Psalm 78:1-4 Mainly my musings
A maschil of Asaph
What is a maskil? It may mean "instruction" (Scofield, Henry).
Psa 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
Psa 78:3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
What things I wish I knew that my father did not tell me! My mother's legacy was a fragmentary Catholicism which saved her soul but didn't pass on to her children in discernible ways. It infused her spirit enough to sustain her, but provided no passing generational glow...
This psalm is about passing generational knowledge, "dark sayings of old, things we have heard and know, that our fathers have told us." Too often I dismiss what I "have heard and know" in preference of whatever "new" wisdom I can unearth on my own. Is any wisdom new? Maybe to us as individuals, but the Bible suggests that wisdom was laid down in the foundations of the universe. And much of the wisdom we need to know is already known. If only we would do the things known before us...
Dark sayings from of old....wise, dark sayings? enigmas? I understand the Jewish fascinating with sayings and wisdom, the thirst to discuss and discuss, to unravel to the bottom.
Several commentators point out nuances here---first that history encapsulates deeper truths than may be obvious on the surface (Bullinger). Secondly, the idea that a parable may not always be the form we expect in the New Testament through the stories of Christ, but parables may be broader metaphors that reveal God's truths and encourage reflective thought (Biblical Illustrator).
Psa 78:4 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.
How can I express God's work better to our children? I am not effusively positive about anything, not my outward tendency. Inwardly, I have learned to find and trust the steel cord of God's will in my life. My hope is that they see a life shaped by that core, submissive to that core, reliant on that core.
Glorious deeds, His might, the wonders? Yes, but more I see His tenacity, His patience, His subtle workings. I wish I knew more "glorious deeds" like angels descending upon the nativity or the parting of the Red Sea. Are His workings in our lives equally "glorious deeds" or is it that I would not use this elaborate diction?
Deeds and wonders, might and glory.
Things we have heard and known. Are these the sayings from generations before? Things passed onto us. What we know but don't feel like acting upon or internalizing. Things we know but struggle to live out?
What is a maskil? It may mean "instruction" (Scofield, Henry).
Psa 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
Psa 78:3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
What things I wish I knew that my father did not tell me! My mother's legacy was a fragmentary Catholicism which saved her soul but didn't pass on to her children in discernible ways. It infused her spirit enough to sustain her, but provided no passing generational glow...
This psalm is about passing generational knowledge, "dark sayings of old, things we have heard and know, that our fathers have told us." Too often I dismiss what I "have heard and know" in preference of whatever "new" wisdom I can unearth on my own. Is any wisdom new? Maybe to us as individuals, but the Bible suggests that wisdom was laid down in the foundations of the universe. And much of the wisdom we need to know is already known. If only we would do the things known before us...
Dark sayings from of old....wise, dark sayings? enigmas? I understand the Jewish fascinating with sayings and wisdom, the thirst to discuss and discuss, to unravel to the bottom.
Several commentators point out nuances here---first that history encapsulates deeper truths than may be obvious on the surface (Bullinger). Secondly, the idea that a parable may not always be the form we expect in the New Testament through the stories of Christ, but parables may be broader metaphors that reveal God's truths and encourage reflective thought (Biblical Illustrator).
Psa 78:4 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.
How can I express God's work better to our children? I am not effusively positive about anything, not my outward tendency. Inwardly, I have learned to find and trust the steel cord of God's will in my life. My hope is that they see a life shaped by that core, submissive to that core, reliant on that core.
Glorious deeds, His might, the wonders? Yes, but more I see His tenacity, His patience, His subtle workings. I wish I knew more "glorious deeds" like angels descending upon the nativity or the parting of the Red Sea. Are His workings in our lives equally "glorious deeds" or is it that I would not use this elaborate diction?
Deeds and wonders, might and glory.
Things we have heard and known. Are these the sayings from generations before? Things passed onto us. What we know but don't feel like acting upon or internalizing. Things we know but struggle to live out?
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