LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES!

TEACH OTHERS ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD

READ PSALM 78

Psalm 78:1-4

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 that he has done.

The author, under the inspiration of God, is commanding the children of Israel to be careful to listen and learn from his teaching. His story will be based on the history of Israel and their necessary response is to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Not only it is necessary for the people to listen and learn, but also to teach these lessons to their children, to then be passed on to the future generations.

At the center of the whole teaching is the kind providence of God in doing great works for Israel and graciously forgiving them.

We, too, should ask ourselves if we are learning from our past mistakes so that we will not fall again. When one does not recognize his mistakes, the tendency will always be to feel more like a victim than a person to whom God has shown grace. We should always be alarmed when we begin to feel like victims, for God is always gracious to His own; we have no cause for complaint or dejection.

Psalm 78:5-8

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,

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 concern was that the rebellion and sin of the fathers would not be repeated by their children. Parents have always had the responsibility to teach their children about God and model for them true submission and worship. The responsibility of the children was to set their hope in God, remember His works, and keep His commandments.

God had commanded their obedience through Moses.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2

“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.

        

The instructions were clear to not deviate in any way from the commands they had received, and to teach their children to do the same.

        

Deuteronomy 4:9

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children.

Dear friends, are we so distracted by our daily lives or, worse, blinded by our sin, that we are neglecting our responsibilities to set our hope, worship, and obedience on God and to teach our families to do the same?

This is not a small task nor easy, but it is our responsibility. Is it time to stop and evaluate our lives and ask ourselves what we are teaching, not only with our words, but also by our behavior.

Dear friends, is our God worthy of our trust? Is He worthy of our worship? Is he worthy of our obedience? The warning we have here must include the thought that it is possible to lose sight of God and neglect our responsibility to our descendants.

There is no better use of our time than investing it in our children and grandchildren. Even if we have none, we can find others to encourage toward awareness of the grace of God.

What a privilege we have, to worship the only true God and invite others to do the same!