Mr. Gill calls this an instructive psalm (Maschil). “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their (our) children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord (passing it on), and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done” (vv 2-4). These are called dark and deep sayings because so, they are carefully to be looked into. In other words you may have missed the most vital part, are you listening?!!! Listen and understand what I Am saying and pass it on and on. “We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God” (vv 4-8). My dear ones it has happened before, “The children of Ephraim, being armed and caring bows, turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and his wonders that He had shown them” (vv 9-11), they forgot. “Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand up like a heap. In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink in abundance like the depths. He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.” But, “they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. They tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy” (vv12-18). Look at v. 22, “Because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation.” If our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren do not learn this and go to hell we must not blame God, but place blame upon ourselves because we did not pass the inspired written testimony on. Teach them that the Lord Jesus Christ was born a child with reference to His human nature, “the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” That He is a Son given, with reference to His divine nature, being given as well as born. Teach them that this stands at the heart of the Lord’s person and saving work. Without the virgin birth, there would be no salvation for sinners. Jesus Christ would be a sinful human being. If the virgin birth did not occur, then the Bible is not true and cannot be trusted. In short, it is an essential part of salvation and of Scripture. Teach them of God’s gracious plan to provide a solution to man’s problem, called salvation. Teach them what justification and sanctification and imputation mean. Teach them we must be covered by the righteousness of another, that being our Lord Jesus Christ.
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