Psalms 78:1 “Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:”
The purpose of this Psalm is to exhort the Children of God to learn from Biblical history and to teach it to their children and to teach them that they must “set their hope in God” (Psalm 78:7). Our Lord makes it clear that this Psalm was written as a practical prophecy of His coming and His Church-Kingdom; and that the cycle of Divine blessings, sinful disobedience, severe chastisement, and repentance would continue as it did in the Old Testament days. We are plainly told that this Psalm points directly to Jesus Christ: “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 13:34-35). The “dark sayings of old” are those Old Testament “sayings” that prophetically pointed to the coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom. These things are said to be “dark sayings” because, their ultimate meanings and applications were hidden until Christ came and revealed them to His Children (Matthew 13:13). But, He spoke in parables in such a way that, even today, keeps some in the “dark”, but reveals His meaning to others (John 8:43; 10:26). Our Lord plainly Commands us this way: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15); that is, if our Lord has given us the “ears” with which to “hear” (Mark 4:23; 7:16), “let” us “hear” “him” with worshipful obedience. James puts it this way, “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).