Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!
I need to mention two things before we move forward. First, I have to say that that America is not the new Israel. I say that because many Christians view America as God’s chosen people, similar to His chosen people of the Old Testament, the Israelites. Yes, America was founded primarily on a Judeo-Christian worldview and yes, our country has been incredibly blessed by God but no, there is no Biblical revelation that God has chosen any particular nation other than the Jews, who were chosen in a special way, at a special time for God’s purposes.
However, we can acknowledge a Biblical pattern. That is to say that in both the case of Israel and America, fallen men were blessed with the knowledge of God, but rather than obey God’s commandments, they fell into times of obedience and disobedience and were chastised accordingly. I also mention this because it is easy to make the mistake of assimilating everything in the Old Testament into New Testament thinking, as well as make the mistake of completely dismissing the Old Testament because we have the New Testament.
This is an important point to settle as we look at God’s commandments in the Old Testament relative to raising children. Are there commandments in the Old Testament that we should not pay attention to as New Testament believers? Yes, there are. We know that all commandments related to the priesthood and the various sacrifices commanded for the forgiveness of sins are no longer observed because all have been fulfilled in Jesus. There is little debate about this among orthodox Christian theologians and you can read the book of Hebrews to confirm this. There are many other commandments that were given to the Jews that some theologians believe are still valid for Christians while others do not. Those arguments will undoubtedly continue. However, we know that the Ten Commandments are still valid as they are the moral code, although there is some discussion around the fourth commandment.
But, when it comes to personal holiness and growth in grace, I believe there is no disagreement that the teaching of the Old Testament is not only applicable to New Testament believers but is reinforced by the New Testament teaching. So, when we see Joseph flee from the wiles of Potiphar’s wife, we have nothing but reiteration when Paul writes to the Corinthians, “ Flee from sexual immorality.” I am laboring to write about this because we are about to hear from God how He commanded the Israelites regarding their children, and we need to know that those commandments are also for us.
The second thing that I need to say is that you are about to hear a lot of repetition from God, and you are going to have one of two responses to that repetition. After hearing the same thing several times, you will either be more convicted than ever about your sin, or you will be bored. Those who are convicted will realize that God has a perfectly wise and holy purpose in the repetition. Repetition means at least two things: one, the commandment is extraordinarily important to Him and two, He needs us to hear it for our good and His glory. No one will be able to claim ignorance on the day of judgement!
To those who are bored or are rolling your eyes in your mind and saying, “blah, blah, blah,” may the Lord give you the grace to see that the very commandment you are making light of is certainly the one that you are failing miserably to keep. With that “head’s up” given, let’s get into the precious word of God.
Deuteronomy 6:1-3 Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
There are several golden nuggets to hold in our minds and hearts, each one of them massive in importance.
That you may fear the Lord. Fearing the Lord is another one of those precepts that we will see repeated again and again throughout the entire Bible. We have already seen it in the previous chapter (Deut. 5:29) and we will not get past the commands and statutes that are in the book of Deuteronomy before we hear it again in 10:12, 10:20, and 13:4. Why? Well, if you take a survey of the term used throughout the Bible, it most often describes the hinge on which a person or nation swings to obedience or disobedience. It is the essential indicator of the entire character of a man. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that a man cannot even understand God and the world he lives in unless he first fears God and therefore, does not have the power or sense to obey God.
Reading and listening to what God is telling us here has been helpful to me. I have asked myself if I have a fear of the Lord that is commensurate with His worth and I have once again, come up far short of the mark. Repentance is a good thing.
Jesus said this: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).” Someone might object to obeying God out of fear. They might say, “shouldn’t we obey because we love Him?” Yes. Or “shouldn’t we obey because we are grateful for what He has done for us? Yes. Or “shouldn’t we obey because of the joy of heaven set before us?” Yes. Yes, to obeying God for all of those reasons, but not apart from what God Himself is telling us throughout His word- not without fear. There will be no obedience to Him without fear of Him. This led to the undoing of the Israelites in their time, and I believe is leading to the undoing of the church in America today.
One more word on God’s call to fear Him. Imagine the Israelites referring to God using the words of many professing Christians today as, “the man upstairs” or when they prayed, they began with, “Hey God.” Of course, the Israelites revered the name of God so much that they wouldn’t even say His name aloud for fear of violating the commandment to not take His name in vain. We have fallen a long way, haven’t we?
You and your son and your son’s son. We have heard this before (4:9) and the Lord is coming back to say that we are to not only teach these things to your son, but He also has the next generation in mind as well. This is how we should be thinking. The implications of teaching your children will have a direct effect on what he will teach his children when he is married and out of your household. And what about grandparents? Is there an opportunity for grandparents to appropriately be concerned for and involved in the raising of their grandchildren? Yes! They have stories to tell about their life with God and all of the pitfalls of life on this earth.
That your days may be long. Another repeat for us to heed as we heard God says this earlier in 4:40. And here, He also says to keep His commandments that it may go well with you. These four “that” phrases are not only a kind of blessing that you forfeit if you don’t keep the commandments, but rather carry the inference that if you do not keep the commandments, it will NOT go well with you. It is always blessings or curses with the Lord – no neutral ground, no coasting, no life without consequences. We need to realize that the alternative life to obedience is not nothing, it’s a bad life.
That you will multiply greatly. Here is something that many American Christians give so little regard. Of all of the things that The Lord does for us besides salvation, giving us children is probably His greatest gift. We need to ponder this. God has given man the ability to participate in creation. It is an astonishing privilege. A baby is a creature that has all of the amazing parts that will enable him to live in this world- the complexity of eyes, the ever evolving immune system to fight all kinds of disease, the ability of cells to heal and grow, a digestive system that will house and use billions of bacteria in the gut to aid the digestion of foods, the five senses that allow us to experience the wonders of the world, and a brain that no technological creation of the world will ever be able to duplicate. In addition to thinking about the body of a new human being, the more amazing thing is that a newborn child has been created with a soul!
So here, the Lord is promising the greatest blessing the Israelites (and us) could possibly receive, and with that comes the privilege and responsibility of shaping them through godly instruction. This is something that we need to understand and react to: Apart from the work of Christ to save unworthy sinners, God has given us the privilege and ability to imitate and reflect Him in the creation of children and the teaching of children. What kind of a God is this? Surely, He is a gracious and loving God and Father.
Now we have been through just the first three verses of chapter six and the takeaways are clear: Our God is a God who is greater than we can comprehend, and that greatness demands our highest degree of reverent fear and the deepest desire to obey Him. To do so is the only reasonable response. And in His awesomeness, He overflows with grace and mercy that shows up in His plan for us and our children. To do anything else other than cherishing His commands is insanity. But then again, we are broken, aren’t we? But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Last modified: March 19, 2023
