Our Children

"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

My study notes say of this verse that "train" is the same as "dedicate". The example it gives is I Kings 8:63 which says, "Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the kind and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord."

Now this seems like an odd verse to refer to from Proverbs 22:6. But I think I get the meaning. Solomon had taken years to complete what his father David had wanted to do. He built the Temple where the Lord would live and can be worshiped. Dedicating and sacrificing were vital in the lives of the Israelites. It wasn't something you just said and never follow through with. It was serious business with much work put into it. Just think about how long it took to sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep and burn them on the alter of the Lord! My study notes say that it took 14 days to complete this ceremony with a vast amount of people being involved.

Training up our children takes time. It's a process that involves years of dedicated sacrifice on our part. And as it took a vast amount of people to complete this ceremony, it will take many people to help us train our children. Our extended families, friends, Sunday school teachers and school teachers all play a roll in growing our children. We need to be training our children to know Jesus and to live their lives for Him as well as those children who are in our lives. I was touched by my friend's son the other day. I had gone to rescue my friend who locking herself out of her house and we were standing on her front porch talking. Her son kept on interjecting here and there showing me his many toys. Then out of the blue, or maybe because he heard us mention Jesus, he busted out, "Jesus died!". I asked him why Jesus died and he replied, "For me." That is a good example of a child being raised in the way he should go!

I pray that we may be in the Word and stay close to the Lord so that we can train our children to know Him. Proverbs 4:11 says, "I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths." If He has done that for us and we stay on the upright path, then we will have no trouble imparting what we know into our children's lives and into the lives of children around us.

I also pray that our children will not depart from what they learned from us. That they'll be protected throughout their youth as they are bombarded with the world's view of life and the negative influences of what they see. I pray for us as parents that we will grow in strength and beauty in the Lord so that we can dedicate our children to the Lord now and in the years to come.

Krista Jones
7.20.08


Bible Reading Guide:

Beginning to End: Deut. 21-23
Old and New Testaments Together: Numbers 35-36 & Mark 10:1-31
Historical: Deut. 21-23
Chronological: Numbers 26-27
Blended: Job 1-2 & I Cor. 1

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible