“He [=God] established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a 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” (Psalm 78:5-7)
Psalm 78 is about the importance of knowing God’s character and glorious deeds. Israel’s history is full of examples when people forgot about the Lord, turned away from Him and faced the consequences. Therefore Asaph (the poet who wrote this Psalm) reminds his listeners of God’s commandment to fathers to teach their children “the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done” (Psalm 78:4).
Every generation needs to know the Lord. And since God does not often reveal Himself directly, it is the responsibility of the previous generations to transmit the stories about God’s wonders, which they have experienced themselves or have heard about from their parents and grandparents, or have read about in the Bible. This will teach children that the Lord is good and almighty and trustworthy, “so that they should set their hope in God … and keep His commandments”.
Parents can’t ensure their own faith and hope is shared by their children. But it is their responsibility to educate them and to make sure they understand God’s Word. This knowledge is the most precious gift parents can ever give their children.
Did your parents teach you about God?