Tag: walk by the way

9.b. “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them”

Joel 1:2   Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.

Exodus 10:1-2   Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them,  and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 6:7     You 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.

Psalms 44:1   O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

Psalms 78:3-8    things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

Psalms 145:4    One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

Isaiah 38:19   The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.

We are instructed to speak of God to our families about His faithfulness and what He has done in our lives.  There are moments in our lives where God has shut the mouths of lions, split the Red Sea, healed, and most importantly softened our heart so that our ear might hear and our mind understand His holiness, our sinfulness, and redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ.  Our salvation and other grace and mercy acts of God should ever be told in those God moments with our children and their children.  God’s acts of grace, mercy, love, power, and might do happen in the lives of those who continue to grow in their faith. If you are in a dry spell is it because of your lack of faith?  Or is it a time of testing to grow your faith?  Or is it a time of trials to draw you back to faith in Jesus Christ and the power and might in the palm of His hands?  We know from Scripture that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” We also know Scripture says “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

How are we to have faith stories about how Jesus Christ delivered, moved, encouraged, and gave refuge and power in our lives if we are neglectful and complacent in time in God’s Word?  The truth is we will not.  Our days will run on and on being the same day after day in our self-reliant and self-centered ways.  No stories of how Jesus Christ worked in our life.  No acts of power.  No acts of wonder.  No acts of ……  We will see the hand of Jesus Christ in our lives and be able to tell wonderful and glorious stories of His acts of grace, mercy, wonder, and love when we desire and seek to be in His Word and then intentionally choose to humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow, trust, and obey.  Start your journey with Christ anew.  Spend time in His word, grow in faith, and watch, see, and proclaim the great acts of His power in your life.

62. I will teach you the fear of the LORD

Deuteronomy 31:12   Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Deuteronomy 29:29    “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Psalms 34:11-14     Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.  What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.  Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalms 19:7-11     The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7     And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You 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.

I have thought often about “The fear of the LORD”.  Many times I come up with both reverence and afraid and see both in scripture.  I found this explanation from Ligonier Ministries.

We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God. These distinctions can be helpful, but they can also be a little dangerous. When Luther struggled with that, he made this distinction, which has since become somewhat famous: He distinguished between what he called a servile fear and a filial fear.

The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave. Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner.

Luther distinguished between that and what he called filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. In this regard, Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love.

I think this distinction is helpful because the basic meaning of fearing the Lord that we read about in Deuteronomy is also in the Wisdom Literature, where we’re told that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The focus here is on a sense of awe and respect for the majesty of God. That’s often lacking in contemporary evangelical Christianity. We get very flippant and cavalier with God as if we had a casual relationship with the Father. We are invited to call Him Abba, Father, and to have the personal intimacy promised to us, but still, we’re not to be flippant with God. We’re always to maintain a healthy respect and adoration for Him.