Psalm 78

This psalm continues yesterday's discussion of a storied faith. This psalm likely comes from the hands of Asaph himself (and not a later descendant), as it reaches its conclusion in the life of David (for whom Asaph worked). But it is basically the story of Israel from the Exodus to their present. The story has been told and retold throughout the Psalms and other places in the Word, yet there is something distinctive about this psalm- purpose. The opening of the psalm talks about why one would re-tell the story. You retell the story again so that the next generation does not forget it. Perhaps in the age of youtube clips, books, online magazines, blogs, 24-hour news and social networking, we do not fear anything being forgotten. After all, my computer now is only two clicks away from finding whatever information I want. It's not like the ancient days, when the only thing keeping stories from being forgotten was one generation's silence.

So are we off the hook? Can we just trust the numerous resources out there to hold the story for us? I would argue that we are not off the hook. In fact, we are more on the hook than ever. To leave the story at "well, there's a Bible on the shelf" relegates God to the distant past. A storied faith is grounded in history yet has a future and is playing itself out in the present. People need to hear our stories as well, and we need to hear others' stories. Hear how God acted in the distant past, the recent past and now. Maybe then we can draw closer to a storied faith.