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By Christopher A. Perrin|Published Date: February 01, 2010
4"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You 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. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Let’s assume that we want to teach the Bible to our children. Let’s assume too that we struggle to do this well. How many times have you realized after a week of frenetic living that you have scarcely prayed with or for your children and neglected to bring the Scriptures to bear on a single conversation? Sometimes we are glad if we can work in an occasional reference to Scripture, and of course the Bible is always lying on the coffee table—a comforting sight.
If the Bible actually is a mighty sword (the sword of the Spirit, Paul calls it), it is remarkable that we so seldom swing it. On the other hand, it is no surprise that we are somehow tricked into keeping it on the coffee table among other decorative books we occasionally thumb through. At least it is there as an emblem of our faith—like a sword or coat of arms hanging on a wall.
It is no surprise that Bible is present but closed, for Paul says that we are in a subtle but very real conflict with a very intelligent, scheming enemy (Eph. 6:11). Of all the armor that Paul says we possess as Christians, he only mentions one offensive weapon—“the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). For some reason we are content to meet our enemy with a shield but no sword, likely showing that he has profoundly deceived us. We may escape defeat, but we do our enemy no harm, while we are battered daily. As we fight without a sword, what becomes of our children whom we are to protect? Do we really believe we are even in a fight?
In Deuteronomy 6 we are given plain instruction for how to use this sword. In summary, it is to be always strapped on our side, always available, regularly used. To stretch the metaphor it is not only with us, but in us. In the context of this passage, for the sake our children that we must take up the Bible and read, impress and instruct. Loving God involves loving His Word, which in turn compels us to talk of His Word with our children in every conceivable setting. Let’s be practical, however.
There are three important principles that emerge from the exhortation given us in
Deuteronomy 6:
1. We must be studying and meditating on Scripture ourselves if we are to teach and apply it to our children.
2. We can’t impart what we don’t possess. We should establish a routine for reading and discussing Scripture in our homes. Reading through selected passages and books on a daily or weekly basis should be as natural as eating together. Scripture reading should usually be part of our time together at the table.
3. We should be seeking to wisely discuss and apply Scripture in virtually any setting.
We can conclude with three questions: Are you studying Scripture? Have you established a routine for reading Scripture to and with your children? Are you applying Scripture to your children throughout the day (when they rise, when they lie down)?
If you are a parent, take the sword off the wall. It is not a decoration and your children are at stake.
For more insight into the Word of God, read God’s Word, by Pope Benedict or the article, “People of the Book” by T. M. Moore.
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James Vickers makes this comment
2010-02-08 09:09:26
David German MD makes this comment
2010-02-07 01:04:16
Margaret Helen Brandt makes this comment
2010-02-06 15:07:44