Teach them

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. – Deuteronomy 6v7-9

I love teaching. (I think I may have mentioned that before) Because of that passages about teaching just seem to jump out when I read them. This passage is one of those teaching ‘classics’ of the word of God.

The context is God’s commandments. It is obvious that what is being said here is important. If Israel did not pass on God’s words to the next generation they would quickly turn from it.

Teach them with diligence – it is not something we can take lightly. Talk of them when you sit in your house, when you are out walking, when you go to bed, and when you get up. Keep them always before you. Write them out for all to see.

I think there is a fervency that most of us can miss when we are raising our children. His word should be part and parcel of every thing we do, be it spiritual or not. That seems to be the idea here, doesn’t it?

We used Keys for Kids as a devotional help when our kids were young. We are using them now before school for Morgann and Eoin. Sometimes we laugh at how they turn every situation into a spiritual lesson. Of course they are written for that purpose. But I do think they have a point. We need to search for ways to teach or children the word of God in every circumstance. Getting up, going for a walk, bedtime, etc. All of these are times for us to diligently teach God’s word to the next generation.