On September 1st, Pastor Jordan Potter of Lighthouse Baptist in San Antonio, will be preaching for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Rockwall Bible Church. In discussing this special time of acknowledging God’s grace and faithfulness, Jordan mentioned Psalm 78 where God exhorts His people to not hide God’s works from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. Psalm 78:3-4 This past week, Psalm 78 was on my Bible reading schedule. The necessity of “looking back to move forward” became apparent.
We do need a clarification on “looking back”. Note these verses:
- But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62
- Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. – Luke 17:32-33
- Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Phil. 3:13-14
In becoming disciples of Jesus, we are not to look back to our old priorities, our past worldliness, and our own way. We are not even to look back to boast of any “accomplishment” of ours. And the sins which beset us in the past are to be left behind and not to be dug up to hold us down going forward. Yes, in these ways, we are not to look back, even as a runner keeps his eyes on the finish line.
But here in Psalm 78, as well as in many other passages, we are commanded to look back to the mighty acts of God as we move forward for Him. Literally, there are “grave” consequences if we do not! (30b-31; 62-63a) In summary, this Psalm is made up of God’s call to remember His mighty acts, descriptions of many of these acts, and how God’s people forgot and were judged. The Psalmist recounts the Red Sea deliverance, God’s leading with the cloud and fire, the provision of water (12-16), His provision of manna and quail despite their unbelief (21-29), then gives additional details of deliverance from Egypt by the plagues, further descriptions of the Red Sea victory, and how He drove out the nations before them.
In the midst of their forgetfulness, stubbornness, and unbelief, we see how God is longsuffering, compassionate, and giving. Yes, eventually His judgment must come, but His slowness to wrath is a wonder to behold. So let’s not forget to look back at all He has done for us, for delivering, guiding, providing, and forgiving. What a wonderful God we serve!