Monday: True Education
Read Proverbs 1:8–19. What two contrasting ways of education are presented in these verses? What’s the basic message here, not just for parents, but for everyone who fears the Lord?
Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com
Education is, first of all, a family matter, and true education comes, first and foremost, from the parents. In these verses, this education is called instruction
and even law.
The Hebrew word for law, torah, means direction.
The parents are to point their children in the right direction. In contrast, the other type of education
is not identified, not given a name. It is simply acknowledged as the voice of sinners, which leads in the wrong direction.
Also, the words my son,
not to be taken in a gender exclusive sense, are repeated many times, emphasizing parental instruction. Each parent — your father,
your mother
(NKJV) — is clearly identified in the singular and is personally involved, while the other camp is an anonymous plural,sinners.
In His wisdom the Lord has decreed that the family shall be the greatest of all educational agencies. It is in the home that the education of the child is to begin. Here is his first school. Here, with his parents as instructors, he is to learn the lessons that are to guide him throughout life. . . . The educational influences of the home are a decided power for good or for evil. . . . If the child is not instructed aright here, Satan will educate him through agencies of his choosing.
— Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 182.
The best argument on behalf of family education is its results. These are the inner qualities of character, which are like ornaments on the head and around the neck. In the Middle Eastern culture precious collars and bracelets were passed on from parents to children as a heritage of value. Education matters more, though, than material riches. The time spent with our children will be of much greater value for them than the time spent at our businesses. Also, the reference to the neck and the head, which is the individual’s face, suggests that education will shape his or her personality. In the way of fools or sinners, only the feet (Prov. 1:15) are mentioned, as if the wayward son had lost his identity.
How can we learn to resist the temptations that culture, society, friends, even family might throw our way?
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It is the duty of each and every parent to educate there kids, a childs personality is made from what s/he see his/her parents do, its not always about what they say, so as parents lets show and tell our children the righteous ways and they will always be in them, wish i had sister white's book education
And God's help is desperately needed.
Parents often give their children the wrong messages--and often this is inadvertent as well.
We are fallen beings and a lot of bad habits and wrong patterns of behaviour are transmitted unintentionally from generation to generation through patterns of behaviour or wrong beliefs that we are unaware of.
Please pray for my children who, in spite of growing up in a christian home and being educated in SDA schools, have gone on the path of sinners and are not attending church. As they struggle with all sorts of problems and perplexities, please pray that they will return to the fold of safety and use their bitter experiences to help to prevent others from doing the same mistakes and may they be a blessing in God's cause and be eternally saved at last.
Is the " fold " a safe place to come home to?
Please Deana, the fold reffered to above is nt literal bt a figure of speach as used by Jesus in the book of John chapter ten to refer to the church. Please find time to read the same
My sister Fay, I share your pain. The direction we give our children is important; train up a child in the way he/she should go and when he/she is old he will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6)remember and have the faith of a mustard seed. Your children as well as mine are lifted up to heavens door for safety through the day we are blessed with.
Do not cease to pray for your children. First ask God for forgiveness for your failures. He knows we are sinners. That's why He died. Pray constantly for them. It's okay toletthem hear you pray calling them by name. Live by example pointing them to God. We cannot undo the past but our prayer can change the future.
I share the desire of prayer for interactin with my grown children. When they were young we we not consistent in our keeping with God. Nor did we regularly study together. We always prayed before meals, but I fear I have let my most precious gifts tarnish by my rebellious ways. I am praying that God will put strong, up standing young people and leaders in their path. We live miles apart and still have a good relationship. I just can't claim they see Christ in me. Thank you for your prayers.
I will be praying for your children bcuz God says I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and I will save thy children. meaning when we continue to obey God and trusting in him he will protect OUR children, and he handle the devil and his shannegins ( hope I spelled that right) bcuz he knows he has but a short time.
We as parents we must start teaching our children even while they in the womb.Read to them,sing to them, talk to them. Feed them good healthy foods.All this and more has so much in developing healthy minds and bodies this will also help them also make right choices in life as they grow to be adults.oh, please don't forget to teacher them about their Creator The Lord Jesus Christ
I appreciate this.
Healthy living does indeed begin even before conception.
None of this will guarantee salvation, of course, but it's hard enough out there as it is. Every advantage would be a great help.
My sister in law was against sending children to SDA church school, her philosophy was expose your child to all religions and when they grow up they can choose for themselves. To me this reveals a lack of conviction on her part in her being a Buddist.
Because I love the LORD, whose character is revealed in His Word, with all my heart mind and body. I want my children to get to know Him and love Him as well.
And as Proverbs says, train up a child in the Way when he is young then when he is old he will not depart from it.
I just wanted to add something.
Something else came to mind when you mentioned SDA schools.
Many parents appear to forget that they have the primary responsibility to pass along their values to their children.
This is not the job of the church or the church school. The church and church school can assist--and certainly nothing is wrong with examining their effectiveness; but without the foundation at home (particularly through example), it's an uphill task.
I totally agree - parents must do their vital parts for their children and not depend on the television and society alone
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.
deutronomy 6:7 we are to teach them to our children its not someone else's job
The time we allocate to spend educating our children concerning eternal things has to do with our priorities. Indeed each one of us should ask him or herself the question- Are'nt I putting money first before my children? Realising that children are a blessing from God (Psalm127v4:Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord) will help us to better educate our children in matters of religion so that they grow up with heavenly wisdom. As parents we are also children of the Heavenly King, and to learn from God our Father should be our first priority as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Prov 1:8-9
V8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
We praise God for the points shared this far on the importance of the home (our responsibility as parents, guardians) in shaping character.
Ornaments in V9 are explained as character. In the same way ornaments add beauty or authority or dignity (as in case of Joseph by Pharaoh when investing him with authority and dignity (Genesis 41:42), and on Daniel by Belshazzar in the same way (Daniel 5:29; see Song of Solomon 4:9) to the main object (human being or wherever they are used), so will character to the human being. So character will serve two-fold:
1. A good character will prevent mischief as the child will be inclined to good, godly deeds
2. A good character will guide the focus on important things like career
TESTIMONIES FOR THE CHURCH VOLUME 4, PAGE 208
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It lies at the foundation of a proper education.
Those who, having a favorable opportunity, have failed to learn this first great lesson, are not only disqualified for service in the cause of God, but are a positive injury to the community in which they live.
I'd like to comment on the issue that 'the instructions of the father and mother...are like graceful ornaments on the child's head and a chain around his neck' found in Proverbs 1:8-9. This I think can be literal and figurative. The lesson seems to want to shy away from the jewelry controversy here. Literal in the sense that a crown is a graceful ornament that a king wears that shows who he is. Priest in ancient times wore gold and sliver on there robes again displaying who they were. Figurative in the sense that through the power of the Holy Spirit our parents instructions although not physically visible will show through our wisdom and knowledge. Just keeping it real.
Exactly Sheila, I alluded to that in my post too. True, both figurative and literal tho I am inclined more to the figurative becos character will last and inform day to day decisions.
Children learn by what is "caught" as well as what is "taught." We are teaching them as we walk, run, cook, clean, socialize, talk on the phone, and even in our silence.
I like to go back to the idea that we are the children of God and also need to be educated to follow our Father instructions in His Word and to avoid evil. It is so important that we study the Word for ourselves to get to know and love His character.
I totally agree, we as parents are given the opportunity to have children and it's a privilege to have children/ not a right bcuz they are a heritage from the Lord as someone stated earlier. so we as parents of the children God has blessed us with we are to give them back to the Lord who so lovingly allowed us to have them. bcuz when it's all said and done GOD is going to ask us where is the children I gave you, so we want to beable to present them to him.
When my children were small, I would read to them from the “Bedtime Stories” and the “Children’s Bible” when it was bedtime. One day, when my daughter had grown up, she said to me: “I would like to inherit those story books. They belong to me.” This gave me a great satisfaction and it was the best reward I could have received for the time invested in reading those stories to my children.
Amen, Nic! It is amazing how the little things make such a huge difference in their lives. Praise God for your faithfulness as a mother in Zion.
I would like to say that parents are suppose to play a key role in the educational lives of there children to nurture and bring them up in the way of the Lord.
I would like to highlight the use of two words that contrast the two methods of education described in Proverbs 1: 8 – 19.
The first is the word ‘instruct’ which suggests a deliberate, diligent and conscientious attempt on the part of parents to teach their children what is right. See Deuteronomy 6:6–9
The second is the word ‘entice’ which is what the sinners are attempting to do. As the word suggests, the sinners are not being completely honest, and really attempting to beguile the children in joining them. They know that their activities are not wholesome. And this to me describes how the world operates in seeking to capture and captivate young minds. They are never completely truthful about the harmful consequences of their course of action.
I believe is God’s desire that the instruction that has been done in the home be of such quality that it should be able to counteract the enticements of the sinners. And this is a truly sobering thought as a parent!
Good points, but I want us to always bear in mind as we raise our children that while we 'instruct' them to counteract enticements, it has to be in love because just as the heavenly father gives us the freedom of choice, so should we. Children must not be made to feel like religion is an albatross around their necks or a burden, but they must be given room to reason and genuinely understand what is being taught..Otherwise we will experience a rebellion of the highest order. This is a new era and parents have to understand that modern day kids are being socialised differently.
Hello,
I think this is true of every era. Ultimately the children have to choose to follow God with their own reasoning. No-one can coast along on the coattails of their parents' religious experience.
It doesn't last through the tough times.
What about children who were born to GOD fearing parents and trained up in the ways of the LORD and choose not to give lives to GOD. Did the parents err somewhere in their traning? What about Lucifer that rebelled in the holy atmosphere of heaven?
That has been a question that has puzzled me for decades! I have seen it in our family, brothers, cousins and in friends.
Is rebellion against parents a natural process of growing up?
Or is it the result of error in the training?
Have the reins been held to tight for too long?
The good news is that almost all have returned like the prodigal son and are dedicated servants in the LORD's work.
I found in my own experience that what made the most impact was the rules, the do's and don't's of being a SDA. In my last 3 years of high school I went to a SDA boarding school and the leaders of the church were also the teachers and administrators who had to enforce the civil rules of the school. You could almost say it was a combination of church and state.
What I learned was when teaching children - literally as well as new babes spiritually - we need to get the focus in the right order as Jesus said: LOVE ME and keep my commandments.
We need to remember we can't teach people to love the LORD, we can only introduce them to the LORD and we can show them the LORD's love shining through our lives.
Shirley you have echoed my thoughts well! The common thread that runs through the rebellions being experienced is the fact that we have been busy teaching religion and Adventism but not teaching love. Jesus did not teach religion and adventism. He taught his disciples to love one another in spite of their differences. Talk about diversity? It began with Jesus' disciples and yet he sat and dined with them at a table. For too long our church has coloured, classified and categorized sins and this is also another major issue which has created division and rebellion...sad but true
I have been thinking about that as well. Admittedly I myself was a baby Christian during my daughters growing up, I made mistakes in the raising of them. But they went to church, sunday school and then to Sabbath school when we started attending a SDA church, They went to church camps and participated in church activities, Yet neither of them are currently serving the Lord. One feels that like Stoics she is her own inner god. The other have discovered the way of the illuminati (I hope I spelled that correctly)They have the basic instructions, yet they choose to follow the enticing of the world.
Dean, our children, as did Lucifer, have the power of choice. We provide the environment, we follow God's commands in love, and pray for the harvest.
Keep them in your prayers & leave the results to God.
No! I do not believe that the parents has err bcuz even tho they have been taught/ trained they still have to make their choice just like Lucifer he had to make a choice and was in the presence of God we see what choice he made. they are at the age of accountability to make choices all we can do NOW! is to pray for them and keep them b4 the throne of GOD.PRAY EACH DAY THEY MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES EVERYDAY.
As a parent myself and a teacher It should be easy to educate my children . However most of the times I find myself have to be forcing them to get up for morning devotion even though we are having these from they were born.Tyhey are in their teenage age and that makes it more difficult
That's alright continue to get them up long as they are under your roof.when we became SDA my parents did the samething and Im so glad they did b cuz it stayed with me and I did the same with my children and to this day I still have morning & evening worship.My children I know they started out with their children rather they still doing it in their household now I don't know.so pray for the children and leave the results to GOD.
as we teach our children we should not forget that their propensity to evil is greater than that to good! with that in mind let's do it prayerfully! as a young parent i have seen my daughter always tend to like all that's wrong and selfish. this partly defines the big work that i will have to do to put her right! how i pray that God. does his work in her!
As I wake up in the morning I try to often pray for myself my husband and children . We are a new family in Christ and sadly to say only I and my children go to church every Sabbath I pray that my husband comes also and I know the lord is working on it I just pray that my husband receives his voice . I tell my children every day about God and how they should often talk with Him I can see now that evil is a nature for the flesh my son has been going to church sence he was 3 and he says its boring he is 5now my daughter tends to enjoy it only to play around and I have 2 younger ones that watch everything they do it is not an easy task raising kids in the Lord by myself but I know with the Lords help I can over come any obstacle.. Pray for me as a mother and as a wife that I may have the patience to endure what trials lurk ahead for me and my family ......
Amen to all the comment Chengetedzai Gota, Shirley de Beer, Betty Bellamy and Chako lubani. I agree with all your comments positively.
I have seen that Bible is telling us that we should led children into the right way- Jesus. And i have also noticed that these children can be anybody who is either younger or older than me in Jesus Christ. We must spread the Holy words to all persons who needs them so that they should also grow with Spiritual, Mental and physical knowledge from above.
The fold is and will always be safer than outside
I only have this to say: the word of God says, "I will contend with him that contends with thee and I will save thy children. So if we as parents continue to trust God and stay close to Him and always pray for our children He will watch over them and keep them and save them when He comes. So parents hold on to the promises of God and claim them everyday. He say His word will not came back to Him void, it will do what it was set out to do.
I Have noticed that the topic of raising our children right has touched a nerve. Yes it is most important to do all these good things, in this day and age it is a dangerous time to be growing up.
there is one thing that is going unsaid, and that is the time we spend on our knees involving God in the raising our children. I think this is the most important thing any God fearing parent can do.
Amen
The need to provide God's directions to our children is key in instilling divine wisdom in them
There is a marked difference between education and wisdom. Education is knowledge acquired through experiences, observation and from our environment. It is the application of the knowledge (or failure to) that reflects our wisdom or the lack thereof. They say experience teaches wisdom. What they should have said is that experience informs decisions. Some are wise and some are otherwise
Please always realize that your children have the same choices to make you have to make. True education and training can give them an advantage but they still have free choice. They are not made prisoners by the true education and training they received. They have been provided by God the freedom to go down the wrong path. There are many powerful influences out there and the enemy uses whatever will work to entice our children and us away from God's path. Parents didn't necessarily do anything wrong. Even God lost His son and daughter to the evil one in the garden but it is not over yet. Everyone has choices to make that can lead to salvation or being lost and that is the reason we must turn to God and surrender to Him and receive the gift of salvation's wisdom. That is why we must never give up, never give up, and keep our loved ones before God and allow Him to do what is best. Our prayers for our children always remain before God even if we should go to our rest. God loves them more than we do, God wants them in His kingdom ever more than we do and He will do all that is possible to help them make that choice. Never give up!