“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut. 6:6-7).
These words of Moses are set against the background of the greatest command (cf. Deut. 6:4-5). What parents do in the development of their children’s lives is so important that God told them the words to teach. The generation who initially heard these words had parents who died in the wilderness (cf. Num. 14:29-35) because of unbelief (cf. Heb. 3:16-19). It was paramount that the next generation both believed and sought to instill basic truths to their children. This is the heart of parenting. Consider three teaching areas needed for parents to pass on.
- Teaching Respect for Authority. Knowing the Lord with proper respect is the first step in parenting. Moses stated, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:” (Deut. 6:4). There is no God other than God (cf. Isa. 45:21; 1 Cor. 8:5-6). That same God is the Lord. The term “Lord” necessarily implies authority. Parenting involves both modeling that respect and molding that respect into the hearts of one’s offspring. Life is not lived unto self; it is lived unto the Lord (cf. Rom. 14:7-8). One of the basic problems that has plagued every generation is a lack of respect for authority that falls back on a lack of respect for the Lord. Parents are to instill that all, even the parents, are under the authority of heaven. There is to be no compromise here. It is to be remembered that Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7).
- Teaching Responsible, Heart Moving Regard for God. The primary motivation for demonstrating respect for authority is in the command to love (cf. Deut. 6:5). Jesus himself stated that (cf. Matt. 22:37-40). Any action of man that is not moved out of love is unprofitable. Paul wrote, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2-3). God initiated His love for man that man might see love and do likewise to the strength of his being (cf. 1 John 4:19). Where the heart of man is in the right frame of mind, completed with love (cf. Col. 3:14), such will take care of the daily course of life.
- Teaching the Reality of All Day, Every Day Living for God. Parenting is not a sporadic, put in the “quality time” sort of thing. Moses told them that they were to teach diligently “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut. 6:7). In other words, parents are to be training by word and deed in their children’s presence. Seizing the opportunities to answer their questions, to listen to their conversations, to guide in critical decisions, to discipline when they wander from truth, to rejoice when they do the right thing, etc. There is no break time when it comes to parenting. The responsibility falls not on “the village,” but upon the home.
Jimmy Clark