Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Joel 1-3
Joel 1:3
Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
According to the Bible the primary teacher of God’s Word and Way to children are their parents.
From Exodus 12:26-27 to Ephesians 6:4 this truth is echoed throughout the Bible. Until recently, throughout human history the most effective influencer of children has been mom and dad. Today children are influenced by so many voices pulling them in various contradictory directions that the only common-sense deduction would be that young people are confused. They are. Parents, teachers, social media, and the world in general all desire different things for the child. It would be great if they all agreed, but seldom do they.
But with all that, it is still the parent’s responsibility before God to tell their children truths about the Lord God. That generation should tell the next, and them the next, on and on until this world ends. Ephesians 6:4 states, And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Yes, pastors and churches have a part to play, namely they are to teach the fathers, and the mothers, the Bible in such a way that they can then teach their children. Deuteronomy 11:19-20 specifically tells the parents how and when to instruct their children about God and His ways, And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
Joel tapped into this commandment of God for parents to instruct their own children. His prophecy in a nutshell could be National repentance and the blessings resulting from it. He conveyed God’s truth to the parents who were to convey it to their children, who would then convey it to theirs. This cycle should continue on until the prophecies of this book are fulfilled, which may be soon. He spoke of the times of the Gentiles, which we are in now, the tribulation, the battle of Armageddon, and the millennial reign of Christ.
Yes, parents have a God given right and responsibility to teach their children of Him. Do not abdicate this sacred action to others. And the children, they have the responsibility to listen and learn from their parents. For the parents should be the greatest influence on a child’s life bar none. This takes prayer, work, money, time, and love, but the results will be well worth the investment.
Dr. William T. Howe
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