“O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old — what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.” Psalm 78:1-3
I love love love Psalm 78, which is why I began the Bible study, Learning God’s Story of Grace with an entire chapter based on it. It is a narrative historical poem about the ridiculosity of forgetful sinners — the equal hilarity of a prodigally merciful God. Who knew history could be so compelling?
It begins with a call to to hear “parables” and “hidden lessons.” The words in the Hebrew, mashal and chiydah suggest lessons, puzzles, enigmas, riddles. It turns out that the history of God’s chosen people, like the history of a redeemed sinner, is indeed puzzling.
The conundrum goes something like this, “Listen to this history. Then explain to me why people would repeatedly reject a God who not only performs such signs, wonders, and miracles but who bothers to retrieve this stubborn, disobedient people. What kind of sense does it make for us to be so faithless and fickle in the light of the Lord’s unfailing love and kindness? And what kind of sense does it make for God to be so faithful and loving in the light of the Israelites’ faithlessness and forgetfulness?”
For reflection: Read Psalm 78. What wonders of God in your own life have you forgotten? Tell one story today of God’s miraculous work in your life.
