This one year study thru the Bible for kids is designed to hit the highlights and provide practical application. I encourage you to read the whole section of scripture (Psalm 78) while we focus in on just a few verses.
Background: The book of Psalms was written by at least 7 authors. It expresses a range of human emotions from praise to God in good times, fear of enemies in bad times, guilt, anger and an overriding confidence in God’s goodness, majesty and power.
Asaph the choir director wrote Psalm 78 and reminded God’s people that forgetting God has perilous consequences.
Ask the children…
What did the people do?
“They forgot what he (God) had done—
the great wonders he had shown them.” (Psalm 78:10)
“They did not remember his power
and how he rescued them from their enemies.
43 They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt,
his wonders on the plain of Zoan.” (Psalm 78:42, 43)
What were the consequences of forgetting God?
“Then he abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh,
the Tabernacle where he had lived among the people.” (Psalm 78:40)
The worst thing that can happen to a believer is not bad things happening in their lives, but losing fellowship with God. When the nation of Israel turned their backs on God, then God refused to dwell with them in the Tabernacle. That opened them up to starvation and enemy attacks.
Today when we sin, God does not aband0n us because Jesus has already paid the price for our sins. But when we forget God, we abandon Him. We turn our backs on fellowship and turn toward the dangers of this world. Our hearts grow cold and we lose the very purpose we put here on earth for, to fellowship with God.
Ask your children If they know what it is like to forget God and lose fellowship? How did it feel? Take some time to remember God’s faithfulness and to renew your fellowship with God.
Feel free to share your own stories below in the comments section.
If you like what you read about ways to teach children the Bible, check out the children’s book, Hooked on the Book, on this website. It is great for parents and kids because it provides the Big Story of God’s miraculous plan for His children in all 66 books in the Bible. CHECK OUT A FREE SAMPLE OF CHAPTER ONE BELOW.