This week’s hammer verse passage reads as follows: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
This is one of my favorite Bible passages because of the rich lessons we derive from it for life and for parenting. It is these rich lessons that also make it a very important Scripture text to memorize. Let me briefly outline them.
We Are Reminded That Our Relation With God Is One Of Grace
The clause, “And these words that I command you today,” help us see these four verses are part of a larger book (Deuteronomy) that is comprised of five messages Moses delivered to Israel as they were poised on the doorstep of the Promised Land after almost forty years in the wilderness. These five messages are not only meant to prepare Israel for their mission of going in and taking control of the land the LORD had given them, they also were fashioned in the same way as treaties out of that day that kings of strong nations would make with the peoples of lesser nations—usually when the former had taken the latter under his protection. These treaties, in essence, would remind the weaker nation that they had been saved by this benevolent king and in return for his grace, these citizens were to show him their allegiance and obedience. Such actions did not make them his people, but arose out of their already being his people. The content of Deuteronomy is designed to show that the LORD, a gracious king, had saved his people and, as a result, they were to love him and serve him. It is this good news of God’s grace, his gospel, that should undergird all we do, especially our parenting, a subject that makes up so much of this passage.
We are Reminded Of The Importance Of Worshiping The True God
In verses 4-5 God’s people are reminded not only that he is the only God, but he is to be worshiped alone. What is more, he is to be loved by his people with all they have! This shows the gracious relationship one has with God is to be based upon the truth of who he is really is. It truly does matter that someone knows who God is and that he knows him intimately, since this is the essence of eternal life (Jer. 9:23-24; John 17:3) and the essence of what true worship is (John 4:24).
We Must Internalize God’s Word
Any true believer, must not only have mere head knowledge about God, even if it is true. It must be emblazoned upon the heart, it must be precious to and owned by the person. This is what is meant in verse 6: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” It is especially noteworthy that before the text moves to a parent’s responsibility to teach their children, they must truly know the one and only true God and they must own his Word. This is what prepares them for both honoring God and for teaching their children. No parent can truly teach and pass on a faith they do not first own and practice.
We Must Teach God’s Word To Our Children
The fact that when Israel was on the doorstep of the Promised Land God took the time to emphasize in verse seven passing on their faith to the next generation shows just how important this is to him. Note that the teaching takes place incessantly—at all times of the day, in all circumstances. The sense is that God’s Word permeates the home, life, work, recreation, decisions, relationships, and most likely is done both formally and informally. I make this last point since the teaching takes place in all kinds of situations (informally, as questions and teaching opportunities arise), yet, there is an intentional, specific content (v. 6: “These words that I command you today’) which most likely means there would also have to be formal times of teaching for subjects that may not as readily arise throughout the course of the day.
Summary
So, the picture this text gives is of parents coming to know the true God, knowing, owning, and practicing his Word, and then teaching that Word to their children. In other words, parents are called to disciple their own children. Is this how you view parenting? If you have children, this is not only your most important responsibility; it is your greatest privilege!
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