My wife and I went to one of our favorite places to eat, and nearby were two ladies and two pretty little girls. The little girls were showing the two ladies how they could dance and spin around. When their order arrived, I was surprised to see what happened.
The two little girls got up in their chairs, and the two women and little girls all bowed their heads and held hands and prayed for the food. It seemed like the little girls were accustomed to this. A few minutes later I went over to their table and asked the ladies how old the little girls were; they said three and four.
I thought the ladies were mother and grandmother, and I was surprised to find out it was a great-grandmother and grandmother. Wow.
That situation reminded me of something in the Bible.
God commanded or instructed the Jewish people to learn God's commands, (the Torah, the first five books of the Bible) and do them but also teach those commands to their children. They were promised that if they obeyed, it would go well for them,.
Deuteronomy 4:10 ... how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’
Deuteronomy 11:19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Psalms 78:8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Leviticus 10:11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”
Christians were instructed to do the same thing. We should teach children at a very young age.
Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
And I like Ephesians 6:4 - a word to fathers. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
And a word to older women and mothers - Titus 2:3-4 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,...
See you in Church next Sunday.