Psalm 78:3 & Deut 6:6-7: Teach kids?
How does Psalm 78:3 connect with Deuteronomy 6:6-7 about teaching children?

Living Truth Passed Down

Psalm 78:3 — “things we have heard and known, that our fathers have relayed to us.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 — “These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”


Shared Core Ideas

• Both passages assume God’s words are true, memorable, and transferable.

• They bind every generation to tell the next exactly what God has said and done.

• The flow is: hear it → know it → treasure it → teach it.


Three-Step Connection

1. Hear and Know (Psalm 78:3)

– The psalmist begins with firsthand reception. Truth must be received intact (“heard and known”).

– Parents therefore stand as living links, preserving accuracy.

2. Hide in the Heart (Deuteronomy 6:6)

– Internalizing God’s commands guards against distortion (Psalm 119:11).

– Heart possession precedes mouth transmission.

3. Diligently Teach (Deuteronomy 6:7; Psalm 78:4)

– The psalm calls for telling “to the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD.”

– Deuteronomy details the rhythm—at home, on the road, morning, night—showing that teaching is continuous, not occasional.


Why the Link Matters

• It protects doctrinal purity (Jude 3).

• It preserves historical memory of God’s mighty acts (Psalm 145:4).

• It equips children to place their confidence in God and obey Him (Psalm 78:6-7).


Practical Ways to Obey

– Read Scripture aloud daily; recount family testimonies of answered prayer.

– Use everyday moments—mealtime, travel, bedtime—to connect life events with biblical truth.

– Memorize key passages together (e.g., Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 78:1-8).

– Model obedience; children learn more from example than lecture (Philippians 4:9).


Supporting Passages

Joel 1:3 “Tell your children about it…”

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go…”

Ephesians 6:4 “Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

2 Timothy 3:15 “From infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures…”


Takeaway

Psalm 78:3 and Deuteronomy 6:6-7 form one seamless mandate: receive God’s unchanging word, embed it in the heart, and intentionally pass it to every child so the faith endures unaltered, generation after generation.

What role does tradition play in sharing God's 'things we have heard'?
Top of Page
Top of Page