Articles
Teach Your Children
Teach Your Children
God "commanded our fathers to teach their children, THAT the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandment… (Psalm 78:5-7).
We then have a telling of the stubbornness and rebellion of 'the fathers'. This is almost like a short history of Israel from Moses to David. The words and phrases that were used include: stubborn and rebellious, not faithful to God, did not keep God's covenant, refused, forgot, sinned still more, tested God, spoke against God, did not believe God, did not trust, flattered with their mouth, lied to him with their tongues.
The accounting of God's reaction involves two very different aspects of God's character. On the one hand we see His anger and wrath. "He rejected Israel" and "vented his wrath." On the other hand we see His mercy and compassion as we read that "…Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath" (vs. 38).
God commanded the people to teach their children. "Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children —" (Deuteronomy 4:9). "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise "Deuteronomy 6:7). "You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" (Deuteronomy 11:19). This was also commanded of Fathers in the New Testament: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).
The hard part is teaching them to love the LORD with all their hearts. This is best accomplished by parents that love the Lord with all their hearts. Hence Deut. 4:9 begins by exhorting the PARENTS to take care and keep their soul diligently. So much of what we teach our children is done by example. We all know this but many hope that they can get their children to be what they themselves refuse to be. Such knowledge of God's righteous demands, His great patience and longsuffering, and His kindness in forgiving, all form the basis of developing a love for God.
Hugh DeLong
