Introduction
We live in a time where children are being taught everything—but not always the right thing. Schools teach them so call facts or selective history. Social media teaches them trends and self gratification. Culture teaches them worldly values. But God never intended for the world to be the primary teacher of our children.
Psalm 78 reminds us that the responsibility of spiritual instruction begins at home. Before there was a church building, before there was Sunday School, there were parents called by God to teach His Word to the next generation.
This is not a suggestion. This is a command.
I. God Established the Standard (v. 5)
“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel…”
God did not leave His people without direction. He established:
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A testimony — what God has done
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A law — what God requires
God’s Word is both history and instruction. It tells us who God is, what He has done, and how we are to live.
But notice—God didn’t command angels to teach it.
He didn’t command kings.
He didn’t command philosophers.
He commanded the fathers.
Key Point:
Spiritual education is not optional—it is divinely assigned.
II. Parents Are the Primary Teachers (v. 5b–6)
“…which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.”
This is generational discipleship.
God’s plan was:
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Parents teach their children
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Children grow up and teach their children
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The knowledge of God continues without interruption
The church is meant to support and confirm what is taught at home—not replace it.
The problem today
Many parents have:
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Handed spiritual teaching over to the church
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Allowed computer and TV screens to disciple their children
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Assumed children will “figure God out later”
But God says:
“You teach them now.”
III. The Purpose: Hope and Obedience (v. 7)
“That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”
Teaching the Word is not just about knowledge—it is about direction.
God wants our children to:
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Set their hope in God – not money, not popularity, not success
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Remember God’s works – so faith is built on testimony
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Keep God’s commandments – because obedience flows from understanding
Key Insight:
Children cannot trust a God they have never been taught to know.
IV. The Warning: What Happens When We Fail (v. 8)
“And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.”
This verse is a sobering warning.
When one generation fails to teach:
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The next generation becomes spiritually ignorant and unstable
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Hearts grow cold
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Faith becomes inconsistent
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Obedience becomes selective
God connects rebellion to lack of instruction.
This is not just a parenting issue—it is a spiritual crisis.
V. What Does Teaching Look Like Today?
Teaching our children God’s Word does not require a theology degree.
It requires:
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Intentional conversations
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Prayer in the home
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Reading scripture together
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Living out what we teach
Children learn more from:
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What we practice than what we preach
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What we prioritize than what we say
If church is optional to us, it will be irrelevant to them.
If prayer is absent in our homes, faith will be absent in their lives.
Conclusion: Our Sacred Responsibility
Psalm 78 makes it clear:
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God’s Word must be taught
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Parents are responsible
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The future depends on it
We are not just raising children—we are raising the next generation of believers.
What we fail to teach, the world will replace.
What we neglect to model, culture will redefine.
Let us be the generation that passes the testimony, sets our children’s hope in God, and raises them to walk faithfully with Him.
Closing Exhortation
Parents, grandparents, guardians—this is our moment.
Let us commit today:
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To teach God’s Word faithfully
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To live it consistently
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To pass it on intentionally
So that the generations after us will know the Lord—and stand firm when the world tries to pull them away.