Psalm 78:1-7, 12-16
78:1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
78:3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
78:4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
78:5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
78:6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
78:7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
78:12 In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
78:13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
78:14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light.
78:15 He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
78:16 He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
Exegesis of the Psalm
In the part of the psalm we just read together, the author is trying to tell us a couple of important things.
First, when he says, “He divided the sea,” “He led them with a cloud,” “He split the rocks open in the wilderness,” and “He made streams come out of the rock,” — He’s telling us about all the wonders God performed for the Israelites when he led them out of slavery in Egypt. This was the Exodus, recorded in the old Testament, and it was one of the most important stories of the Jewish faith.
He’s retelling these stories here to teach us something. In the first few verses, the psalmist says “Give ear to my teaching,” “I will open my mouth in a parable,” “I will utter dark sayings from old, things we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.”
– That’s the key. He’s telling us to listen to him, but not just to him. He’s telling us to listen to our “ancestors.” And our ancestors have much to teach us.
In the psalm, our ancestors are teaching us about all the wonderful things God has done for them, how they were once in slavery in the land of Egypt. They were enslaved and broken, but God came through for them! He sent a man named Moses to go to the Pharaoh and “Let his people go.”
God led his people out of Egypt into the wilderness so they could reach the Promised Land. According to the psalm:
78:13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
78:14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light.
78:15 He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
78:16 He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
Our ancient ancestors have seen the marvelous works of God — how God has helped them in their times of need.
Even though they walked through the valley of the shadow of death, they had no need to fear, because God was with them, comforting them.
And our ancestors don’t have to be ancient to teach us the ways of God. They can be here with us. Our pastors. Our elders. Our parents. Our grandparents. They have lived through so much, experienced God in ways we may not yet understand.
Story!
Just this summer, I came home from college, back to Louisiana to be with my family. I have grandparents who live in Texas, and they came to our home for a weekend to spend time with me. It was a wonderful time, but I remember one conversation with my grandpa that shook me up a little bit.
He and I were sitting on the couch, watching sports, and somehow we got into a conversation about politics. Now he and I disagree about a few things when it comes to politics. Some of that is his experience as a preacher, and my experience as a student. But the conversation got heated very quickly. I tried my best to be careful with my words, but the tension was there. You could see it written all over our faces.
Then Grandpa said something I’ll never forget. He said, “Austin, when you have 40 years of experience under your belt, then you’ll understand.”
I thought to myself, “Man! That is just arrogant. I’ve studied this stuff. I know what I’m talking about. Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I don’t know anything!” Thankfully, I kept my mouth shut.
A couple of seconds later, it hit me. I realized then and there that Grandpa was right. He had decades of experience. He had seen things I could never know because I hadn’t been there to see it. Those decades he lived without me were spent learning about life and the ways of God. He was wiser than me, and that moment I finally understood that fact. And I’m still learning.
To the Gospels!
Jesus was a wise man. Wiser than any other man who has ever lived. He was also God, after all.
The Gospel of Luke tells us that when Jesus was a child, he
“grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.” (Luke 2:40)
On one occasion, Mary and Joseph lost track of the young Jesus in the city of Jerusalem. They looked for him for three whole days, and they finally found him in the Temple
“…sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:46-47)
He was learning from his elders, the wise teachers of the Temple. And the last verse in the chapter tells us he
“grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)
The Turn!
Well, Jesus grew up, and by this time it would be an understatement to say he was wise. He began calling disciples and preaching the good news about the kingdom of heaven, about eternal life.
Over the course of Jesus’ ministry, the disciples learned a lot from Jesus, and they began to think of themselves as exceptionally wise.
Turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew 18:1:
1.At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2. He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5.And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18:1-5)
Wait a second.
I thought we’ve been talking about old people! Why is Jesus talking about “becoming like little children?!” I thought we were supposed to listen to our ancestors! What is Jesus doing here?!
The disciples had been with Jesus for a few years, and they just took for granted that they would enter the kingdom of heaven. They became proud of themselves for all the knowledge they learned from Jesus. I don’t blame them; they learned a lot! That’s why they asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest?” But this was an arrogant question. In their arrogance, they all thought they could be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. In their arrogance, they thought they were wise.
But Jesus saw their pride and their arrogance as another opportunity to teach his disciples.
He told them, “Look, do you see this small child? Of course you know more than she does! — but ‘the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these little children.’ (Matt. 19:14). Our Father in heaven does not require great knowledge. He requires you to ‘act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.’ (Micah 6:8). ‘For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:20). Why, my disciples, do you ask such a question? You should know by now that in the kingdom of heaven, ‘The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.’ (Matt. 20:16). Therefore, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.’ (James 1:5). ‘For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.’ (Proverbs 2:6).“
Back to the Psalm
If you look back at the psalm we read at the beginning of the sermon, you might notice that we left out most of the verses. If you look back at the rest of it, you will find something that might bother you a little bit.
Beginning again with verse 12:
78:12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
78:13 He divided the sea and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.
78:14 He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.
78:15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16:16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.78:17 But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
78:18 They willfully put God to the test
by demanding the food they craved.
78:19 They spoke against God;
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
78:20 True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
78:21 When the LORD heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
78:22 for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.
And on it goes…
So this whole time these ancestors of ours have not been so perfect an wise. In fact, their lives have all been riddled with mistakes. Time after time these people disobeyed God, and questioned God, and time after time God remained faithful to them and provided for them. Though they had seen God work wonders, their faith continued to fail.
But the author of this psalm tells us we should still listen to them. We can learn from their mistakes. Maybe we will remain faithful where they have failed. Maybe our elders have made mistakes. Maybe our pastors have made mistakes. They have seen the wonders of God in their own lives, but they have failed to live up to the perfect righteousness God desires for his people. They may be wise, but their wisdom is not found in their actions and in their lives.
True wisdom is not gained in worldly knowledge. But true wisdom comes from the Father, from the Son, and from the Holy Spirit. My grandfather knows this, and he has spent a lot more time than I have learning this wisdom. Maybe Grandpa was being arrogant at that time when we argued this summer. Maybe not. But I know I was. I needed to humble myself. I needed an attitude change.
The Apostle Paul writes:
2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
2:6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
2:7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
2:8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.(Philippians 2:5-11)
May we humble ourselves. May we ‘make ourselves nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.’ May we ‘lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge him, and allow him to make our paths straight,’ to teach us his wisdom. May we ‘become like little children,’ and ‘enter the kingdom of heaven.’ And finally, may we ‘bow our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of the Father.’
Amen.
