PSALM 78. HOPE IN GOD, AND PASS IT ON!. This Psalm is Asaph's sermon to the people, and its general purpose is to give instruction. "That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments." (Vs.7) There is a telling [phrase in verse four, "Showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord.", and it can be linked with the sixth and seventh verses: "That the generation to come might know them: That they might set their hope in God." Today, people wonder if there is any hope for this world we live in. We are in such a mess that men despair of the future, and they pity the young of this age. We should not however just pity the boys and girls, we should set our hope in God , and pass it on. The time for pity is when God has abdicated, but He is still on the throne. Each generation has felt this helplessness, and had a feeling that there was nothing for those following on. But every Believer has something to give to the next generation. We should recount the Goodness of our God to us, and tell of all the He has done for us, that the generation to come might set their Hope in Him. The other day, a man said to me, "We seem to have a generation coming up who have no hope." Listen to the opening phrase of this psalm: "Give ear, O My People, to my Law". My people refers to the company of believers in each generation. My Law refers to the prophet's God given instruction. Note that when one reads the New Testament it is evident that the Apostle Paul calls the Gospel - My Gospel. We need to possess every revelation God gives us from His Book, so that each of us can call it "MINE". We can only pass on to others what we have truly received ourselves. God has ways of blessing us. We must recognise them, and having benefited by them , pass on the record of our experience to the coming generation. Tell them of what God has said, and wha God has done. We ourselves have inherited from the Word of God and the testimony of the believers gone before us. We need an experience of God, not only for our own benefit in this life, but also as a legacy to pass on to the coming generation. If our souls are cast down, we hope in God. Having set our hope in God, let us pass it on to the next generation. How sadly we disappoint God. In this Psalm, Asaph records that "the children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle." What a catalogue of disaster follows. They did not keep covenant with God. They forgot all their promises. they refused to walk in His Laws. They found what seemed to be an easier way of living. They forgot His Works and His Wonders. How easily they slipped into the feeling of self sufficiency. All the miracles of the wilderness march were forgotten and they sinned against God. Each wonder and each miracle alternated with their sinning against God. See the references of verses twelve to thirty one: They provoked Him in the wilderness. Their constant cry was "Give us! Give us!". Are we not prone to the same selfishness?. Do we not often think that it is time God gave us something?. They provoked God asking for meat to satisfy their lust. God will provide our needs, but He does not promise to gratify our wants. They spoke against Him. How often has the question arisen in our minds, "Can God?." Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?. Can God bring bread from Heaven, supplying angel's food to men?. Yes, they had their meat and angel's food to their fill, BUT they still provoked God, and while the meat was still in their mouths God slew the fattest of them. The fat cats perished, as they surely will in every generation. As always, the heart of man is very deceitful; but God is still on the throne. We must beware lest we despise the day of small things. At the end of a long list of the deceitful ways of God's people, the psalm ends with a beautiful picture. God chose a simple shepherd boy. He was a country bumpkin. His only abilities were looking after sheep, singing songs, slinging stones, and trusting God. He was so insignificant that when the great Prophet Samuel visited the family, father Jesse did not bother calling David in from the sheep to attend the family worship with the sacrifice. But God had chosen him. God has His hand on the coming generation. We must fulfil our part and testify of the goodness and wonder of our God, and pass it on to the coming generation. The progress of David the shepherd lad to the Throne of Israel was marked by his simple faith in the Living God. "Hope thou in God!" This shall be our watchword as we pass the challenge of life to the coming generation. Left to ourselves we are a bundle of deceits, but the works and wonders of God make all the difference in our lives and experience. When we look at the rising generation, let is never despise little things. God is able to bring out of the coming generation men and women who will glorify His name. What is our plan for our children? To pass on our wealth or earthly possessions?. To pass on our knowledge or earthly education?. Primarily, our outstanding objective should be to pass on the Standard of Faith and Hope. The Hope that has brought men through two Millennia from the Cross of Christ, to look into the Face of the Rising Sun at the dawn of each day, and cry with triumph, "This is the day the Lord hath made!" Today, He may come to call His own. Hope in God, and pass it on. Copyright (c) 1996, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/hpalmer/psalms: ps-078.txt .