Ps. 78.2 (a story of riddles)

I will / open my mouth / in a story
speaking about riddles / of things past. 

It is only at this point that we come to realize that the subject of the psalm is going to be the past; it is not a parable, but a riddle of remembrance. This is important in that the riddle he speaks of is not an abstraction; it is not a wisdom saying. It is, rather, something that has already happened. In other words, their family past is the riddle. They are ‘children of a riddle’. By rooting his story in the past, and repeatedly emphasizing its importance, the psalm itself takes on a very concrete urgency. If the riddle is not perceived—if it is only heard but not comprehended—the past transgressions will become present. The chaos unleashed by transgression will wash into the current generation. In this way, the re-telling and the comprehension of the riddle become a type of re-creation—it thwarts the desire of chaos to disrupt God’s family and intentions, and maintains the life-giving bonds created in and through God’s works. In other words, comprehending the past perpetuates the deliverance of God. A second point to make is that the content of this story is not singular—the past is full of riddles (not a riddle). Although it can broadly be termed the riddle of transgression, its manifestation is varied, as we will see. It is many-headed. It is both “a story” and “riddles”. This is perhaps why the psalmist will go on to narrate not one story of rebellion but two in order to emphasize the fact that rebellion addressed once, needs to be addressed twice, three times and on into the present. Man’s rebellion is not a single scream, but a cacophony. In this way, the psalmist shows that the riddle of man’s rebellion is not something subdued in the past but a present threat. It lurks.