If God said to you as a dad, “There is one investment you can make in your child’s future that I guarantee is more precious than gold, that will bring him a lifetime of enjoyment, a lifetime of protection from harm and a lifetime in which he is richly rewarded,” would you pay attention? The fact is that God has made such a promise—the question is whether or not we will take him up on it!
In our study of spiritual leadership at home, we have used a right triangle to depict the three parts and processes of successful leadership. We observed that it begins with an arrow between the leader and the mission across the X axis, the first function of leadership being to FOCUS/MODEL. Then, the past two weeks, we studied the arrow between the leader and his followers up the vertical Y axis, the second function of leadership being to BUILD HIS RELATIONSHIP with his wife and children. Today, we begin to examine the third arrow across the hypotenuse between the followers and the mission, being to EQUIP/ASSIST his followers to reach their full potential in Christ. Even if a leader is good at the first two functions, staying focused on his mission and building relationships with his followers, he will still fail if he does not equip them with what they need to reach spiritual maturity. The most neglected step of leadership at home may be equipping our followers to become all they can be in Christ. While the church and our wives are tasked to assist fathers, WE are the ones charged by God with the responsibility to equip children for life by teaching them the ways of the Lord.
Today’s episode focuses on the one most foundational equipping tool for spiritual growth, the Word of God. It is described by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED for every good work. How do we get the Word of God into our kid’s lives?
HELP THEM SEE GOD’S WORD AS A TREASURE CHEST OF RICHES
In Psalm 19 God’s people celebrate his revelation of himself in creation (called general revelation) and his revelation of himself in his Word (called special revelation), notably what pleases him revealed in his Law. Verses 7-11 reveal the way God’s moral law is like a precious jewel refracting light into every facet of human life.
The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, your servant is warned by them; in keeping them there is great reward.
A. The Law of the Lord is perfect restoring the soul. The term, Law of the Lord refers here to the general life principles taught throughout Scripture. Perfect refers to completeness. It contains all we need. The purpose of the overall Law of the Lord is to restore the soul. Remember that one of the most foundational biblical doctrines is that sin causes us to suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18), that our fallen hearts are darkened in their understanding (Eph 4:18), that there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Prov 14:12). This darkened understanding includes not just our thinking but impacts our attitudes and feelings as well. There is only one way for a broken soul—mind will, and emotions—to be restored to what God created it to be—through the Word of God. Here are some examples of how this works:
- We think: The path to wealth is to hold on to what we have and add to it. God says, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, it will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Lk 6:38).
- We think: The path to sexual satisfaction is surrendering to urges. God says: The path to satisfaction is always choosing the righteous path to satisfy desires. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied” (Matt 5:6).
- We think: God won’t prosper my efforts because I am too weak and sinful. God says: “In your weakness my power is shown the more completely: (2 Cor 12:9).
- We think: When we’re hurt by another’s criticism we need to withdraw and shut another out so he or she will treat us with more grace in the future. God says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matt 5:7).
- We think: The path to respect is achieving. God says: The path to respect is helping others achieve. “Whoever would be great among you must become the servant of all” (Matt 20:26).
Because our child inherits our sinful nature, her soul has a broken understanding of life. We need to use the Law of the Lord to restore her soul to wholeness.
B. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Testimony refers to true life accounts in Scripture. Those stories make Gods Word sure, cementing into our mind the principles of Scripture. For example, when we see what happened to David and his family resulting from his adultery with Bathsheba, we more fully realize that the wage sin pays is always destruction. Testimonies make wise the simple. The simple are the naïve and gullible regarding how life actually works. But God's testimonies causes them to see life as it really is, from God’s point of view.
C. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. Precepts are rules—the specific application of biblical principles. I believe God has revealed a specific order for teaching God’s Word here. 1) It should start with the Law of the Lord—the general, big-picture principle behind a rule. 2) Then, it is best to illustrate that truth with the testimony of the Lord, a true story from Scripture. If we do that first, we will find that 3) sharing the precept of the Lord brings rejoicing. But if we skip directly to the precept, presenting it without steps 1 and 2, the naked rule often causes rebellion. For example, we can just say to teens, “Sex before marriage is wrong,” which goes straight to the rule. That won’t cause rejoicing but rejecting. After all, today no one waits until marriage to have sex. To their minds, Victorian prudishness, like old technology, has been replaced by the enlightened realization that sex is wonderful. To overcome such thinking requires a fuller picture to accompany the prohibition.
- In God’s design, He intends for the union of bodies to be the ecstatic celebration of the permanent uniting of lives and hearts in marriage.
- Everyone knows that rape is so destructive that a woman may never heal internally from this trauma, which demonstrates the Bible’s view of sex. It is more than recreation; it is sharing extremely vulnerable parts of ourselves.
- We also sense this vulnerability in our own uneasiness about being naked in front of another, which is God’s gracious way of sending us the message, “Even in romance nakedness is not safe until each partner has vowed to unconditionally love the other in front of family, church, state, and friends.”
- Sex is designed to glue husband and wife together throughout the tough process of merging lives. But after casual sex, since your partner moves on, it is like ripping apart pieces of paper that were glued together; it tears the soul.
- Statistics universally show that cohabiting before marriage increases the likelihood of both divorce and dissatisfaction with sex later in the marriage.
- Premarital sex, called fornication, is so destructive for society that in Israel, God made it a capital offense. He wouldn’t do that were it not very harmful.
- Christ-followers offer their bodies to God as a living sacrifice. No matter what others do with their bodies, saving sex for marriage is about honoring Jesus with our bodies. (BTW the battle still honors Jesus even if there are a few failures.)
D. The commandments of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Commandments are direct commands from the mouth of God. They are not gray, fuzzy or cloudy; they are pure moral perfection. Their black and whiteness enables us to have moral clarity. They enlighten our eyes. The Ten Commandments are pillars on which all the moral law stands. The first four commandments explain the first great commandment—love God. Loving God is accomplished by 1) remembering to keep God first in our affections, 2) celebrating who he really is and not a figment of our imagination, 3) treating his name with respect, 4) setting apart the first part of our week to delight in him. The second great commandment, loving our neighbor is accomplished by 5) respecting those in positions of authority, 6) not harming others, 7) channeling sexual desire only toward one’s spouse, 8) not stealing, 9) telling the truth, 10) replacing envy with gladness that others prosper.
E. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The fear of the Lord is knowing that you never get away with sin. It is realizing we don’t so much break God’s law as God’s law breaks us when we violate it. It leads to a clean life because it recognizes that even little things matter eternally. Every single choice we make to please Jesus will endure forever, i.e. cause additional joy for us in eternity. God is not mocked, writes Paul, whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (Gal 6:7-9).
F. The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. This Hebrew word means just decrees. God’s Word reveals justice that is true; it is unbiased and based upon facts. It is always fully righteous. God is never unjust. In fact, the very sense of justice we have originated with God himself because we bear his image. If he seems unjust in allowing some to be born into poverty and others into wealth, or places some into free countries and others under tyranny or assigns men the role of leading in marriage and women the role of submitting to their leadership, the problem is not an unjust God but our fallen misunderstanding of justice.
G. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, your servant is warned by them; in keeping them there is great reward. There is nothing more valuable that we can give our children than God’s Word. We need to lavish it upon them, help them see it as the great treasure that it is, and fall in love with it.
EQUIPPING OUR CHILDREN WITH THE WORD IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FATHERS
A. God established this principle with Abraham, the father of the Covenant. I have chosen him, (Abraham) that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him (Genesis 18:18). Later, it appears that Joshua did fulfill this responsibility. He had been challenged by God, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8). We have no direct examples of Joshua teaching his children and grandchildren the way they should go—but the indirect evidence seems overpowering that he did just that. Joshua lived to be 110 years old, which meant he would have had great, great, great grandchildren. In Judges 2:7-8, we read, And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.
B. But this pattern of “commanding his children and household after him to keep the way of the Lord,” did not continue. Judges 2 continues, And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. The failure of the covenant fathers of Israel to turn their hearts towards their children and grandchildren in order to turn the next generation’s heart towards keeping God’s law was nearly universal—especially being highlighted in the book of Judges. Although King David and his son Solomon were notable exceptions, this massive failure of the OT fathers to pass on their spiritual heritage is exhibited all through its history. In fact, the OT ends by observing this fact in the final two verses. But the Messiah will come, overthrow Satan, sin, and death, and empower fathers with the Holy Spirit poured out in greater measure. Hebrews 8 tells us that Jeremiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in the coming of Christ. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
C.The dawning of this new age will be marked by the coming of a second Elijah (whom Jesus said was John the Baptist). The OT ends with this hope, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers (Mal 4:5-6). Under the New Covenant, with the power of the risen Christ poured out upon us through the indwelling Holy Spirit—men will be helped to win the hearts of their children and turn their hearts to love the Law of the Lord. So, in the NT era we now have the help of the Holy Spirit. Praise God!
FOUR PRINCIPLES FROM DEUTERONOMY 6 FOR TEACHING GOD’S WORD
A.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (vs 5). Teaching Scripture to our kids begins in OUR hearts with wanting to obey his Word because we love him and want to please the one who redeemed us, NOT because we think God is a rules-obsessed tyrant or that we need to earn his love. The Ten Commandments were given to Israel after it had been freed from slavery to Egypt to show us how to respond to his redemptive love already poured out upon us. Out of delight and confidence in his goodness proved at the cross, we trust that his law is for our benefit. Counselors, Cloud and Townsend point out, “When we finally understand that God isn’t mad at us anymore, we become free to concentrate on love and growth instead of trying to appease him” (How People Grow).
B. Deuteronomy 6 continues: And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart (vs 6). There is a natural flow from loving God with all our being to having his Word on our hearts, so that we can obey it. In this text, God is saying what Jesus would later repeat, In John 14:6, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Psalm 119:11 says, I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Devotion to obeying Scripture is not legalism; it is the proper expression of love for the God who first loved us. Jesus taught that the mark of kingdom people is hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matt 5:6).
C. Deuteronomy 6 continues: You shall teach these words diligently to your children (vs 7) The Hebrew word for teach is used for imprinting the official seal upon a letter. It pictures rote memorization. Especially from ages 4-12, we have an unprecedented opportunity to anchor our child or grandchild to God’s truth through memorizing Scripture verses and catechism questions. Helping our child memorize biblical truths is indisputably one of the best investments in our child’s soul that we could ever make.
D. Deuteronomy 6 continues: 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. The reason for having the Law on our hearts is so that we can meditate on it during the day applying it to everyday life. As leaders we just include our kids in the process. Arguably the most successful believer of the OT era was counseled by God, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua defeated the most enemies in Israel’s history and his family leadership influence caused four generations to walk with God.
DEVELPING A GAME PLAN FOR IMPARTING THE WORD
1.Seek God’s wisdom for developing a life-long lifestyle of radical commitment to time in God’s Word, yourself.
2.Pray specifically for each child to:
- See Scripture as the great treasure it is—more precious than gold
- Fall in love with it as David did—Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day (Ps 119:97).
- Become devoted to building his or her life upon it—as Jesus taught, like a wise man who built his house on the rock
3. Break Scripture into subsets to be mastered.
- New City Catechism
- Ten Commandments
- Psalm 1
- Key verses of Proverbs' wisdom
- Beatitudes
In closing, I return to the issue of my child’s future. Of all the things I want my child to learn to prepare for life, what is most important? Here again is God’s answer:
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her leftt hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed (Prov 3:13-18).
For Further Prayerful Thought
- In the study of the six facets of the jewel of God’s Word—his law, testimony, precepts, commandments, fear, and judgements, which ones stood out most to you?
- Since God’s plan to bless the nations was to call Abraham and his family to faith and then the fathers command their children and households to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, why have Christian men been slow to focus on this responsibility?
- Why is it important, in teaching our kids, for us to follow the Deuteronomy 6 pattern to starting with our motive for loving the Law of God being to please him because he first loved us.
- Why do you think God tells parents in Deuteronomy 6 to talk about applying the Word of God throughout the day?
