How many times do I have to tell you? Heard that? Yep. Me too. It’s a chorus sung a lot in raising children and training animals. You teach a lesson, you train. Over and over you sing the song and somehow the children and the pets still seem to forget the assignment. We’re not so different from them — are we? We hear the lesson, we train – over and over –and still we forget. God knows of our short memories, our lack of diligence in our studies.
The priests of the Old Testament recognized forgetfulness too. They actually experienced that forgetfulness. Mistake after mistake after mistake. Wandering after wandering after wandering. Repentance after repentance after repentance. Restoration after restoration after restoration. I wonder if the priests asked the question too. How many times do I have to tell you? I wonder if God ever thinks that about me? Beth, how many times do I have to tell you? How many times do I have to tell you to be obedient? How many times do I have to tell you the path to take? How many times do I have to tell you I love you? How many times?
O my people, listen to my teaching.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
For I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
Stories we have heard and know,
Stories our ancestors handed down to us.
We will not hide these truths from our children
But will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.
We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.
Psalm 78:1-4
Psalm 78 was written by a guy named Asaph. Asaph was appointed by King David to lead one of the Levitical choirs. Asaph was a choir director in his Church. This Psalm, like so many others, recants the history of the Jewish nation from the time of their slavery in Egypt to the reign of King David. Why? To remind them — us.
The people of Israel made a habit of forgetting about God. We look at their history, their story, and we say how could you forget? How could you forget the Passover, the parting, the provision? You were there. You saw it. You lived it. Isn’t it emblazoned on your mind? How can you forget?
Again, I’m not so different. I forget about the One who stilled the water when the waves of life are crashing over me. I forget about the One who restores when I need restoration. I forget about the One who loves when I most need loved. I forget about the One who saves when I most need saved. I forget about the One who died so that I might live. I forget the One… I forget the One… I forget the One… He knew we would forget. He knew we would need reminders. He gave us His reminder. The active, living, breathing Word of God. One of his most precious gifts to us filled with reminders of forgiveness, love, mercy, grace, redemption, rehabilitation. I don’t know about you but I need reminded every second of every day. Not to live in the past, but to learn from the past. To focus in on the One who wrote the past, who wrote the present, and who wrote our future.