Deuteronomy 11 TEACH THE CHILDREN Our attitude toward God and His word silently tells our children what we think about God. Do I take His commands seriously? Do I truly love Him? Am I willing to obey Him no matter what it might cost me? Will I commit myself to follow Him no matter what other people do? Am I willing to do His will even if it is not popular and may cause me to lose friends and even family approval? Much of child-training is done by actions - what I do or not do. That does not mean that I should not tell them the reasons for my lifestyle and choices. The children of the Israelites had never known what Egypt was like. All they knew was wilderness living. Stories about the glories of Egypt might have been attractive to them when they heard about the pyramids, the great cities and the irrigated crops growing along the Nile River. The attractions of the world are all around us. Of that there is no doubt. But the slavery to the world, its ways and its costs, needs to be told to our children as a warning that just because something looks good, doesn't make it right.
The people of God need to tell those who are young, the things they must avoid. Tell them from your experiences of the difficulties that come because of disobedience and self-will. Warn them of what happens if they follow a road in life that does not please God. Let them know the "pleasures of sin" are only for a season, and then comes the serious consequences that sin brings. Teach them by the history of others who knew what was right but chose to do wrong. Don't let them think they can do what they want in spite of what
God says, and they will be able to escape the inevitable truth that when we sow we reap. We reap what we sow and we reap more than we sow.
Those who make a conscious decision to avoid what is bad, will come to appreciate what is good. This does not begin with our children. This begins with us who claim to be children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. We will always be tempted to accommodate to the world and its attractions. To be popular has a great appeal because our flesh thinks, "The closer I am to being like everyone else around me, the more my friends and neighbors will be open to listen when I tell them about the Savior." There is a fallacy in this type of thinking however. Those to whom we witness when we are trying to be like them will probably think, “Then why are you here with us doing what we do? You are no different then we are." God's word says plainly, "Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing."
My teaching to those who are young will have a positive effect when I take heed to myself first and what I do. My ambition and self-satisfaction must not claim me at the expense of modeling my faith in God. The blessing of the Lord when I do what is right, may not make me materially rich, but will make me spiritually happy. The attitude I have toward God and the Word of God may not appeal to my children when they are young, but the "peaceable fruits of righteousness" will have a place to take root in their hearts. We may have to wait a long time to see the results of our teaching. The Israelites were told plainly of blessing if they did right and cursing if they did wrong. In fact, this was such an important principle, that God told them to carry out a ceremony with this in mind at mount Gerizim and mount Ebal. The children would not easily forget the sound of millions of voices speaking of the reasons for blessing from the one mountain, and the reason for cursing on the other.
Before I start teaching my children and other people the word of God, I need to check myself out and see if I am really doing what God intends. I need to make conscious decisions for my daily life based on the scriptures of truth in my heart and soul. If it has the right place there, the motivation behind what I do will be right. Then the actual activities with which I am involved, whether it be the work I do to provide for the needs of my family, or my work in the assembly of God's people I am a part of and my work for the Lord, It will be what it should be. Unfelt truth is usually easily detected by listeners and may be considered spurious because of my inconsistency. In the home life of God's people, there are opportunities to apply spiritual truth to the affairs associated with family living. Bible reading, audible prayers, reading good books out loud that have good lessons that are applicable to children, are ways we can pass on truth to those God have given us. Ways God has worked in the course of events in a day give us lessons to be taught.
When we start with ourselves and our relationship with God and His word, we have something of value to pass on to our children. Quite often the benefit of those times in the home life extend out to those we know in the public sphere of life. "Why do you do that?" "Why don't you do this?" are questions we are asked and our children will be asked them too. Our children deserve to have a ready answer that makes sense to their friends. We need to be able to give a good answer as to our faith and practice to those with whom we work. The consistent daily life of a believer may not produce faith in other people that we are aware of, but the seed of the word of God that is sown, will have the desired effect that God wants. He is the only One who can produce life. We are the ones to sow the seed.
Obedience and love for God may not be popular among those with whom we live and work, but it does have a good influence. When it is in us and a real part of our life and experience, we have a peace that cannot be found in any other way. Peace is what most people want in life. Adversity will not overcome us or take away our peace even though it may hurt us. Sin does not have dominion over us even though the pressures against us to conform to the world are great. Obedience and faith in us, affects other people as well. It indicates that all that is going on in our lives is not seen. The things that are important to us are the unseen things. Most people live for what they can grasp for themselves. We who know God, love Him, believe in Him and obey Him, have a higher kind of life that escapes those who have no covenant with God.
When a new covenant based on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins has been formed, the new birth by the Holy Spirit brings new life to us. That new life is made evident when a believer is made a new creation. In the terms of the new covenant, the choices we make have far reaching effects. They extend to our children and grandchildren. There is an effect on those with whom we work and do business. A reputation is made as we apply the principles of the written word to our life and conduct, as well as the decisions we make. The children of Israel were able to possess the land of promise because God was at work on their behalf by the terms of the old covenant. He works on our behalf by the terms of the new covenant made by the blood of Christ. In spite of the uncertain days in which we live, we can be at peace because "our times are in Thy hands," and God is able to "do exceeding abundantly, above all that we ask or think." Let us teach our children so they too will be at peace.