Scripture References:
st. 1 = Ps. 78:1-4
st. 2 = Ps. 78:5-7
This versification of Psalm 78:1-8 is a modernized form of Isaac Watts' (PHH 155) version, published in his Psalms of David Imitated (1719). Psalm 78 is a didactic psalm of history. It teaches all of God's people to remember God's merciful dealings with them, to refrain from repeating the sins Israel committed in olden days, and to obey the word of the Lord (see PHH 78 for further comments on the psalm).
The text emphasizes the joyful covenant responsibility of parents to teach diligently the ways of the Lord to their children. Its theme comes from verses 4-5; there the biblical text combines a stress on God's savings deeds, which lead to faith, and God's commandments, which demand obedience. The command to "tell your children" runs throughout the Pentateuch (Ex. 10:2; Deut. 4:9).
Liturgical Use:
Baptism; other occasions of worship that stress the covenant responsibility of one generation to teach the next generation not to forget God's deeds but to keep his commands (see Ps. 78:6-7); family life emphases; beginning of church school season.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook
Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >
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