Monday, June 11, 2012

OT: Psalm 78:1-7

Reading:
Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.   I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:   Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.   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.   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:   That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:   That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments

Commentary:
The word "law" is used in the Bible in at least three senses.  The broad use of God's law includes His entire Word, namely all He has said.  It is also sometimes used in reference to the Gospel, for the Gospel is a law in that God through Christ has declared and judged all men forgiven of sins through Christ.  Usually however we use the word law in the narrow sense, namely God's commandments or His will in general for us.  In these psalm verses, God (through Asaph) speaks of how His people are to hear His law (dark sayings of old), and how we are to show our children (the future generation) the same law and dark sayings (dark only in the sense that the natural man cannot receive or believe the Gospel, unless God reveals it to them….that Christ is our Light).  "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."  The reason we and future generations can praise the Lord is because of the Gospel, that God promised and gave us a Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to save all men from sin.  We will therefore not hide Christ from our children, but reveal Him to them, so they will know their Savior, and His wonderful works of salvation.   "That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments."  

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