https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Psalm+78%3B+Judges+10
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 29 June 2025:
Psalm 78 begins as a historical psalm of warning and remembrance. Asaph exhorts the people to pay attention and pass on God’s truth and mighty works to future generations. God’s people are to be storytellers of grace, testifying not only to His blessings but also to the consequences of disobedience. The purpose is not just remembrance, but transformation—learning from the past to walk faithfully in the present. The New Testament echoes this calling in passages like 2 Timothy 2:2 and Ephesians 6:4, which call believers to faithfully teach the next generation. True discipleship is generational. Faithfulness today fuels faithfulness tomorrow.
Psalm 78:4 – We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
God expects you to tell your children (or children you know) all that you have seen God do in your lifetime as a witness to His glory.
Psalm 78:5-7 — Teach… children that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
God expects parents to teach their children to trust and obey God. Jesus said that our mission on earth is to make disciples (not just believers). Your first responsibility of discipleship is within your own family.
God commanded His people to remember His laws and works so that future generations would walk in obedience and hope. The problem, historically, has been forgetfulness—not of facts, but of faith. When the heart forgets God’s mercy, it wanders. The psalmist highlights the cycle of rebellion and mercy, warning readers not to repeat the failures of their ancestors. This deeply applies to Christians today. When we forget the gospel, when we fail to disciple our children, when we live as if grace is cheap, we invite the same decline. Faithfulness requires memory, gratitude, and conviction.
Psalm 78:7 — …so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments….
Believers believe Jesus is the Son of God, but disciples don’t just believe, they follow and obey Jesus, dedicating all their lives to Jesus in order to become just like Him. Jesus has appointed us to make disciples who obey – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) However, there is a big difference between teaching people they ought to obey and teaching people who actually can obey. Disciple-makers are those who have learned how to actually come to know Jesus personally and to walk with Jesus so that His character becomes their character and so that obedience becomes not only possible but natural, the product of character transformed by Christ – “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
Many churches today aren’t intentional on making disciples (the Great Commission), and many who talking about disciple-making don’t talk about the importance of obedience (the Great Omission); however, many who see the importance of making obedient disciples focus on behavior modification (which falls short) rather than heart change; and many who talk about heart change don’t help people understand what role the Christian plays in heart transformation in partnership with the Holy Spirit, often stating this is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit initiates, empowers, enables, and guides transformation, but we must actively participate, not merely to receive the potential benefits of the moral life but with the aim of simply becoming one with Christ in perfect intimacy (John 17:22-23). When we pursue obedience to the letter of the law, we will achieve unloving self-righteousness and shallow goodness (pharisaical externalism). When we pursue Christ as our life aim, the closer we get to Him, the more we become like Him, and we might not even notice how we are naturally doing His will as He would do it. Discisplemakers teach people how to learn from Jesus to be like Jesus not to learn about Jesus to become moralists.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 — And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Psalm 78:11 – They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.
Forgetting what God has done leads you to depart from Him. A key to life is seeing everything within the context of who God is, who we are as His children, and responding accordingly. The fruit (or product) of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, etc., comes from the security of the sovereign love of God which is more real and far greater than what we can perceive from our human ability. When we doubt the character and intent of our Father, we sin because we feel we must in order to do for ourselves what our Father has failed to do for us, as if what God has given us isn’t best. While we might proclaim the goodness of God when things are going relatively well for us, it is easy for us to ‘forget’ when things start getting hard. So we must continually remind ourselves and others of the goodness of God.
- Psalm 103:2 — Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
- Psalm 145:7 — They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psalm 78:20 – He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?
You selfishly depart from God when you selfishly want more than He provides or when you don’t wait patiently and confidently for Him to provide. Too often, Christians aren’t satisfied and grateful for what God has already given them, failing to appreciate that part of God’s blessing is not giving us what isn’t best for us right now. It is often very hard for us believe during trails that the Lord is at hand doing something great which would be impossible for us to understand. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Would the God who has already given you His Son neglect you in any way? If you look for your answer to your prayers, you might miss His answer to your prayers which is perfect.
Psalm 78:34-37 — When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly…. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
Many people obey God only out of fear or hope for reward, but God demands obedience motivated by love. God knows the difference between selfishly motivated worship and unselfish worship and service. Outwardly, they may look the same to other people, but God judges the heart behind the deeds. God is not fooled like people are.
Psalm 78:52 – Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
God is the Good Shepherd. (see Psalm 23; John 10)
Psalm 78:67-68 — He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
God judges once faithful people no longer useful to His mission. Past fidelity does not make up for today’s infidelity. It is today that matters, and it is not how you start that matters by how you finish the race.
Psalm 78:72 — With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.
Good leaders require both character and competence. They must be both ethical (by God’s definition) and good at what they do, skilled. Many leaders are talented, with large personalities, but lack integrity. High competency often overshadows bad character in the eyes of the public, with unfortunate consequences.
Considering the teachings of Psalm 78, God’s history of discipline within your family and your church should teach you the futility of sin and rebellion.
Judges 10:1–5 – After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola… and he judged Israel twenty-three years… After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
These two judges are given only brief mention, yet they judged Israel for decades. Their ministries may have been quieter, but God used them to preserve order and stability. Not every leader is a Gideon or Samson; some are faithful in quietness and longevity. For the believer, this reminds us that visible success is not the measure of faithfulness—steady obedience is. Colossians 3:23 urges us to work heartily for the Lord, even when unseen. Jair’s legacy includes his thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and ruled thirty towns—a symbol of both wealth and political influence, but perhaps also a hint of aristocratic drift away from God’s pattern of humble service.
Judges 10:6–18 – The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth… they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel….
The familiar pattern continues: rebellion, discipline, distress, and cries for deliverance. But this time, God’s response is stark: “I will save you no more” (v.13). He reminds them of how often He had rescued them before only for them to turn away again. This response is meant to shock Israel into genuine repentance. The people confess and remove their idols, and God, moved by their misery, “became impatient over the misery of Israel” (v.16). God’s justice and mercy are both evident—He will not be mocked, but He is deeply compassionate. This chapter highlights that repentance is not about mere words but about action—removing idols and returning to God with the whole heart.
Judges 10:8 — For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
It can take a long time to change the character of a people so that they will again seek The Lord.
Judges 10:16 – So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
This verse is a turning point in Israel’s repeated cycle of rebellion, oppression, and deliverance. The people finally show true repentance—not just with words, but with action. They put away the false gods they had served and served the Lord. This wasn’t just regret over consequences, but genuine contrition shown by changed behavior. Repentance is more than feeling sorry—it’s forsaking sin and returning to God.
The phrase “he became impatient over the misery of Israel” reveals God’s heart. Even though the people had repeatedly sinned, His compassion moved Him. His love is not based on their consistency, but on His covenant. God’s justice had required discipline, but His mercy couldn’t bear their suffering any longer. This echoes the heart of Jesus in the New Testament, who wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), had compassion on the crowds (Matthew 9:36), and bore our sin to rescue us (1 Peter 2:24).
God does not ignore rebellion, but He is eager to forgive when repentance is real.
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 — “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
- 1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- Luke 15:20 — “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
Repentance is not simply turning from sin—it’s turning to God. The sincerity of the Israelites’ repentance in this moment should stir us to ask: Have we put away our idols—comfort, pride, approval, control? Do we serve the Lord with undivided devotion, or do we merely say the right words while holding on to the wrong loves?
Here is a short prayer devotional on Judges 10:16 by Pastor David Platt of McLean Bible Church:
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 29 June 2025: Remember, Repent, and Retell. Psalm 78 calls us to remember and teach the next generation about God’s faithful works; Judges 10 shows us what happens when we forget. Forgetfulness leads to rebellion; remembrance cultivates repentance and restoration. Today, practice Christlike character by intentionally remembering what God has done in your life—and sharing it. Tell someone (your child, a friend, or your journal) about how God has saved you, sustained you, and shown mercy to you. Then examine your heart for any idols—anything you trust more than God—and remove them. True repentance starts with remembering His goodness and ends with renewed faithfulness.
Pray: “Lord, help me remember all You have done for me. Forgive me for the times I’ve forgotten Your grace or allowed other things to take Your place. Teach me to repent with action, not just words, and to pass on the testimony of Your goodness to the next generation. May my life declare Your faithfulness from one generation to another. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 