Pentecost Season · Proper 13 · Year B
Psalm 78:23-29
Tell the Coming Generation
August 1, 2027
Overview & Insights
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord.” (Psalm 78:4)
Like most psalms, Psalm 78 is explicitly meant for public performance (“O my people, hear,” and “things we have heard . . . we will tell,” vv. 1–4), but unlike most, which are either prayers (Hb. tepillâ) or praises (Hb. tehillâ), this one is explicitly teaching (Hb. tôrâ; only here in the Pss. does this term not denote God’s “teaching/law”). Like Psalm 49 (v. 4, cf. Prov. 1:6), it designates itself as a parable (or “comparison,” Hb. māšāl) and as “riddles” (rendered “things hidden” in the NIV). Thus, we should expect to find in Psalm 78 explicit teaching and lessons but also something of a puzzle and mystery (as in 49:5–6, 15). The lessons are clear in virtually every verse (esp. in light of vv. 5–8), but the mysteries become apparent only after considering the psalm as a whole. To this we shall return.
From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.
Take it further
Commentary
Psalm 78:23-29 Working Preacher
A Luther Seminary commentary on the psalm's memory of manna as God's faithful provision.
Psalm 78:23-29 Center for Excellence in Preaching
A Reformed commentary on God feeding a grumbling people with the grain of heaven.
Psalm 78 Enduring Word · David Guzik
A verse-by-verse evangelical commentary on this historical psalm of Israel's rebellion and God's mercy.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Why recount Israel’s history?
Psalm 78 teaches the next generation by rehearsing God’s wonders and Israel’s forgetfulness, including the manna and the water from the rock, so that they will set their hope in God and not forget his works.
Prep at sermons.com
Ready to write?
- Full sermons on John 6:24-35
- Illustrations cleared for use in worship
- Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Trusted by pastors since 1995.
Free every Tuesday
Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox
The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.