Courageous Parenting: Psalm 19, part 2

Parents are called to raise their children in "the instruction of the Lord"(Ephesians 6:4).  Psalm 19:7-11 might be the best place to find a comprehensive description of what Jesus' instruction entails.

 

Psalm 19:7-11 

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 

8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 

9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 

10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

 

So great parenting (which also applies to all discipleship) involves helping our children (and those we are helping to grow spiritually) to be able to see  the first half of the lines in this Psalm, and to experience the second half of each line in this Psalm.

 

We want our children to see that

The Law of the Lord is perfect

The testimony of the Lord is sure

The precepts of the Lord are right

The commandment of the Lord is pure

The fear of the Lord is clean

The rules of the Lord are true

 

We want our children to experience that

The law of the Lord revives the soul

The testimony of the Lord makes wise the simple

The precepts of the Lord rejoice the heart

The commandment of the Lord enlightens the eyes

The fear of the Lord endures forever

The rules of the Lord are righteous altogether

 

If we can help them grow into seeing and experiencing Psalm 19, they'll conclude that God's law is more to be desired that riches or pleasures.

They'll conclude that God's law provides both warning and blessing.  Blessing if it's followed, helpful alarms and warning if it' s not.

 

How do you help kids (and adults for that matter) see that God's word is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true?

 

How do you help kids (and adults for that matter) see that God's word can revive the soul, make wise the simple, rejoice the heart, enlighten the eyes, endure forever, and is righteous altogether?

 

I would study each one of these lines and try to think of particular situations where I could point this out to the kids and teach them the appropriate verse that goes along with it.  I would determine where I've experienced these things in my own life and share those things with them.

Courageous Parenting: The Instruction of the Lord, Psalm 19

Ephesians 6:4 says that parents need to raise their children using Jesus' discipline and instruction.  Hebrews 12 describes Jesus' discipline.  Psalm 19:7-11 may be the best place to summarize Jesus' instruction:

Psalm 19:7-11  

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; 

the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;  

8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; 

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  

9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; 

the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.  

10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; 

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

The word "Law" in the Old Testament typically means "instruction."  It's not simply the rules of the Old Testament, but it's the totality of God's instruction to his people.  It includes the stories, the wisdom, the examples, the Psalms, and the rules.  We see that in this Psalm because it describes the law as including testimonies, precepts, commandments, fear, and rules.  

One of my favorite images for the "Instruction of the Lord" is the image of a path.  God's way is the path that leads to abundant life now (John 10:10) and eternal life to come (John 17:3).  Psalm 23:3 describes it as "the paths of righteousness."  We want our children to grow up on this path and to stay on it throughout their lives.  So we want to raise them in "the instruction of the Lord."  

How could these verses influence your parenting?  What could you do to help your children, or others to experience the reality of these verses?  We'll explore the lines of this Psalm in future posts.