God’s Righteous Jealousy
“The Lord your God who is present among you, is a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 6:15) I found that a bit surprising the first time I read it. God can be jealous? Isn’t jealousy bad? For humans, our jealousy indicates that we are discontent with what we have and want what others have. But for God, it’s different. God is righteous and holy. His jealousy is for us. You see, God wants all of us. That’s what He means when He says in Deuteronomy 6:5 “You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.” He wants every part of us fully surrendered to and in love with Him above everything else.
There are lots of small “g” gods in life to distract us and pull our devotion and obedience away from Jesus. Whether it be a person, thing, or idea, we can easily worship them as if they are God. Though this is true for every adult, our children are even more vulnerable. They encounter these idols on a daily basis, quite literally, every moment of their waking hours. Cell phones, money, comfort, sex, entertainment, identity, social media, and influencers, just to name a few. There seems to be no escape.
Living Out the Word of God
In the midst of the battle for our hearts, God mapped out a way for parents to navigate. This is how we bring the Word of God to our kids. They “must be kept in mind.” We “must teach them to [our] children”, and “speak of them as [we] sit in [our] house, as [we] walk along the road, as [we] lie down, and as [we] get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
These are not just suggestions. They are commands, and I see two truths within them. First, we must personally know God’s Word to live out God’s Word. How are we supposed to teach our children what we don’t know? They will only learn as much from us as we personally know of God and His Word. So our biggest responsibility as Christian parents is to first know Jesus. Then, we are to live by the power of the Holy Spirit, so we may walk in surrendered and humble obedience to the Word of God. This is how we will be equipped to teach our children what God has taught us. It doesn’t mean we have to know absolutely everything before we teach our kids. Rather, as we learn, we can teach.
Modeling Scripture
This hit close to home the year I homeschooled our five kids. I knew it would require a lot of patience on my part, so my verse for that year became James 1:19, “Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Midway through the year, I thought I was doing a pretty great job until one day my daughter said, “Mom, why are you grumpy all the time?” I was shocked, a bit hurt, and honestly wanted to defend myself. But then I realized this was an opportunity to teach God’s Word in action. I humbled myself, apologized, and honestly shared that I need Jesus to help me every moment of every day. “Me too, Mom. Me too,” came the sweet voice in return. We prayed together that we would each learn how to more fully obey the Word of God. How different that moment would have been if I had reacted the way I felt, rather than the way God’s Spirit within directed me. Those split second decisions to obey the Word of God and act in accordance with it or respond with human instinct are the best teaching moments of parenting.
Walking with Our Children
Second, each of the commands in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 necessitates intimacy with our children in their daily lives. I’ve personally discovered that it’s in the seemingly mundane moments that the most profound spiritual insight can occur. For each of our kids, it’s a little different. One likes to snuggle and talk about her day, being sure I hear every detail. Another likes taking long walks where we don’t have to look eye to eye, but the depths of her heart pour out naturally. Yet, another asks deep questions after she’s clearly contemplated them with Jesus and simply wants confirmation of her conclusions. One son likes to chat early in the morning asking questions beyond his years, and the other sits with me late into the night when his mind is contemplating truth.
I think this is what the writer of Deuteronomy meant in teaching our children. The truth of God’s Word is to be stirred up in our hearts, kept at the forefront of our minds, and naturally poured out in the day-to-day moments of life. Let’s not waste even the mundane moments, for each is an opportunity to “train up [our] children in the way [they] should go” (Proverbs 22:6).After all, the goal of obeying these commands is to love the Lord our God with all that we are.
So That It May Go Well with You
But we have not yet addressed the “why” of this passage. If your kids are anything like mine, they always ask “Why?” To be fully transparent, that’s the cry of my heart, too, when God commands me to do something. “Why, Lord?” “Why me?” God answers that question so subtly in the passage that we can almost miss it. “Pay attention…and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 6:3). We hear the command parts of this statement, “pay attention” and “be careful”. But did you catch the “why” part? It’s this: So that it may go well with you.
The vagueness of this promise actually leaves room for God to specifically define “go well” in the individual lives of each and every one of His children. This promise is not a one-size-fits-all promise because God has different plans for each of us. Our good God knows us personally and therefore blesses us individually. Ultimately, the goodness we are promised as believers is to one day be with our Savior forever. Through God’s Word, we can know and trust our good God and live in accordance with His ways. May we be marked by a lifestyle of living out the Words of Scripture, demonstrating to our children that a life with Christ is greater than anything this world can offer.
