WHAT WILL WE TELL OUR CHILDREN?

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?" tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness." Deuteronomy 6:13-25

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

This scripture that closes Chapter 6 continues with the reminder to serve God and God alone, to revere and respect His awesome power and to remain obedient to His commands and decrees. If one did these things, doing what was good and right in the Lord’s sight, then all would go well for that person and, in the case of Israel, they would be able to go in and take over the land promised to their fathers by the Lord.

I would like to focus on the second paragraph in today’s devotional message. For we see Moses giving Israel the following direction:

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.’ "

There would come a day when Israel’s children would grow up and inevitably ask questions about the way things were…why there stipulations, decrees and laws and what they meant. It’s obvious that the Lord never wanted Israel to forget all that He had done for them to include all the direction and guidance He had provided. This has been made quite clear in past scripture. However, it wasn’t enough just for Israel to not forget. For if they failed to pass their memories down to their children, then those memories and the valuable testimonies they contained would go with them to the grave.

So Israel was given precise answers o provide to their children’s future questions. They were to tell their children about their enslavement in Egypt at the hands of Pharoah and how there was a mightier hand…the hand of the Lord that brought them out. This God did great signs and wonders, some of them terrible against Pharoah and Egypt, displaying His awesome might and power.

From that initial deliverance, God had continued to deliver Israel all the way to where they were now…on the brink of crossing the Jordan into Canaan. And they were to remember to obey all of God’s decrees and obey His law to discover their righteousness in Him as well as prosperity and life. Indeed, Israel had a great deal to share with their children…all so they might come to know and respect the Almighty, Infinite, Powerful God…the God of their ancestors and the God of their life as well.

As I pondered this passage, it brought me to one fundamental question: What will we tell our children? As they grow older and want to know about the lives we have lived…when they ask us for guidance and wisdom…when they ask us to testify about our past experiences…what will we tell them? Will we draw them to the Lord by sharing all that the Lord has done for us? Will we testify for how He has cared for us so much and been there to edify us, heal us, encourage us, test us and, most of all, love us throughout our lives? What will we tell them?

Well, I think the Lord has made it clear to us by giving His expectations to Israel. We are not to hesitate in telling our children everything that God has done for us, particularly in how He has delivered us throughout our lives and worked great wonders and miracles all around us. And we are to tell them all about the laws, commands, decrees and stipulations that God gave. In other words, we are to educate them in the Lord’s word, way and will.

So I ask again…what will we tell our children? What are we telling our children? What will we tell our children? God gives us the answers. We need to only receive them. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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