Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of YHWH, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He 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 and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments…. (Ps 78.1-7)
In the opening lines of this Psalm, Asaph makes it clear what he is doing: he is speaking a parable, a riddle from of old. What comes after this quoted passage is a sketch of Israel’s history from Egypt through the wilderness to the establishment of David’s kingdom. Throughout the parable, Asaph emphasizes the consistent unfaithfulness of Israel in contrast to the faithfulness of God. (I encourage you to read through the entire Psalm to see what I’m talking about.) All of Israel’s history is parabolic; it is all a dark saying, a riddle. In Israel’s history, God has shown his purposes, plans, and promises. Israel’s history is hidden the mystery of the kingdom.
Many in Israel, it seems, remained on the “outside,” never really comprehending the mystery of the kingdom. Everything was spoken to them in parables so that “seeing they would not see, and hearing they would not hear” (Isa 6.9-10; Lk 8.9-10). The fact that this was the case came to full light when Jesus was revealed in Israel. They never really understood. They never grasped the mystery. But here, Asaph, like Jesus, is declaring the mystery; it will continue to be shrouded for some, but it will be an encouragement to others.
But an encouragement to what? What is Asaph’s purpose in proclaiming this parable that is Israel’s history? He makes that plain to us in his opening words as well. In sum, Asaph is proclaiming this parable in order that the people of God might set their hope in God and keep his commandments and teach their children in generations to come to set their hope in God and keep his commandments. The parable is a call to reflect on the ways of God, how he has dealt with Israel in the past, learn from them, and respond with absolute loyalty to God.
Meditation on parables is not merely about information. The information is necessary. But a parable calls for action. As R. T. France puts it, “To understand a [parable] is usually to be changed (or at least challenged to change), not just enlightened.” Asaph, like Jesus, is calling for God’s people to put their trust in God consistently and follow him (which means, not acting like their rebellious fathers; learning from their negative examples). They are to learn the way God acts toward and interacts with his people from his actions in the past so that they may respond to him appropriately in the present. Parables teach this.
As you read (or better, sing!) through Psalm 78, you gain perspective. Even though this parable is teaching you the way to live, it is not doing so through black-and-white commands. There are places for that. God gives us those in various places. But that is not the only way we learn how to walk in the ways of God, especially as we mature. We are called to reflect on what God has done in the past and learn that our immutable God will continue to act in the same ways. Our view of God, the world, our place in it, and how we are to interact are all developed through taking on new eyes; we see the world through a new perspective. That takes time to develop and is deeper than mere imperatives. Imperatives tell you what to do. Perspective tells you why the commands make sense. Parables give us perspective. This is what Asaph is doing, and this is what Jesus is doing in teaching us parables. We are learning how to walk in the way of the kingdom. We are learning not only what happens in kingdom life, but we are given some sense as to why it is happening. All of this enjoins us to hope-filled obedience. As we gain this proper perspective, seeing the world through God’s eyes, we will want to live in it the way he would have us live so that we might enjoy the future that he has for his creation.
