Faithful to the Word
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation. Psalm 71:18
Age means nothing; truth remains forever.
It is the eternal Word of God that remains. That Word informs us that the next generation depends completely on its parents to declare to them the wonders of God. As John Piper writes, “Parents must never abandon that role, even to the church.” The level of competence in mothers and fathers varies. Nevertheless, the church must never replace that role. At best the church must affirm the God-ordained role of the parents to declare the Word of God to the next generation.
The early Christian church started within the context of family. The record in the book of Acts tells us that ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Some twenty-five years later the apostle Paul wrote to friends in Rome. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Romans 16:5 These were called “house churches.”
It was in 1975 that we visited the catacombs in Rome as a family. “That’s where Christians held church.” One of the accomplishments of the protestant reformation was that it was incumbent upon parents to teach the Word of God to their children. One of the purposes behind the writing of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism was to fulfill the Scriptures—That one generation might commend to the next the mighty acts of God. Psalm 145:4
When Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he addresses it “To the saints, the faithful in Christ.” There is no mention of a specific church–only the faithful. And this is what the faithful do. The faithful speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19
My wife and I wrote a book entitled Beyond Time. It was written for the Christian family in the 21st century–the families of our sons and daughters and their families. They are faced with cultural, social and secular pressures which the church, in many cases, offers little insight into. I quote the following from that book.
They were married 43 years. Darwin never changed his ideas. He kept assuring her that he was not afraid of dying. Perhaps his ideas would immortalize him. Who knows for sure what was going on in his mind? As he was slipping away in the final minutes of his life, he quietly told Emma, “Remember what a good wife you have been to me.” Emma held Charles in her arms as he died. . .
. . . What lies beyond time has absolutely nothing to do with what we choose to think. Time is born of the womb of eternity and eternity awaits us beyond time.” Beyond Time, 2018, pp 110-111.
Charles Darwin’s wife, Emma, was a Christian. Charles and Emma had ten children. Three died when they were young. The death of their beloved ten-year-old, Anne, broke their hearts. Her death strengthened Emma’s faith in God. Darwin’s son writes of his father’s reaction to his sister’s death, “He closed the door on God.”
This hardness of heart compels me to return to Psalm 145:4 and to the word
Commend.” That one generation might commend to the next the mighty acts of God.
The word “Praise” is used instead of “Commend” in some Biblical translations. The prophet Isaiah speaks of praise in this way. The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness. Isaiah 38:19
One commentary speaks of praise in this way. “One generation shall transmit the knowledge of thy works to another by praise – by hymns and psalms recording and celebrating thy praise. Successive generations of people shall take up the language of praise, and it shall thus be transmitted to the end of time.” Permit me to repeat myself.
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I DECLARE your power to the next generation. Psalm 71:18
