I was reading Psalm 78 this morning.  I like to dig into Scripture that mentions one generation passing on lessons to another.  It’s what we do in Kid’s Ministry!  I’m no Bible scholar but I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the first eight verses of the Psalm, looking through the lens of a kid’s ministry volunteer. 

My commentary says Psalm 78 is a ‘contemplation of Asaph’, a great singer and musician from the time of David and Solomon.  It is the longest of the historical Psalms and a lesson that history must not repeat itself.  God’s people must never again be unbelieving. 

Psalm 78:1-8

Listen, my people, to my instruction;

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will tell riddles of old,

Which we have heard and known,

And our fathers have told us.

We will not conceal them from their children,

But we will tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,

And His power and His wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers

That they were to teach them to their children,

So that the generation to come would know, the children yet to be born,

That they would arise and teach them to their children,

So that they would put their confidence in God

And not forget the words of God,

But comply with His commandments,

And not be like their fathers,

A stubborn and rebellious generation,

A generation that did not prepare its heart

And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright ©1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by the

Lockman Foundation.  All rights reserved. 

Think About…

This Psalm is a song to help God’s people learn from the past and pass on useful teachings to children for their future.  Songs are a wonderful tool in Kid’s Ministry.  I still hum my way through ’66 Books’ when asked to turn to one of those smaller books of the Bible I may not often open to, like The Book of Hosea.  (Yes, I’m old school and don’t use an app.)  We need to choose equally instructive songs that are catchy, accompanied by actions, and Bible-based.  Let the children sing about the goodness and greatness of God.  Let them sing about Jesus and how much they owe Him for removing their sins and giving them eternal life.  Let them express gratitude.   

The Psalm begins with the psalmist demanding attention.  That’s a necessity when you’re teaching Kid’s Church!  Always begin a lesson with a ‘hook’.   We need to grab the kid’s interest because attention follows on from it.  You may remember the four elements, Hook, Book, Look and Took.  The Hook grabs interest.  The Book is the Word of God.  The Look is applying the Scripture to children’s lives and The Took is a call to respond.  What action will be taken?

The parables and riddles the Psalmist refers to (in some translations it says ‘dark sayings’) are not talking about hidden or mystical knowledge but things that may be difficult to understand.  Jesus used parables to help his listeners understand an intangible reality they couldn’t see with their physical eyes.  He used stories to convey meaning.  In Kid’s Ministry, we do that all the time.  They’re effective and memorable.  Children are more likely to have ‘ears to hear’ because they believe.  Unlike adults, they don’t question the truth. We will certainly not conceal the amazing stories of the Bible from the children!

We support parents in their roles as teachers.  Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, ‘These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.’        

We are especially to tell children about God’s power and the wonderful works He has done, teaching them that God is worthy of adoration and gratitude.  That His power and greatness are above and beyond all and that He gives active assistance to His people.  Children need to see the hand of God throughout history so they will believe He can impact their future. 

We need to be committed to God’s word.  The children need to see us using the Bible.  I am seeing a shift in returning to an actual Bible as opposed to an electronic one and I love it.  I also believe in teaching children The Ten Commandments.  As Paul says, the law was the schoolmaster that brought us to Christ.  (Galatians 3:24)  

You’ll find a lesson on learning The Ten Commandments in 10 minutes here: https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/The-Ten-Commandments.pdf

We need to teach children stories about our wonderful God so they will pass the same stories on to their children.  The children who are yet to be born.  Communicating the works of God is vital if children are to learn to trust God for themselves.  We don’t want them to fall away through disobedience, stubbornness or rebellion but to have hearts that are faithful to our amazing God.  The God who loves them more than anyone else. 

Selah!