When I was still in High School at Calvary Chapel, I was introduced to the lamest motivational tool for learning I have ever come across in my lifetime. In my sophomore history class, my teacher made it clear that the reason she loved teaching the subject was in fact that the tales of times past were "His Story" ... of course meaning "God's story." Whenever I think about this, I get a little confused ... God's story is not in the rise and fall of nations - "His Story" is not even found in the mighty Crusades or the voyage the pilgrims made across the Atlantic. King John (i made this one up), Napoleon, George Washington, etc etc ... all great men ... but just men. If there is anything I learned from history in school, it is that man has a wonderful tendency of progressing technologically while regressing morally. God's story is not contained in your High School text book. God's history book (if it could even be called that) is the Old Testament - a book containing prophecy, poems, great tales, great men - all of which build up to the person of Jesus Christ. God is a history maker - just not the typical History Channel mumbo jumbo we're all used to.
Verses 1-8 Pay attention to how the Psalm starts off. "Our father's have told us" ... have told us what? What is this Psalm going to talk about? ... More than likely history that has to actually do with God's epic awesomeness. I now get to ask you a question - Have you read the Old Testament? Hopefully you've at least covered some Psalms and Proverbs - maybe even Genesis through Joshua. These are all great books filled with stories similar to the ones you find in your traditional text book - stories of battles, people, of triumph and defeat ... BUT ... God is in the midst. I like to specifically think about the end of Exodus and Joshua. The Israelite's were stranded in the desert for 40 years ... meaning that the people who (in Joshua) come to establish Israel are not the people who walked across the dry Red Sea floor. Anyway, in Joshua, we see that the Israelites are greatly outmatched. God has called them to inhabit a land that they describe as one filled with milk and honey. Great right? no ... Not only is this land filled with giant grapes, it's filled with giants as well - big burly warriors who apparently are also smart enough to build cities enclosed by walls wide enough to race chariots on top. This is history - that God took the impossible and made it possible - that he took the nomadic Israelites out of the desert into a mighty victory over some of the greatest nations of their time. Sure enough they took the promise land. King David looks back at all the grand stories that he has been told throughout the time of the Israelites only to come to the conclusion that God is a history maker. God's story is big. God's story is alive. God's story is epic. King David goes as far to say (verse 4) ... "You are my King." Why? The difference between History and God's story is that God's story makes us look back on "what our father's have told us" and be filled with honor to be called the people of God.
Verses 9-26 It's sometimes humbling to look back at the victory seen in the Israelites and consider what God is doing with you. Sometimes its easy to forget that God brought the victory as well as allowed the defeat. Read the Old Testament - there are times when the Israelites are the perfect example of "God's people" and other times they're ... well not so much that same example. Apparently, the time when this Psalm was written is a time when the Israelites were being persecuted - for any particular reason, I do not know. The only reason David could muster was that they were being persecuted for God's sake - just for being his people. This thought is actually brought up again in Romans chapter 8 - that we are persecuted for the testimony of Jesus Christ. So what are we to do when the history God brings into our lives isn't what we would desire? James would write later in the New Testament - consider it joy when you face trials - even better, Jesus said blessed are those who are persecuted for His sake. Sometimes all you can do is wait upon God and hope in the fact that God is good (Nahum 1:7). Will he deliever you? God is victory. Hope that answers your question.
-Chris
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