Tag: Teaching

deuteronomy

Week 10: Day 3- Deuteronomy 6:6-9

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
(7) 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.
(8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
(9) And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Explanation:

After talking about being obedient to the law, and loving the one and only true God, Moses commands the people about extending these values to the next generation. We can see how to pass along God’s law to future generations by noticing three responses He commands an older generation to model for the younger generation.

First, He commanded them to own God’s Word for themselves. He told them that the law should “be in thine heart.” That means they know it, value it, and live it out. You can’t give what you don’t have. Often younger generations don’t love God and His Word because they were lead by people that didn’t own God’s Word themselves.

Second, He told them to talk about God’s Word with their kids. It’s not enough to believe it ourselves, we must talk about God’s Word with the next generation. How? We ought to do it in the every day course of life. Notice the four postures of when it is to be done:

  • Sitting
  • Walking
  • Lying Down
  • Rising Up

In the mundane, everyday course of life we teach the next generation the Word of God. There are formal times of teaching at church and in the home, and informal times of teaching with the church and int he home.

Third, He told them to display God’s Word for their kids. He told them to bind it on their hands and foreheads, and to post it on their gates and doorposts. The idea is to keep the truths of the Word of God in front of their kids all the time.

Application:

Parents, Grandparents, Sunday School Teachers, Pastors, Youth Pastors, Uncles, Aunts, Neighbors, Friends…disciple the next generation! How? Not being hypocritical and living a genuinely godly life in front of them, telling them about God’s Word, and displaying God’s Word for them to see constantly. Ultimately teaching them to open God’s Word for themselves and teaching them to teach the next generation as well is the aim. What’s at stake? The eternity of future generations!

Response:

  1. Do you own God’s Word yourself?
  2. Who are you teaching? How are you doing at teaching?
  3. How can you display God’s Word to the next generation?
deuteronomy

Week 9: Day 5- Deuteronomy 4:9

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;

Deuteronomy 4:9

Explanation:

Individual responsibility and discipline is foundational to the success of the nation at large. Moses says to “take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently”. What does that mean? It means to pay attention to your thoughts and actions. Pay attention to your motivations. Pay attention to keeping God’s commands. In fact, he describes what will happen if you don’t take heed- “lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen”. In context, what is it that they had seen? God had judged their sin at Baal-peor. God had provided for them in the wilderness. What they had seen was God’s judgement for breaking the law, and God’s graciousness and blessing for doing what He said. By not taking heed to themselves, they could forget God’s kindness, God’s will, and the judgement that could come from disobedience.

Moses also commanded them to teach these principles to their children and grandchildren. If they didn’t get these things, they would be in danger of missing God’s blessing and enduring God’s judgement as well.

Application:

Two responses seem appropriate and applicable in these verses:

  1. Keep your soul. We have a responsibility to maintain our relationship with God, and our daily submission to the Spirit. If we are saved, we will always be saved, but our closeness and intimacy with God is what ebbs and flows. If we remain controlled by the Spirit God will grow us. We will remember His commands and experience His blessings.
  2. Teach others. Our own spiritual discipline will impact for good or ill the next generation. The health or your own relationship with God affects far more than our own lives. It affects our own family tree. We teach those inside our family and outside our family the will of God.

Responses:

  1. How is your relationship with God right now? Is there sin to confess? Is there something to obey that you are not being obedient in now?
  2. Who are you teaching about God? This is not just the responsibility of a pastor, Sunday School teacher, or radio/podcast preacher. It’s the responsibility of every believer to teach others, starting in their own family.