“The outcome of persistent forgetfulness”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Psalm 78:1-39 (Forward, p. 16) CEV p. 601
I’m guessing that the Lord wants to impress upon our collective consciousness certain lessons, for this psalm shows up in our lectionary with a persistent regularity. And, what are its lessons? There are four things that I would immediately suggest.
First off would be our need, the need of present-day believers, to pass on to succeeding generations what we know and have experienced about God, the knowledge, yes, but also our own personal experience. We mustn’t ‘keep secret the glorious deeds and the mighty miracles of the Lord’ (verse 4b). And not just that, but also His Law (see verses 5-6) that each generation would know His Law and pass it on to the next.
But what was the intent of all this? Here, then, we come to our second lesson, namely that neither we nor they should ever forget what God has done (see verses 7,11). Neither they nor we should ever live oblivious to this or live as if it ‘all depended upon us and our efforts’, as is often our way (see Deuteronomy 8:17).
However, remembering, not forgetting, are never ends in themselves. This remembrance is meant to issue forth into certain behaviours, namely trusting God and obeying Him (see verse 7). They—and we--should not be like their ancestors, and ours, who were often stubborn, rebellious and unfaithful to God (verse 8) or who broke their covenant with God and turned their backs on His teaching (verse 10) or who tested Him or doubted His powers or challenged Him or rebelled (verses 17-20, 22). No believers, whether they or us, can ever ‘rest on our laurels’ and think that believing or remembering is ever ‘good enough.’ Our lives need to show forth the ‘fruit’ that befits this. This is our third lesson from today’s psalm.
There is one final lesson, which our psalm depicts all too graphically, namely that, although Israel, God’s people, failed miserably and repeatedly, God never gave up on them. He was still there with them to guide them and provide for them, but more importantly, also to forgive and give them a new start. This, I would most emphatically say, is good news for all of us, for all of us fail, miserably and repeatedly, just as they did. Thanks be to God for this forgiveness, and this new start.
Forward notes: “But they did not stop their craving, though the food was still in their mouthsˆ (verse 30).
“In my early 20s, girlfriend used to drive me crazy by continually changing the radio station in the car, looking for something she like better than whatever was playing. Even when she found a song she liked, she would start traipsing around the dial again before it was even over, looking for the next song.
“Now, I find myself doing the same thing on YouTube. I may be watching a video by someone I follow, but my eyes eventually stray to the queue of upcoming videos that might be better.
“The next outfit, car, gadget, house, partner, or step up the corporate ladder is always on people’s minds. Nothing we actually have is enjoyable now. I used to think that Israel could not ‘stop their craving, though the food was still in their mouths,’ until I learned that’s what we humans are: achy, desperate bundles of craving.
Moving Forward: “What would it mean for you to be content?”
A concluding note: Unfortunately, almost everything in our society encourages us not to be content. The media, and advertising in particular, are always fuelling our discontent, our craving, our feeling that we do not ‘have enough’ or that there is something out there that is ‘better’ or ‘improved’ over what we already have.