Dear Church,
Here is the context, God’s people have been doing laps in the wilderness for 40 years because of their hard-heartedness and rebellion. Now, they are on the verge of finally entering the promised land. The rebellious and disobedient generation has died and now God is leading the “generation next” into the promised land. They are about to enter a land with over 40 different people groups, as diverse and multi-ethnic as Middlesex County.
Now, Moses doesn’t give them a discourse on economics, farming, shepherding or battle strategies. Moses focus was on family. Look at Deuteronomy 6:6-9, These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts, Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
There are 3 things seen here. Moses says, Impress God’s truth on your children. How do we do this? Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. The idea is like sharpening a knife with a sharpening stone, you go over and over till it is sharpened. For parents and grandparents this doesn’t happen at random, we have to be intentional. Yes, they might resist you but if you don’t teach them no one will. Moses tells the jews to bind them as signs on their hands and forehead, write them on door frames and on gates. Now, I know in OT times and even now many Jews take this literally, for us living in the New Covenant the idea is for God’s Word to be so central to our family’s life that our kids think about God every time they turn around. Folks if we don’t teach our children the truth of who our God is, someone else is going to teach them the lie of everything that he isn’t.
Be Encouraged,
Mathews
