness (78:10-11,17-18,32,36-37,40-42,56-58)

In the process of telling the stories of Israel’s history, Psalm 78 gives us some sobering warnings. In spite of God’s mighty acts, his protection and provision, his compassion and mercy, Israel continued to rebel and doubt God’s promises. Notice this recurring pattern: God acts on behalf of his people, his people turn from him, and then God restores them through repentance. We should learn from Israel’s failures.

In the first part of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul talks about God’s bringing his people out of Egypt and then their wandering in the wilderness. He says, “Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did” (1 Cor 10:6). These Old Testament stories serve as a warning. Paul says, “Don’t become idolaters as some of them were” (1 Cor 10:7). The Israelites turned from God and tested him, and they paid the penalty for their sin. Many of them were destroyed. Then Paul reiterates, “These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction. . . . So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall” (1 Cor 10:11-12).

Scripture is telling us to read these stories and realize that the same thing could happen to us. We are supposed to warn one another and our children. There are dreadful consequences to come when you turn from God. It leads to destruction, and God’s judgment is real! So don’t turn from God or test him. Trust God.

We Exalt the Savior

We tell the next generation about God’s mercy toward his people. We tell them of how God’s grace triumphs over man’s sin. The story of Israel’s history is the story of how God responds to his people’s failures with his forgiveness. In fact, God’s forgiveness is the only reason this story keeps going!

Israel’s story is also about how God responds to his people’s faithlessness with his faithfulness. This is good news, and it gets even better. This recounting of God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and faithfulness ultimately points not backward but forward to Christ. Israel’s history was pointing to the day when Christ, the promised Son of God, God in the flesh (John 1:14), would come to pay the price for all our failures and endure the penalty for all our faithlessness. This is a story worth telling. This is a God worth speaking about to the next generation. This is a gospel worth spreading to the generation after them . . . and the one after them.

We don’t want this story to stop with us; we want this story to spread through us. So this is what we do: we teach the Scriptures, we tell the stories, we warn against sinfulness, and we exalt the Savior. And, as we’ll see below, we do all this with the hope that it will have certain effects in the lives of future generations.

What We Hope

We proclaim God and his mighty acts to the coming generation for specific purposes. Notice, for instance, the words so that and then in verses 6-8. This is not teaching and telling and warning and exalting simply for the sake of information but for the sake of transformation. We hope for at least three things.

They Will Know God in Their Minds

We want the children in our homes and in our churches to know God deeply. We want teenagers to have an intimate knowledge of who God is. Amid all the awards and scholarships that they might get at the end of a school year (achievements for which we give thanks to God), the achievement that matters most is this:

This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me—that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things.

This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jer 9:23-24)

They Will Trust God in Their Hearts

In verse 7 the psalmist wants the knowledge of God in their heads to lead to the hope in God in their hearts. We’re not just after head knowledge; we’re after heart trust. We tell stories so that children will believe that God is trustworthy and will put their trust in him. We want them to trust God to satisfy them, which involves turning aside from the pleasures of this world because they have found greater treasure in God. We hope that their hearts will belong to God.

They Will Obey God in Their Lives

The psalmist wants future generations to keep God’s commandments faithfully (vv. 7-8). The end goal for the next generation is not just to survive spiritually but rather to thrive spiritually. We want them to run into the world with the gospel, ready to use whatever gifts, experiences, education, resources, and anything else God entrusts to them. We want them to spend it all for his glory among all peoples.

Some Practical Steps Forward

One practical way to put this psalm into practice is through regular times of family worship. This would apply to families with children as well as families without children. It could also apply to singles who may have the opportunity to regularly spend time with other believers. Just as you set aside a time and a place to be alone before God, set aside a time and a place to gather regularly in your home to worship God with others. Such time involves reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word together, as well as praying and singing together.

If you have children, be sure to include them and to explain difficult concepts. Keep it simple and enjoyable. Remember, this doesn’t have to be an exhaustive exegetical study followed by a season of prayer and a set of worship songs. You are aiming to shepherd their hearts in the truth and the love of God. Regardless of your family situation, the goal of family worship is to bring glory to God, produce joy in the home, and effect change in the world. Indeed, we want to “tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, his might, and the wondrous works he has performed” (v. 4).

Reflect and Discuss