I was talking with my mother the other day of someone we know to have been raised in a Christian home. His wife was also raised in a Christian home. Somehow, though, the faith was not established in either of them and they soon walked away from all faith. When he was later diagnosed with cancer, rather than returning to the faith of his childhood, he turned to spirit healers and other forms of faith.

What happened?

If you read through Psalm 78 (long though it may be), you’ll find account after account of similar actions. We’ve read it already this year in previous books of the Old Testament. Israel follows God. Israel turns from God. Everything goes wrong. Israel turns back to God. It’s a never-ending circle of advance and retreat.

Asaph, the writer of this Psalm begins with a bit of a reminder before going into the history of Israel.

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 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.

He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed 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.

Psalm 78:1-8 (ESV)

What would happen in a single generation if mothers and especially fathers, would teach their children to set their hope in God? If today’s children were taught to love and honour God and each other?

Asaph saw his fathers’ folly and urged the present generation not to make the same mistake. What if we did likewise? How much could we change the world for the next generation?

Daily Bible reading: Psalm 78; Romans 7